Sr. Ann Laszok, O.S.B.M.

Catechesis  (1) is at a crossroads in our Church. Increasing secularization, pluralism of values and religions, the detraditionalizing of society as well as the destabilization of families have all impacted on our Church’s membership and attendance at Liturgy, diminishing involvement of families with the parish community, and causing a decline in religious traditions and practices at home and the segregation of generations. Our ability to pass on the faith to future generations has been further eroded by the mobility of families, by the lack of extended families, by intermarriages, and by the closing of our schools. We need to provide a new approach to faith formation that addresses the realities of today’s world.

 

In the first half of the 20^th Century, families lived within walking distance of the Church and school. However, as families moved up the socio-economic scale and moved to the suburbs, communities started down the road to isolation from their Church community. A dedicated 20^th century family might have been aware of this and made significant choices, as did the Yaremko family:

 

We both grew up in a Ukrainian Catholic family setting.  Oksana attended St. George Academy, a Ukrainian Catholic school in New York City, which was run by the Sisters of Saint Basil the Great.  Mykola attended a Roman Catholic school in Brooklyn.  In both of our situations, we were close enough to walk to school.  Our parents raised us to love our Ukrainian roots – our traditions, our language, our songs, our Church and our community.  Maintaining this sense of belonging to our Ukrainian community was very important to us.

 

When we started our family and were deciding on where to live, our search criteria were rather unusual compared to a more typical American family.  We did not look for the best local school system, for excellent transportation alternatives, or nearby businesses.  Rather, we wanted to be near our Ukrainian friends, to enable us to create a “micro-Ukrainian community.”  We had only one child, but we purchased a mini-van, to have enough room to transport all the neighbors’ children to and from St. John the Baptist Ukrainian Catholic School in Newark.  Oksana worked part-time to allow her to pick up the children from school.  Decisions were made that centered around how best to make this “micro-community” work, and it became a central part of our lives.

 

For our parents, creating this sense of community was quite easy.  People tended to live near the church and school, and the community held together just from the proximity of everything and everyone.  We did not have that possibility, so we created our own small, close-knit collection of families that shared in a common belief system that was central to our lives.  For our children and their generation, it may be harder still to create this sense of the extended family, to live as a Ukrainian Catholic community, to share in the gifts of our wonderful heritage.  Just as we had to work a little harder than our parents to preserve this connection to our faith, the next generation will need to work harder still. 

(Mykola and Oksana Yaremko)

 

With parochial schools closing and people moving farther away from their churches, what choices do the families of the 21^st Century have?

 

In the past, the usual focus and method of our catechesis was child-centered and school-oriented - whether it be in a school or parish catechetical program - regardless of the fact that all the major catechetical documents emphasize that the focus of catechesis should be the adult learner (2). Religious education, although the primary responsibility of the parents in the early Church, was shifted to schools during the Reformation (3), and has remained the emphasis of catechesis until today (4).  However, with Catholic schools closing, the parish needs to provide alternative faith formation programs. How do we catechize all the members of a parish, not just the children or specialized adult groups?

 

Since our usual methods of catechesis have not been sufficient to keep our members involved in Church (check the latest statistics of our Eastern Churches (5)), we need to look for innovative ways to provide for a diverse membership that is geographically scattered. The parish needs to become the extended family of yesteryear where all the members together, young and old, share their faith with each other. 

 

The Generations of Faith Vision

The Center of Ministry Development, a Roman Catholic organization specializing in all types of catechetical ministry training, developed a new approach to lifelong faith formation, called Generations of Faith. Generations of Faith is the Center of Ministry’s innovative approach to parish faith formation that involves all generations in learning and growing together through their experience and participation in church life.  This intergenerational approach to total parish catechesis

1         nurtures a Catholic identity of all parishioners for a lifetime;

2         re-engages all generations in participating in church life, especially Sunday Liturgy;

3         equips and supports families and adults, especially parents,

4         creates a pattern of family faith sharing and a Christian way of life;

5         involves all of the generations in learning together;

6         transforms the parish community into a community of lifelong learners

 

Generations of Faith equips the parish to become a community of learning by creating lifelong faith formation that is centered in the events of church life, that embraces all ages and generations, and that promotes faith growth at home; it does this through parish preparation programs, and, most importantly, through participation in church life.

The Generations of Faith three-fold method of catechesis prepares the participants to understand the events of church life and prepares all ages to participate actively in church events: e.g. Divine Liturgy, the Church Year feasts and seasons, the Holy Mysteries (sacraments), etc. Generations of Faith engages all ages and generations in church events, and guides them in reflecting and applying the significance and meaning of the events to their lives. It is not just catechesis; it is connected catechesis, which means that the catechetical program leads directly to participation in Church life. Learning programs draw their content from church events and lead people toward active, conscious, meaningful participation in church events. (6)

Some of the principles of intergenerational learning that Generations of Faith is based on are:

Principle 1. Intergenerational learning programs balance affective, behavioral, and cognitive learning. Each session promotes learning in three dimensions:

1         know-what: understanding the meaning of the event and its Scriptural, doctrinal, and theological foundation

2         know-why: appreciating and valuing the meaning and significance of the event for their lives as Catholics

3         know-how: acquiring the ability to participate competently in the event and to live its meaning in their lives as Catholics

Principle 2. Intergenerational learning programs create an environment of warmth, trust, acceptance and care that promotes group participation, activities, and discussion. Group participation encourages active learning, rather than mere passive learning. Group activity engages participants in the learning process and makes them working partners with the trainer. Lecturing is held to a minimum as highly participatory methods such as role playing, simulated exercises, and case discussions are featured.

Principle 3. Intergenerational learning programs incorporate real-life application of learning by engaging people in the life of the parish community (events-centered) and helping people apply their learning to daily living as Ukrainian Catholics (home application). During the sessions, participants experience new ways to practice their faith, which in turn promote the transfer of learning from the session to their daily lives as individuals and families.

Principle 4. Intergenerational learning programs utilize participants’ experience and prior knowledge. Participants bring relevant religious knowledge and experiences to the session. Participants need the opportunity to build upon their already-acquired knowledge, as well as to learn from each other.

Principle 5. Intergenerational learning programs focus on a moderate level of content that is recycled several times using differing learning methods throughout the session.

Principle 6. Intergenerational learning programs respect the variety of learning styles among the participants. An effective intergenerational session actively engages learners in the learning process through a variety of learning methods and activities that address the diversity of learning styles.

1         Some people learn best through direct, hands-on, concrete experiences. Intergenerational sessions engage the participants in the learning process—either by connecting with their life experience and current understanding, or by providing them with an experience. To respect this learning style, sessions utilize various methods: film; drama and role-plays; music; personal story and sharing; prayer and ritual experiences; games or simulations; and real world problems or issue solving.

2         Some people learn best through reflective observation. Intergenerational sessions engage the participants in reflecting on their personal, family, and religious experiences: what they notice about the experiences, where they find similarities and differences in people’s experiences, what patterns reside in the experiences. To respect this learning style, sessions utilize methods such as these: personal reflection tools; small group sharing; compare and contrast activities; prayer activities (meditation and contemplation); and Scripture reflection activities.

3         Some people learn best through an exploration and analysis of knowledge, theories, and concepts. Intergenerational sessions engage learners in understanding the Scriptural and theological foundations of the church event or theme. To respect this learning style, sessions utilize methods such as presentations of the foundational knowledge or teachings of an event or theme through a power point presentation, lecture, video, panel presentation, or through reading and discussing Scripture or brief theological articles or syntheses.

4         Some people learn best through active experimentation with the new knowledge and practices. Intergenerational sessions engage learners in discovering ways to live out and apply their learning, especially by practicing the new learning in the session. For example, if the goal of the session is to celebrate a Church year season at home, the session includes learning activities for people to practice on a small scale the prayers, rituals, and activities that they are being given for whole season. To respect this learning style, sessions utilize methods such as the following: action plans; in-session practice activities and exercises; personal evaluation and assessment tools; and take home activities. (7)

The Key Practices of Generations of Faith

Some of the key practices incorporated into the theory and design of Generations of Faith are:

Practice 1:  Event-Centered Catechesis

Faith Formation is event-centered. The lifelong curriculum and individual learning experiences are developed around the events of our shared life as Church: Church Year feasts and seasons, sacraments and liturgy, prayer and spirituality, justice and service, and community life. These events hold tremendous educative and transformative power.

 

Practice 2: Lifelong and Systematic Catechesis

 

Faith Formation is systematic cyclic, episodic, and continuous. It is formed around the natural rhythm and pattern of the faith community’s life as experienced throughout the year. The events of church life form a spiral curriculum (think church year) that immerses people more deeply each year into the faith of the Church. The events of church life are so theologically rich that it will take years to immerse people in their meaning and practice (think of the theological themes embedded in Lent). Our catechetical task is to continually deepen their understanding and practice.

 

Practice 3: Emergent Catechetical Content

Faith Formation is emergent. The beliefs and practices for living as a Catholic today emerge from the life, events, and practices of the faith community. The beliefs and practices for living the Catholic faith are embedded in the events of church life. Our catechetical task is to uncover the theological and doctrinal message within the event. The “content” emerges out of the event.

 

Practice 4: Connected Catechesis: Prepare-Engage-Reflect/Apply Process of Learning 

 

Faith formation prepares all ages and all generations for meaningful participation in church events through intergenerational learning, engages all ages and generations in church events, and guides them in reflecting and applying the significance and meaning of the events to their lives as Catholics. It is connected catechesis; the catechetical program leads directly to participation in Church life. Learning programs draw their content from Church events and leads people toward active, conscious, meaningful participation in Church events. The event is the centerpiece of the learning process. 

 

Practice 5: Intergenerational Catechesis

 

Faith formation provides event-centered, intergenerational catechetical programs for all ages and generations in the parish community.

 

Practice 6: Alignment of Catechesis for All Ages

 

Faith Formation provides alignment of learning through common events and themes that are experienced and explored by all ages and all generations in the faith community. The key in event-centered learning is that the whole parish is focused. Everyone prepares for the same event with the same theological focus, creating parish-wide synergy.

 

         

Practice 7: Domestic Church (Home) Formation

 

Empowering and equipping individuals and families to live their faith at home and in the world is constitutive of lifelong faith formation. The lifelong, event-centered approach of common events and themes provides a focus and support structure to build a partnership between the home and parish. It overcomes the isolation many families and individuals feel when asked to engage in home-based activities and faith sharing. The parish-wide support structure enhances faith sharing at home because “everyone is doing it.” In time, the household becomes a community of learning and practice.  (8)

 

In her book, Fashion Me a People, Maria Harris presents a similar, comprehensive understanding of a faith formation that is rooted in the life of the Church. She writes,

        Throughout history, reaching back to Acts 2:42-47, the Church’s educational ministry has been embodied and lived in five classical forms: didache, koinonia, kerygma, diakonia, leiturgia. If we would educate to all of these forms, as well as through all of them, then attending only to any one of them, simply would not do. The fullness of the pastoral vocation demands that any ecclesial education must be one that educates: ?

        to koinonia (community and communion) by engaging in the forms of community and communion;

        to leiturgia (worship and prayer) by engaging in the forms of prayer and worship and spirituality;

        to kerygma (proclaiming the Word of God) by attention to and practicing and incarnating the kerygma, “Jesus is Risen,” in the speech of our own lives, especially the speech of advocacy;

        to diakonia (service and outreach) by attending to our own service and reaching out to others, personally and communally, locally and globally;

        to didache (teaching and learning) by attention to the most appropriate forms of teaching and learning in our own communities. Should any of these be left out as full partners in the educational work of ministry; should any of these be downplayed; should any of these be exalted to the denigration of others, we will not be able to educate fully. All are needed. (9)

         

The Generations of Faith approach provides an integrated and comprehensive approach to faith formation utilizing all the above elements by centering faith formation in the events of Church.

The once a month, three-hour session is simple in concept.  The three hours include hospitality, fellowship, prayer and learning. A sample afternoon or evening session would include:

Part 1. Gathering (45   minutes)

1. Registration and Hospitality (meal).

2. Group Formation

3. Opening Prayer Service

 

Part 2. All Ages learning Experience (15 minutes)  

 

Part 3. In-Depth Learning Experiences (90   minutes)

The In-depth learning experiences are developed in one of three formats:

Whole Group Format, Age Group Format, Learning Activity Centers

 

Part 4. Sharing Learning Reflections and Home Application (20  minutes)

1. Whole Group Sharing and Reflection

2. Reflection-Application Strategies (Home Kit)

 

            Part 5. Closing Prayer Service (10 minutes)

 

Imagine a parish preparing for the Great Fast (Lent):

a.       Everyone gathers together for a meatless meal that serves as a great opportunity to build community.

b.       The program begins with prayer and/or song inspired by the Great Fast.

c.       An all-ages opening experience introduces everyone to the focus of preparation for the Great Fast.

d.       The in-depth learning component helps everyone explore the meaning of the event – Great Fast - through age-appropriate learning groups. The entire group gathers again to share their learning from the in-depth sessions. Families with children explore the Lenten practices through three activity centers: praying, fasting, and almsgiving/service. Adolescents explore the Lenten practices and create contemporary ways to live the three practices today. A guest speaker presents an overview of the Lenten Lectionary and a contemporary interpretation of the Lenten practices for adults.

e.       One of the leaders reviews how to use the Home Kit which provides resources for families and individuals to experience the Great Fast at home: a Great Fast Calendar with daily activities and Scripture passages; a journal for teens with daily readings, prayers, and activities; a daily prayer guide for adults; placemats with weekly table prayers; suggested local service projects and Operation Rice Bowl; several learning activities on the Great Fast themes; and a copy of the parish’s Great Fast calendar.

f.        In family groupings and adult groupings, everyone develops a Great Fast Pledge to live the three practices at home and in the world.

g.       The program closes in prayer and/or song.

 

Young adults – that is, those at home, in college or in the military - receive, via e-mail, a special Lenten Journal with a daily Lectionary reading, a reflection written by young adults, and a prayer. Adult faith sharing groups dedicate a session to the “Three Practices of Lent” by exploring the meaning of Lent and by reflecting on the Lenten lectionary readings. Each participant receives a booklet of daily Lenten reflections to guide his or her journey through the season. Parish committees and councils that meet prior to or at the beginning of Lent open their meetings with a special prayer service on the Lenten theme. Participants receive a Lenten Home Kit and a copy of the parish’s Lenten calendar.
In addition to the Lenten Home Kit, the parish’s web site features the parish Lenten calendar, prayers and reflections for all ages on the Lenten Scripture readings, and the entire Lenten Home Kit. A special bulletin insert for each week of Lent is distributed at all of the Liturgies.  (10)

The Development of Generations of Faith for the Byzantine Churches

In 2004, I became acquainted with Generations of Faith from John Roberto, Director for the Center for Ministry Development, through my involvement in the National Conference of Catechetical Leadership (NCCL) Annual Conference. As I investigated the new approach, the process was reminiscent of the early Church “extended family” form of passing on the faith. The catechetical process appeared to have many characteristics that our Church already possessed (i.e. home traditions linked to the church calendar – specifically to the feast and fast days). However, all the resources were based on Western theology. In consultation with

Bishop Robert Moskal, it was decided to invite all the Ukrainian Catholic and Orthodox Eparchies to collaborate on the development of resources for our Byzantine Churches.  A team of designers, representative of all the Eparchies, was organized and with the guidance of John Roberto, a Five Year Curriculum was developed, that reflected our Byzantine Christian Tradition, Liturgical calendar, Divine Office, scripture readings, and customs.   

 

(insert  Chart of 5 Year Curriculum)

The sessions are all self-sufficient and not developmentally dependent so that anyone coming in after missing some sessions will not feel lacking in essential information. As of this date, the first two years are complete and the developments of the sessions are one year in advance of the initial parishes implementing this catechetical process in their parishes.  The first parish to implement Generations of Faith for the Byzantine Churches, after being trained as a parish team, was Ss. Peter & Paul in Ambridge, PA. (11)

 

The training of parish teams has been crucial in the implementation of Generations of Faith for the Byzantine Churches. The two-day training session equips the parish team, which includes the pastor and his staff, with the knowledge, skills, tools, and program resources for implementing lifelong faith formation for the whole parish community. The workshop introduces the team to the vision and practices of lifelong, intergenerational faith formation; guides parishes in implementing the Byzantine curriculum for the whole parish community; teaches parish leaders the skills for facilitating intergenerational learning programs and provides parishes with planning resources, intergenerational learning programs, and home activities.  There is a manual to help facilitate this implementation.  (12) To date 15 parishes in the USA have already purchased and implemented Generations of Faith for the Byzantine Churches. Parishes in Australia and Canada (New Westminster, BC and Edmonton, AB) will be launching Generations of Faith for the Byzantine Churches in 2009.

 

At the 2008 Canadian Encounter, His Beatitude Lubomyr stated that evangelization is the primary goal of the Synod of Bishops. Generations of Faith for the Byzantine Churches is one way that a parish can evangelize and catecheticize our people so that can come to know our faith Tradition and become comfortable in sharing that faith with others. Indeed, the Generations of Faith model is particularly well suited to convey the riches of our Byzantine Spiritual Tradition.

1.      It is said that, if you want to know what we Byzantine Ukrainian Christians believe, just look at the way we pray. This is exactly what Generations of Faith for Byzantine Churches does: it looks at the prayer life of our Church as it manifests itself over the course of the liturgical year in various feasts, services, and observances.

2.      Our tradition involves not only what we do and what we believe, but also how we do things. We Byzantine Ukrainians realize that learning needs to involve more than head knowledge: it needs to imitate our liturgy in incorporating the entire person – including the body and all the senses – in the learning project. With all its emphasis on experiential and hands-on learning, Generations of Faith for Byzantine Churches fits in nicely with our mindset.

In short, Generations of Faith for Byzantine Churches offers a unique way not only of joining the impetus for evangelization desired by His Beatitude and by the Synod of our Church, but also of being faithful to the spirit of the documents of the Second Vatican Council which command us to reclaim the riches of our Tradition.

 

Endnotes

1.      To read more about the meaning of the word “catechesis” see Marthaler, Berard. “A New Meaning of Catechesis.” NCCL Catechetical Leadership, Vol. 14, No. 3 (Summer 2002): 5-6, 14 available on www.stjosaphateparchy.org

2.      Pope John Paul 11. CATECHESI TRADENDAE:  An Apostolic Exhortation on  CATECHESIS IN OUR TIME. October 16, 1979 and others on http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/apost_exhortations/documents/hf_jp-ii_exh_16101979_catechesi-tradendae_en.html

3.      Sloyan, Gerard S. “Developments in Religious Education Since 1800: A   Summary and Hope.” The Living Light, Vol. 2, No. 4 (Winter 1965-66): 82-97.

4.      Coughlin, Kevin.  “2000 Years of Religious Education.” Catechist, Vol. 5, No. 7 (April 1972): 11-13, 16.

5.      Roberson, Ronald. Annual statistics on the Eastern Catholic Churches, culled from the 2008 Annuario Pontificio at  http://www.cnewacanada.ca/generalpg-verca.aspx?pageID=125.

6.      Roberto, John. Becoming a Church of Lifelong Learners, New London, CT; Twenty Third Publications, 2006

7.       For further information see: Experiential Learning: Experience as the Source of Learning and Development. David Kolb. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1984.

8.      Roberto, John. Becoming a Church of Lifelong Learners, New London, CT; Twenty Third Publications, 2006

9.      Harris, Maria. Fashion Me a People: Curriculum in the Church. Louisville, KY: Westminister/John Knox Press, 1989.

10.  See www.generationsoffaith.com for more stories

11.  See http://www.stjosaphateparchy.org/documents/gn2.pdf for the story on SS. Peter & Paul Church, Ambridge, PA

12.  Roberto, John with Martineau, Mariette. Generations of Faith Resource Manual — Lifelong Faith Formation for the Whole Parish Community, Twenty Third Publications, 2005

 

 

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

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