Interfaith Dialogue Program - Yikes!

[omniavincetamor]

I am a concerned catechist – well – former catechist. With much prayer and consternation, I recently made the difficult decision to remove myself from the Confirmation Catechist Team. Upon receiving the “syllabus” for the 2005-06 program, I was horrified to see that our 14-15 year old students were being required to participate in an Adult Education program. Four weeks of the religious education program was set aside for participation in an Interfaith Dialogue Program sponsored by the Interfaith Mission Service (IMS).

The chief concern amongst catechists from last year was the limited amount of time to teach our Catholic Faith to the kids. There is so much material to cover and simply not enough time so you can understand my disbelief when I saw that we were removing or condensing FOUR WEEKS of material to expose our youngsters to this program. I e-mailed the IMS requesting the handouts to further understand the content of the program and received no reply. The outline on their website (interfaithmissionservice.org/interfaithdialogue.htmll) frightens me as a parent! If ecumenism is the goal, why are we spending FOUR WEEKS of Catholic Religious Education classes on NON-CHRISTIAN faiths? Hinduism, Buddhism, Bahai’, Jewish, Muslim, Abrahamic! My goodness, reading just a little about the Bahai’ faith and I liken it to Scientology. It certainly isn’t an approach to ecumenism that follows The Second Vatican Council’s Decree on Ecumenism, Unitatis Redintegratio. I am thankful my children have already received the Sacrament of Confirmation.

I brought my concerns to our Religious Education Director during a Confirmation Team meeting hoping to understand. The answers I received with regard to the intent, content and facilitation of the program were not satisfactory.

Based on the information I received at that meeting and the little information I could glean from the website, there is NO CATHOLIC representation in this program and no Catholic facilitator. This program may be fine for adults that are well formed in our Catholic faith, but to require 14 year olds that don’t even really know why they’re Catholic to participate in this is absurd! There is so much great CATHOLIC material available geared for youth – I can only surmise that this is tolerance training of our young people.

I am so proud to be Catholic, knowing that our Church has the fullness of Truth – I am saddened that a program of this type is being used, let alone during a sacramental year for our youth. Presenting material of this type will not strengthen their faith; it will make them say “why be Catholic?”

Please help me understand! I pray my Parish will re-think the use of this program for our Confirmation Candidates.

 

[Karin]

What state are you in? I ask because this Sept. my 14 year old son is starting the Confirmation classes…I want him to get a solid understanding on the Catholic faith not an understanding on other faiths. Is this done in all confirmation classes or just certain areas?

 

[omniavincetamor]

Hi Karin - North Alabama - I was a catechist last year in the confirmation program and we struggled to get all the material in. I cannot understand why this was inserted this year! Check out the website - you’ll be as frustrated as I am…It’s not even other Christian faiths…what state are you in?

 

[Karin]

omniavincetamor:

Hi Karin - North Alabama - I was a catechist last year in the confirmation program and we struggled to get all the material in. I cannot understand why this was inserted this year! Check out the website - you’ll be as frustrated as I am…It’s not even other Christian faiths…what state are you in?

I am in NJ…the link you gave did not work…but as soon as I get hold of the Confirmation class I am asking questions…

 

[La_Chiara]

Omniavincetamor–Good heavens, is it any wonder Catholics are so poorly catechized? Bad enough that the kids get this “all religions are equal”, “let’s be tolerant” stuff at school, but at Catholic Confirmation too! Sounds like you did what you could. You might consider sending a polite letter to your diocese explaining your concerns–just to alert them. Also, consider finding and helping out at a parish which is more orthodox. Or perhaps share your talents with a more orthodox “ministry” within your parish. Catholic parishes need more (not fewer) people like you.

 

[Scoobyshme]

I believe you fall under the diocese of Birmingham. Bishop Foley has submitted his regsignation (mandatory age 75) and it has been accepted. Unfortunately, it takes 9 months to have a baby and at least 8 months to get a new bishop…maybe more. I have heard from priests in other dioceses that nobody wants the job because our diocese is so messed up. I live in Tuscaloosa and we have no good parishes here. They’re basically composed of Protestants who didn’t want to follow the rules of whatever congregation they came from and college students from everywhere. Not much real Catholicism going on, with the exception of the sacraments. Lots of internal politics, etc., going on, though. The Catholic school here (grade school & high school) is Catholic in name only. In reality, it is a private school for rich kids who got kicked out of public school or whose parents want control. Most kids in the school are Protestant.

If I were bishop, I’d come in and clean house. Priests who chose to be disobedient would be fired. We would suffer for a while, with parishes and no priests, but we would find a way to make do. I would import foreign priests from countries where vocations were in abundance (India, Africa, etc.), and get back to doing things properly.

 

[Franze]

I pray for that diocese and please send letters to the Vatican and other authorities, this has to be known.

 

[Scoobyshme]

Franze, do you, by chance, know where we can get the mailing addresses of the Vatican, etc.? And whom it is we should contact? That would be helpful. Thanks!