How to Catechise

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Tommy555

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With our two previous popes and our current pope 's push for evangelization, I think that we need to start by doing a better job of catechising the current mass-going Catholics, but the majority will not attend anything outside of mass. It seems it would have to be accomplished during the mass. However, it seems we are trying to shorten the mass. Any thoughts?
 
As a start, parishes have to make adult faith formation a top priority.

We tend to put a lot of emphasis on children and teens. Somehow, once a person graduates from high school, parishes seem to think they know everything they’ll ever need to know. Unfortunately, what was relevant when you were 15 is not nearly as relevant when you’re facing very different life issues at 25, 35, and 45.

Programs for adults seem to center on RCIA, liturgical ministries, and parish environment/decorating committees. Certainly those are important, but they leave out a lot of people and (other than RCIA to a certain extent) aren’t catechetical or educational in nature.

I would love to see parishes offer a variety of programs for adults. Some will attend, some won’t, but at least the opportunities would be there. There could be different programs and different approaches, including lectures, small group discussions, online presentations, bulletin inserts, etc. (And that’s not counting other things that should be going on like prayer groups and faith sharing groups.)

Ultimately I think a strong formation program for adults would have an effect on children as well. Parents are the primary educators of their children, but they can’t teach what they don’t know themselves.

I’ve tried to get some things started and run into resistance, especially with the line “but we already have RCIA.” Yes, I know that. But RCIA isn’t intended to be the catch all for all adult formation in the parish. There’s so much more we can do.
 
By the way, I saw the web page for a parish (which I’ll leave unnamed) that included these different things under adult faith formation. All I can say is I would love to have these kinds of opportunities. Everyone should be able to find something of interest.

I added a few explanations to their list. My comments are in square brackets.
  • Adult Education Speaker Series
  • Bible Study
  • Catholics Breaking Bread the Jewish Way [Seder meal led by a rabbi]
  • Cursillo
  • Eucharistic Adoration/Prayer Hour
  • Grief Support
  • RISE (21-32 Years)
  • L.I.F.T./Living in Fellowship Together (33-49 Years)
  • C.C.F./Corpus Christi Fellowshp (49-65 Years)
  • Young at Heart (65 Years)
  • Interfaith Dialogue [Catholic-Muslim women’s lunch held twice a year]
  • Marriage Ministry
  • Men’s and Women’s Breakfasts
  • Mothers’ Group
  • Pastoral Counseling
  • Prayer and Meditation [Lectio Divina and contemplative prayer group]
  • Public Policy Discussion Group
  • R.C.I.A.
  • Retreats & Workshops
  • Summer Gatherings [Potluck dinner and a speaker]
  • The Twelve Apostles [Plans the adult education speakers series]
  • The Twelve Steps and the Bible
  • We Thirst [Adults meet on Sunday mornings to study the Catechism while their children are in religious education classes]
 
Tommy555 said:
With our two previous popes and our current pope 's push for evangelization, I think that we need to start by doing a better job of catechising the current mass-going Catholics, but the majority will not attend anything outside of mass. It seems it would have to be accomplished during the mass. However, it seems we are trying to shorten the mass. Any thoughts?
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It is time to inform our dear priests that what is needed is for them to preach **basic **Catholic doctrines to the choir. 😃
 
We get substantial catechesis from the pulpit most every Sunday.
 
Ask the priest to add a little lesson in his homily on Sunday’s
 
Real catechesis should NOT be pinned on the over worked priests, hoping they squeeze the Catechism over the years into their 7m homily. We can hope they don’t undo Catechsim in that 7m.

That leaves non Mass time.

That means it’s your job and my job as confirmed adult Catholics to shoulder the work.

Look at the bulletin and size up and categorize the various one time only or ongoing “means of formation”. Then put together a well thought plan to fill one or two holes. Take it to Father and patiently propose…and then listen to him, humbly.

Next we can help categorize slowly our friends…in a very natural way…over a long time. It could start with work on a project on say Saturday…and then as you clean up at 3:00 say hey how about a beer, but first I wanted to go to Confession…want to come…and over the years some new opportunities come up…points of doctrine perhaps…and you can gently help him grow in his faith, strengthened by a great love for the sacraments, including frequent confession.

We must use friendship to help our friends!
 
How to catechise the head and how to evangelize the heart?
I made significant progress when I realized that I needed a steady dose of both. I heard it said that we don’t DRIFT closer to God.

The more tools that one uses the better.
One the internet
www.Catholic.com obviously, and see more
forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=172350

www.EWTN.com
I love to leave EWTN on continuously in the living room because i never know when some great new series is going to be started. For example, see
forums.catholic-questions.org/showpost.php?p=11412836&postcount=266

Books
ignatius.com/

I think the real problem is that people have been fed milk instead of solid spiritual food for so many years that they don’t know they need to work on learning and sharing their Catholic faith. It was by attempting to share my faith that I learned that I needed to learn a lot more.

So, how do we reach the common Catholic who is too busy to be bothered with learning the faith?

In my opinion the best way is
Lighthouse Catholic Media CD’s.
lighthousecatholicmedia.org/nextgenkiosk

They have the best speakers on all the best subjects. They can be ordered for $3 per CD or less. Most efforts to learn the faith require some sacrifice of one’s time. So reaching someone who is “TOO BUSY” to commit themselves is difficult. However, most people, where I live, drive to work, and it is so easy to pop in the CD and listen to it on the way to work and back.
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Even the best catechesis will not yield fruit if the people are not first evangelized and converted. This includes regular Mass-goers.

That’s why Benedict and Francis have placed such emphasis on the New Evangelization. This New Evangelization is directed towards those who have already heard the Gospel message but have not responded (not towards those who have never heard it to begin with).

The people in the pews need to be disciples of Jesus. If they are not, even the best homilies in the world will just go in one ear and out the other. And if they are disciples, then they will naturally seek to draw closer to He who they have encountered. That’s when catechesis will be most effective.
 
Joe_5859 said:
Even the best catechesis will not yield fruit if the people are not first evangelized and converted. This includes regular Mass-goers.
Click to expand...
I agree.

The best catechesis should follow the catechumenal model. Seek, question, convert (the heart), catechize.

We can teach all the doctrine we want, but if the people in the pews are not convinced that Christ died for them, why would they care about doctrine?

We need more small groups and 1 to 1 mentoring/ discipling.

(I’m not saying priests shouldn’t preach truth)
 
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