Why Does The Catholic Church Do Such A Poor Job Teaching Its Members?

[AnneTeresa]

Whether ongoing adult teaching is available varies from parish to parish. My parish (2500 families) does very little for adults. It’s not just laziness as some have suggested. The parish is run by many long-time parishioners who are used to doing things a certain way and it is hard for someone new to upset the apple cart. We have one priest and RCIA is only for people coming into the church for the first time and is taught by a sister. But I live in a large city and I found Bible studies and teachings at other parishes. Also the Internet is fantastic.

I agree that the teaching is much lacking. My priest said I know more than 90% of the people. That is really scary as I’m still learning really basic things.

I do think that there are more resources now than when I was growing up. All I remember about CCD is sitting around in a circle and discussing some ethical dilemna.

 

[peace2u2]

I am 60 years old. A cradle Catholic. Went to Catholic grammer school for eight years (first through eighth grade) and even went to a Catholic university for four years. And up to about two years ago I had just a rudimentry knowledge of Catholic teachings. It was discussions with Protestant friends that got me to learn more about The Church’s teachings. But I had to do it on my own! Why does The Church neglect the education of It’s members?

My comments may have already been touched on by others as I haven’t read all the replies, but anyway, what I will say is that what the Catholic Church teaches and what the Protestant Church teaches are 2 very different teachings so I was just curious as to what they taught you as far as “Catholic” teachings?

But for the sake of fairness, lets distribute the blame:

1/5 to The Church (which includes religious ed instructors, teachers at catholic schools,etc)
1/5 to your parents
1/5 to your godparents
1/5 to the media and yes, you get some of the blame as well
1/5 to you

If your being instructed by people who are not strong in the faith you practice, then how can you be? You will end up with a watered down version.

Perhaps God is calling you to lead a Catholic Bible Study at your Parish? Ask the Pastor at your Catholic Church. There are plenty of Catholic Bible Studies that are on DVD and come with full instructions and they just need you to be the lead faciliatator. Basically, you start with a prayer, watch a 20 min talk, answer questions with your group.

Here are some that are online but not DVD; hope it helps:

agapebiblestudy.com/Bible_Studies_Menu.php

ewtn.com/vondemand/audio/seriessearchprog.asp?seriesID=-306548622

 

[peace2u2]

I meant to add these links for Bible Study and understanding Your Catholic Faith better:

wau.org/lentbiblestudy

This link gives awesome commentaries on the Mass Readings (everyday):

livingspace.sacredspace.ie/

Excellent short video clips and articles on the Catholic Faith (you could send the video clips on the True Magnificence of the Mass to your Protestant friends so they will see what they are missing in their Sunday Worship): Scroll down to the videos:

olgcparish.net/education/true_magnificence.html

Good luck in your Faith walk.

 

[kkollwitz]

1/5 to The Church (which includes religious ed instructors, teachers at catholic schools,etc)
1/5 to your parents
1/5 to your godparents
1/5 to the media and yes, you get some of the blame as well
1/5 to you

…true until you are an adult, at which point:

100% of the blame is yours.

 

[tskrobacz]

That worries me a little. There is only one place, one person, one Christ and looking for Him “outside of organized religion” is a sort of sketchy thing to try. The subjectivity required to go find Jesus in the [whatever/wherever] is the beginning of the errors that have been cataloged and attributed to dissident priest in this conversation. The renewed alignment with Tradition and the Magisterium in the revisions of the Liturgy for English-speaking countries brought us only minor changes in syntax but no changes in content. We/I still believe in “one holy, catholic, and apostolic church.” But I believed in that as a child in a Presbyterian church in the '50s; I still believe it as an adult in an American Roman Catholic church. Religion is not jazz. Improvisational doctrine is how we get astonishing errors like those listed above. Christ is “everywhere and in all things” only when all things and everywhere are in Christ as an a prioricondition.

I know that we are all truly one in Christ. The Catholic church will always have a place in my heart for the wisdom she teaches that allowed me to experience the truth of this in my own life. The primary task of any spiritual teacher, including the church, is to bear witness to the fact that what the seeker seeks is real. As Romans 1:20 reminds us…

For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.

 

[haastiin]

@ Peace2u2 and kkollwitz – Yessir, that’s pretty much the way it goes, I think as is 20/80 until such time as you learn to take responsibility for your own faith. “I just don’t get anything out of Mass any more” is translated, “I’m just not making any effort in Mass any more.” Maybe there are more incidents of pathological tedium in the Priesthood and leadership than what I have seen in my lifetime. Is it at all complicated for Catholic laity to get permission to “start a Bible-study group?” I’m sure there are a few laypersons who can reliably lead a Bible study, but that’s the rub. MANY protestant denominations from Full Gospel to Universal-Unitarianism can field someone with sufficient Bible background to teach a class. Catholics who cannot find a Bible or if they have one cannot find a passage in that Bible just aren’t ready to go to their Pastor or their Bishop and say, “I’d like to lead a study on the Applications of Paul’s letter to the Romans.”

So, looking at what kkollwitz has written here and previously, how do we get the credibility to become Bible teachers? We use the Catholic Bible study tools that have “suddenly” cropped up all over the Internet – everything from “How to Read the Bible and The Catechism of the Catholic Church in One Year” to “How the Bible Relates to Us Today.” Yes, once you get out there and start living your life, it take more than 20 minutes of homily (considered long by some), or 1-2 “Mission Weeks” a year. If some people consumed food they way the consume their faith, the way they consume Our Lord … they’d be dead in a matter of days. You have to feed and be fed daily, and that is the greatest and highest form of Catechesis: Feasting in and on the Word all day every day. You only get out of it what you put into it. If you looking for 30-fold, 60-fold, and 100-fold …

FIRST YOU HAVE TO SOW THE SEED. And Remember, you only harvest where you plant, so if you’re planting yourself and your future in front of the Cyclops and his minsters CBS, ABC, and ESPN every Sunday, that’s where you’ll reap your harvest. If you are planting seeds of faith in your heart and nurturing them with Scripture, you will have a much richer harvest. Thank you, Peace2u2 and kkollwitz for pointing in that direction.

:tiphat:

 

[hwriggles4]

As a Catholic who came of age primarily in the late 1970’s through the mid 1980’s, I got quite a bit of the “Mass Confusion” that Jimmy Akin talks about. I was even an altar boy during that time and would you believe my older brother and I were not required to wear robes? I liked being an Altar Boy, mostly because it gave my older brother and I something to do during the Mass. However, I basically went through the motions, and the “how’s and the why’s” weren’t really explained well. I know this is sad, but I can’t remember too many inspiring homilies in my youth.

While I went to Junior High and High School CCD, for me, it was more like “social hour”. We did talk about things like why drugs, alcohol, and pre-marital sex were wrong, as well as suicide was a cop-out, we didn’t really discuss faith issues. It was more like pop-psychology, self-help, or counseling in a group. It did keep us out of trouble though, and it wasn’t a bad place to make friends.

As far as the faith, I’m glad I was in Boy Scouts. I did earn the Ad Altare Dei, and that’s where I was really exposed to the Sacraments. We had to study, and it was an all-male class (I went to public school growing up). We also had to have a review, and attend a retreat. I still recall the Bishop Morkovsky of Galveston-Houston pinning on our medals at the Cathedral during a Sunday Mass.

Learning the “nuts and bolts” is important. My old Parochial Vicar used to do a Monday night Bible Study class that was packed. I also learned some things through That Man is You and some other programs, as well as reading and teaching series. Adult catechism is needed, as well as teaching the faith at home to young ones.