Sunday-School Model for Religious Education

[Chris-WA]

I have lived in several Catholic parishes around the country, and have noticed that in most parishes, adult religious education programs are very poorly attended. In my current parish of approx 2200 families (which has its own K-8 school by the way), at any given adult religious ed class there are maybe 10 people in attendance out of the entire parish. Now that is pathetic!

I think we can all agree that the vast majority of adult Catholics are very poorly catechized, to the point where they are largely incapable of educating their own children in the faith. I am accutely aware of the terrible state of religious education in Catholic parishes, especially for adults. I think there is a better way to do things, and would like to know if there are people out there who have come to the same conclusion regarding the Sunday-school model.

It is my opinion that if a parish holds adult religious ed on a weeknight, it will likely be very poorly attended. However, in the couple of parishes I’ve attended where the Sunday school model is used (i.e., the adult RE class happens at the same time as the youth RE either right before or right after mass on Sunday), attendance is much greater. I believe this is so for several reasons:

1. If your kids are in RE either right before or right after mass, parents can easily attend their own class simultaneously without having to arrange babysitting.
2. You don’t have to make another trip on a busy weeknight back to the parish to attend a class.
3. People are already there for mass on Sundays, so having class between masses is much more convenient. People are very busy during the week, so they’re more likely to attend a class if it is associated with going to church on Sunday. RE becomes associated with going to mass, so a cultural norm may start to build where religious education becomes valued among the parish for all ages, not just the kids.

It’s a great mystery to me why our Church has almost no cultural norm for adults continuing their formal relgious education after Confirmation. In many Christian denominations, it is expected that all ages attend Sunday school in addition to their weekly religious services. I think we’re getting our butts kicked by the religious education programs of other Christian denominations, which is one huge reason so many poorly catechized Catholics make such easy prey for other religions. What do you all think about Sunday-school?

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

I have lived in several Catholic parishes around the country, and have noticed that in most parishes, adult religious education programs are very poorly attended. In my current parish of approx 2200 families (which has its own K-8 school by the way), at any given adult religious ed class there are maybe 10 people in attendance out of the entire parish. Now that is pathetic!

I think we can all agree that the vast majority of adult Catholics are very poorly catechized, to the point where they are largely incapable of educating their own children in the faith. I am accutely aware of the terrible state of religious education in Catholic parishes, especially for adults. I think there is a better way to do things, and would like to know if there are people out there who have come to the same conclusion regarding the Sunday-school model.

It is my opinion that if a parish holds adult religious ed on a weeknight, it will likely be very poorly attended. However, in the couple of parishes I’ve attended where the Sunday school model is used (i.e., the adult RE class happens at the same time as the youth RE either right before or right after mass on Sunday), attendance is much greater. I believe this is so for several reasons:

1. If your kids are in RE either right before or right after mass, parents can easily attend their own class simultaneously without having to arrange babysitting.
2. You don’t have to make another trip on a busy weeknight back to the parish to attend a class.
3. People are already there for mass on Sundays, so having class between masses is much more convenient. People are very busy during the week, so they’re more likely to attend a class if it is associated with going to church on Sunday. RE becomes associated with going to mass, so a cultural norm may start to build where religious education becomes valued among the parish for all ages, not just the kids.

It’s a great mystery to me why our Church has almost no cultural norm for adults continuing their formal relgious education after Confirmation. In many Christian denominations, it is expected that all ages attend Sunday school in addition to their weekly religious services. I think we’re getting our butts kicked by the religious education programs of other Christian denominations, which is one huge reason so many poorly catechized Catholics make such easy prey for other religions. What do you all think about Sunday-school?

That would be great if a parish has the “extra” space. A parish I know of has about 300 children in their “Sunday School” program. Which they hold in a total of 4 classrooms a social hall, a cryroom, the pews of the church, the sacristy, before during and after Masses. English children attend during the Spanish Mass and visa-versa. We would like Adult Catechesis. but Weekday evening is the only option unless we want to tailgate! So we are looking at other options.

 

[AliciaCL]

Couldn’t agree with you more that we desperately need some kind of supplemental adult religious ed in Catholic parishes. People are hungry for it. We get the occassional speaker and there’s some bible classes which have twenty or so attendees, mostly retired persons. I would love to see almost any kind of lecture held following masses as an option at the school gym. Anything, something discussing theological issues, social issues, Old Testament stories, New Testament stories, the daily readings explained in context, lives of the saints, a recent book, a movie, etc., even playing a program presented on Catholic Television network, EWTN, that aren’t just the old preachy rigid kind of teaching. There are many good program offered. I don’t know why there hasn’t been efforts in this regard other than, it would be new and untested and people might not come initially and then it would really look bad. Even my kids’ catechism uses the same old 2-3 songs for a group singing before the classroom year after year making 3rd graders conclude it’s boring. And for heaven’s sake can’t somebody inject a public speaking class into the curriculum for new priests? What I’ve seen and heard forever is incredibly stilted, reading of notes or old written homilies with little emotion.

 

[puzzleannie]

your model might very well work in your parish.

in this diocese, it works only where pastor has made it mandatory that parents attend their own class while the children are in RE, and then, it only works on Sunday, before or after Mass, and where parish has room to put all those people, and does not have a parking problem with the next Mass. Common complaint in the few parishes that can do this, is that families attend RE, not Mass.

We have adult classes, English and Spanish, bible study, sacramental prep, RCIA, and post-confirmation, apologetics, Disciples in Mission, etc, etc, etc. in every possible combination of date and time. bottom line–the same people will attend who come to everything else; the people who need it most wont’ come’ the people who asked for a specific program on the annual survey won’t come, parents won’t come unless it is mandatory for their child’s sacramental prep.

oh and one more observation, for the most part–and there are one or two beautiful exceptions every year–the “usual suspects” who do come to adult programs are either already volunteering in some way in parish life, or are content to be fed but feel no need to give of what they have received to others.

I would be happy to find somebody to run adult programs while children fill every inch of available gathering space on Saturday morning and Wednesday evening, in two shifts, if you will built me another classroom building.

Sunday is out of the question, we already have RCIA and confirmation classes in English and Spanish and easily half who inquire never sign up, half who sign up never come, and half who do come drop out before completing even half the program. I regard this as my personal failure and am quite sure my time in purgatory will be devoted to making up for my lack in this area.

 

[Chris-WA]

That would be great if a parish has the “extra” space. A parish I know of has about 300 children in their “Sunday School” program. Which they hold in a total of 4 classrooms a social hall, a cryroom, the pews of the church, the sacristy, before during and after Masses. English children attend during the Spanish Mass and visa-versa. We would like Adult Catechesis. but Weekday evening is the only option unless we want to tailgate! So we are looking at other options.

Obviously this type of system would work in any parish that has it’s own elementary school and thus the facilities to make it happen. I once attended a parish that did not have its own school but still had RE for all age groups right after mass at a nearby school.

 

[Chris-WA]

Couldn’t agree with you more that we desperately need some kind of supplemental adult religious ed in Catholic parishes. People are hungry for it. We get the occassional speaker and there’s some bible classes which have twenty or so attendees, mostly retired persons. I would love to see almost any kind of lecture held following masses as an option at the school gym. Anything, something discussing theological issues, social issues, Old Testament stories, New Testament stories, the daily readings explained in context, lives of the saints, a recent book, a movie, etc., even playing a program presented on Catholic Television network, EWTN, that aren’t just the old preachy rigid kind of teaching. There are many good program offered. I don’t know why there hasn’t been efforts in this regard other than, it would be new and untested and people might not come initially and then it would really look bad. Even my kids’ catechism uses the same old 2-3 songs for a group singing before the classroom year after year making 3rd graders conclude it’s boring. And for heaven’s sake can’t somebody inject a public speaking class into the curriculum for new priests? What I’ve seen and heard forever is incredibly stilted, reading of notes or old written homilies with little emotion.

I think one way to get adults to start attending is to hold adult RE at the same time as kids RE. Most Catholics know that they’re supposed to get their kids through all of the sacraments and thus they have to enroll them into RE. If you make adult RE happen simultaneoulsy (which really only requires one additional classroom), you are much more likely to get them to attend. If it was up to me I would make it a requirement for parents to attend RE if they wanted their kids enrolled. After all, parents are supposed to be the primary educators of their children when it comes to the faith, but we all know that’s not happening. Perhaps if more emphasis was put on adult RE, we would have a lot more parents who could adequately fulfill that duty, and heck, they might even grow to like it. We need to make adult RE a genuine part of Catholic culture.

 

[Joannm]

We have several offerings for adults every week. We have bible study and a weekly adult catechism class while the kids are in RE, we have a book discussion club and several times a year offer 5 or 6 week courses in addition to several one night lectures. These were requested by parishioners in surveys, letters, discussions, etc. You know what? The same 8-10 people show up…a few times it is more, but also many times it is less. I am beginning a 6 week course on the sacraments next week and so far I have 4 people signed up. The last course I taught on the Old Testament had 10. We scheduled an open forum where parishioners could bring up any topic to a priest (which was a suggestion from a few parishioners) and no one showed up, not even the ones who suggested it. Adult Formation is an ongoing problem. We do have the resourses and do offer the opportunities but still people do not come…I think it is because they really don’t see it as necessary or important.

 

[puzzleannie]

what JoAnn said

you can hold adult classes or programs any time you want, day, am, pm, weeknights, weekends and except for the same hard core people, they won’t come unless it is in some way mandatory–sacramental prep for them or their children, whatever.

sad but true

the ones who clamor loudest for these things are the ones who are too busy to come, heaven forbid they should volunteer to assist.

however I want to add one tiny glimmer of hope.

many times, when the parish does offer a retreat, bible study etc. you do get the “regulars” and great, maybe they need it, and they support others who are there, and you are feeding the loyalists. But often there are a couple of people, or maybe only one, who are new, who are seeking, who need this specific opportunity and for whom you will, through the Holy Spirit, speak the one Word they need to hear. For their benefit, the entire exercise it worth it.

Evangelization and conversion happen one person, one word, one step at a time.

 

[Chris-WA]

what JoAnn said

you can hold adult classes or programs any time you want, day, am, pm, weeknights, weekends and except for the same hard core people, they won’t come unless it is in some way mandatory–sacramental prep for them or their children, whatever.

sad but true

All too true, and a truly sad commentary on Catholics in general. The almost total apathy towards learning about the faith is fairly discouraging. I often wonder whether the recent influx of ex-Protestant ministers and evangelists (Scott Hahn, Jeff Cavins, Steve Ray, Rosalind Moss, Marcus Grodi, Tim Staples, etc.) is part of God’s plan to (name removed by moderator)sire the apathetic masses. It would be nice, however, to see more support for consistent adult faith formation from the top of the heiarchy on down, to the point where going to Sunday school would be as normal as going to mass each week.

the ones who clamor loudest for these things are the ones who are too busy to come, heaven forbid they should volunteer to assist.

The “V” word is one of our problems. Everything is done by volunteer. How many times do you hear at the announcements “If you would lilke to do X, please sign up in the back of the church.” And then nobody does. There is so little expectation that each parishioner contribute time and work towards the parish. I would love to see the day when the pastor calls up individuals on the phone, or invites them to the office, and tells them he needs them to do this or that. Put the pressure on a little. Don’t let people be anonymous anymore. How many would really turn him down to his face? We need to build the expectation that being a member of a parish requires more than just showing up once a week for an hour.

Let’s face it, most people are basically lazy and will take the path of least resistance when allowed to be anonymous in a crowd. Perhaps we are long overdue for more direct measures. Sure, you may lose some people who get irritated by being asked to do something, but so what? We’re already losing countless lackluster Catholics to other faiths that actually expect something from their members. It’s the personal contact that matters, the creating of community and taking ownership in something one contributes to. We could have a lot more of that, but using the “sign up in the back of the church” approach is not getting it done.

Evangelization and conversion happen one person, one word, one step at a time.

Agreed. Everyone grows at their own rate. The problem is that most people need some gentle nudging to get them going in the right direction, and the nudging isn’t happening.

I do like the idea of requiring parents to attend RE if they want their kids to receive the sacraments. It shows that the church is serious when it tells the parents that they bear the primary responsibility in bringing their children up in the faith. Maybe we also need more stuff like that.

 

[CB_Catholic]

I think one way to get adults to start attending is to hold adult RE at the same time as kids RE. Most Catholics know that they’re supposed to get their kids through all of the sacraments and thus they have to enroll them into RE. If you make adult RE happen simultaneoulsy (which really only requires one additional classroom), you are much more likely to get them to attend. If it was up to me I would make it a requirement for parents to attend RE if they wanted their kids enrolled. After all, parents are supposed to be the primary educators of their children when it comes to the faith, but we all know that’s not happening. Perhaps if more emphasis was put on adult RE, we would have a lot more parents who could adequately fulfill that duty, and heck, they might even grow to like it. We need to make adult RE a genuine part of Catholic culture.

In my parish there is a program where there is a Bible Study for the parents during the RE classes. I have heard (although I have no children in RE) that it is pretty well received, although mostly moms are attending. We do have a school, so it is held there.