UP FRONT
Family-Centered Catechesis: The Catechumenate Model
Thomas P. Ivory

The fundamental task of teaching and forming all parishioners is profoundly affected by what we learn from the baptismal catechumenate.

Those of us involved in pastoral and catechetical ministry can appreciate the aggiornamento, the updating, of the Second Vatican Council and its return to the tradition of the early Christian community. The pioneering efforts of several catechetical scholars and practitioners during the last century have contributed to improved methodologies for catechetical ministry. We continue to follow the mandate of Jesus to baptize and teach in the formation of his disciples, and, despite some failings, we strive to meet contemporary challenges. In striving to remain faithful to our church’s doctrinal and moral teachings, we take to heart the distinction made by Blessed John XXIII at his opening speech to the council: “The substance of the ancient doctrine of the deposit of faith is one thing, and the way in which it is presented is another.” Early in this twenty-first century, we continue to read “the signs of the times” and adopt our pastoral and catechetical mission accordingly.

Bishop Tod Brown of Orange, Calif, himself a former diocesan catechetical director, wrote a penetrating pastoral letter in 2007 identifying some of the problems he perceived in his local diocese. His analysis could probably apply to many other dioceses and parishes:

Our religious education programs are packed with youngsters preparing in second grade to receive their first Communion, but the enrollment often drops dramatically in the ensuing years. Why don’t they come back?
In some of our schools less than half of the Catholic students come to Mass on the weekend with their families. Why aren’t they there?

With the other bishops [of Orange], I confer the sacrament of confirmation on hundreds every Easter season; most of these are enthusiastic teens who have performed service projects and been inspired by their experiences on confirmation retreats. Why does that fervor that led up to confirmation fade? These good-hearted young men and women move on to other things. Why do so few remain regularly involved in service projects or youth groups?

Bishop Brown is one of many of our bishops who are trying to meet the challenge of evangelization and catechesis in a secularized culture. As local faith communities come to grips with the advances in communication, technology, Scripture study, and theology of recent years, and as they begin to implement some of the visionary pastoral documents published by the Holy See and our American bishops, we look forward to a new springtime in our pastoral ministries and a major shift in our approach to Christian religious education and formation.

A valuable source for future pastoral direction lies in one sentence in the 1997 General Directory for Catechesis: “Given that the missio ad gentes [mission to the nations] is the paradigm of all the church’s missionary activity, the baptismal catechumenate, which is joined to it, is the model of its catechizing activity.” The inspiration of the catechumenal model emerged gradually from the worldwide experience of the rite of Christian initiation of adults.

For some time many of us had a sense of the priority of adult catechesis and the value of a holistic approach to Christian religious education, but we lacked the inspiration and the model of the adult baptismal catechumenate as a framework. To quote once again from the General Directory for Catechesis:

In the baptismal catechumenate, formation is articulated in four stages:

• the pre-catechumenate, characterized as the locus of first evangelization leading to conversion and where the kerygma of the primary proclamation is explained;
  
  
• the catechumenate, properly speaking, the context of integral catechesis, beginning with the handing on of the gospels;
  
  
• a time of purification and illumination, which affords a more intense preparation for the sacraments of initiation and in which “the handing on of the Creed” and “the handing on of the Lord’s Prayer” take place;
  
  
• a time of mystagogy, characterized by the experience of the sacraments and entry into the community.

The catechetical ministry was highlighted in the apostolic exhortation Catechesi tradendae, Catechesis in Our Time, of Pope John Paul II in 1991, and our U.S. bishops issued a Pastoral Plan for Adult Faith Formation in the United States, Our Hearts Were Burning Within Us, in 1997. We had been reminded that adult faith formation is “the chief form of catechesis” (1971 General Catechetical Directory and 1979 National Catechetical Directory), and that it is “situated not at the periphery of the Church’s educational mission but at its center” (1972 To Teach as Jesus Did).

• Nevertheless, many of our dioceses and parishes have not yet made this paradigm shift from a child-centered classroom approach to an adult or family-centered catechetical process. This can be seen clearly in parish budgets and staff role descriptions.
  
  
• With the implementation of the adult catechumenate, many more church leaders are appreciating its rich ecclesiology and its ability to integrate many of our church ministries.
  
  
• There are several pastoral principles that we can glean from the rite of Christian initiation of adults that will serve us well in our catechetical processes:
  
  1. The centrality of the mission and ministry of the entire parish community. All the faithful are invited to share their baptismal gifts with the newcomer.
  
  2. The emphasis on transformation rather than information. We certainly want our people to be well informed about the teachings of our faith, but transformation calls for a conversion of the heart to accompany the information provided to the mind. Cardinal John Henry Newman distinguished between notional knowledge (for example, knowing about the historical Jesus) and real knowledge (abiding in a personal relationship with the living Christ).
  
  3. The wedding of liturgical and catechetical ministries. The Second Vatican Council’s Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy teaches that the liturgy is “the summit toward which the activity of the Church is directed; at the same time it is the fountain from which all her power flows.” In acknowledging that liturgy is primarily about worshipping God, we can still benefit from drawing upon its catechetical implications. The word of God and our church’s liturgical year are rich resources.
  
  4. The many and varied ministries in the adult catechumenate call for a strong spirit and practice of pastoral collaboration. Pastors, pastoral associates, catechists, sponsors, liturgy planners, ministers of hospitality, and other parish ministers can grow in their appreciation of how each part of the Body of Christ has a role to play. Even the candidates contribute to the ongoing faith experience of the parish community.
  
  5. Evangelization is emphasized, as we move from a “caretaker” notion of the parish to a proactive presence in our society. A re-reading of Pope Paul VI’s apostolic exhortation on evangelization, Evangelii nuntiandi (1975), can inspire us to convert from a “maintenance mentality” to a faith community impassioned to share the love of God revealed in Jesus Christ.
  
  6. Mystagogical catechesis challenges us to value the crucial importance of ongoing education and formation. Just as the neophytes grow in their experience and understanding of our church’s sacramental spirituality, so also all the faithful (including our priests) can evolve in discerning the implications of our sacraments.

In researching material for this article, I came across a number of parishes whose pastors and staff members have caught the vision of the catechumenal model. When I served as pastor of the Church of the Presentation in Upper Saddle River, N.J., we structured our pastoral team and the parish’s 55 ministries within the catechumenal framework: evangelization (outreach), faith formation (catechesis for adults and young people, including the 20/30s and youth ministry), spiritual renewal (retreats such as Cornerstone and Antioch), liturgy (the Eucharist and other sacramental celebrations), and ministerial formation (corresponding to the period of mystagogy). We were a large suburban parish and were blessed with a talented team of lay ecclesial ministers and hundreds of volunteers.

Our pastoral team and volunteer catechists were not satisfied with the perfunctory attendance of our public school children at our Sunday school classes or in the alternative sessions held in the homes of the catechists during the week. It became clear that many of the children were simply being dropped off by their parents for “instruction” without any participation in the Sunday Mass or any reinforcement in the home. We began to participate in a series of workshops on “Lifelong Faith Formation” offered by John Roberto, ministering from Lifelong Faith Associates in Naugatuck, Conn. The various components Roberto recommended were certainly compatible with the catechumenal model, and the intergenerational approach seemed to be suited for our parish of 5,500 families registered from 165 Zip codes. Our pastoral planning sessions took on a new focus, and we began to have meetings with our parents and catechists to discuss the proposed change.

Allow Time for Transition

However, we made the transition from the classroom model for our children to a family-centered ministry too quickly. In retrospect, I would recommend a timetable of several years, beginning with the younger families who have enjoyed a positive experience with the first Eucharist process. Nevertheless, eighty-five percent of our 630 involved families have moved into this new approach.

The Sunday Eucharist became the centerpiece of all the catechetical ministry that would continue during the week in their family homes. Parents were given special catechetical sessions and plenty of resource material to support them in their primary ministry. Although the pastor has changed and several key team members have moved on to other pastoral assignments, it is gratifying to report that the families have seen the benefits of this renewed approach and have taken on their proper responsibilities. Parents and volunteer catechists have taken ownership of their appropriate ministries.

Other parishes of different sizes and demographics have also expressed enthusiasm about using the pastoral principles of the adult catechumenate in the pastoral approach. The Rev. Joseph Donnelly, pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in Southburg, Conn. (2,200 families in an affluent suburb), shared his agreement with this approach, but cautioned, “It is labor-intensive and is a radical departure from what parishioners and staff have been used to, but I strongly believe that it is the way to go.” Father Donnelly describes a typical session at Sacred Heart:

• All gather for a meal (not a potluck). At table people will sit with other parishioners, meet new people, and have the natural conversation that flows. There is also a “table task,” a ritual or faith-sharing question that will introduce the topic of the session.
  
  
• All gather in one place for an “all-ages learning” session. This is meant to be a brief (twenty minutes?) introduction of the topic through prayer, a ritual, a skit, or some other engaging approach.
  
  
• Then age groups go off for an hour or so of age-appropriate learning on the same topic.
  
  
• Then they all come back together for some sharing of the experience, an explanation of their “home packet” (materials for continuing the formation at home through rituals, reading, service projects, outreach experiences, parish events, etc.)
  • Final prayer ritual and usually some dessert.
  Mary Beth Nygaard, faith formation director of St. John the Baptist Parish in Mankato, Minn., enthusiastically shares their experience of six years: “We have been not only inspired but supported by the concept of the baptismal catechumenate as a model of formation of the faith community. Knowing that the documents not only support but are calling for this type of formation gives us courage in the challenging [times] and great joy in the wonderful times.”

This rural parish of 1,275 families has also recently changed pastors, but the transition was smoothed by the fact that the new pastor had been involved in intergenerational learning for the same period of time as St. John the Baptist Parish.

Diverse Parish

In addition to serving as Hartford archdiocesan catechetical director, Msgr. Michael Motta is pastor of St. Mark the Evangelist Parish in West Hartford, Conn. This is a diverse, multicultural faith community of 900 working-class families, including both young families and older parishioners. After conducting a lengthy assessment of the religious education programs, Mass attendance, and parish life, he met with the parish staff and they shared the following observations: Mass attendance was low and relatively few young families with children participated. He commented,

The existing religious education program for children was the usual, grade-oriented program, with very little connection to the liturgical and community life of the parish.…[The parish staff and he] made the decision that we could not continue with a program that only addressed a separate formation program for children. The parish needed to be evangelized before effective catechesis could take place. We needed a stronger connection to the Sunday liturgy. We needed to catechize.

Since implementing the “Generations of Faith” process developed by John Roberto, St. Mark the Evangelist has experienced a significant revival. All age groups are included in their monthly festivals of learning, most notably adults without school-age children. Many young families now participate in the Sunday liturgy and parish membership is increasing. Over the past three years, Lou Ann Warren, parish director of religious education, has helped to connect liturgy, catechesis, evangelization, community life, and social outreach. As Ms. Warren says,

The ultimate goal of fully initiating people into the faith community while meeting the demands of catechesis set forth in the General Directory for Catechesis is met with these festivals of learning when planned according to an episodic, cyclical approach. This type of spiral learning allows us to develop a topic from an initial point and to move deeper into the various aspects of the theme every time it is revisited.

Built into each festival of learning is time for prayer which is enhanced by members of the music ministry. The rhythms of the church year and seasons are used as the theme each month. For example, the community is prepared to celebrate the Feast of All Saints Day and All Souls Day together during these liturgies, after having some catechesis and discussion about the Communion of Saints, lives of particular saints, the raising of Lazarus, etc. Each year we revisit these seasonal celebrations in a deeper way or through a different aspect.

Brian Lemoi, director of evangelization and lifelong faith formation for the Diocese of St. Petersburg, Fla., sings the praises of Holy Family Catholic Church in St. Petersburg. A key to its success is the parish faith formation advisory committee, which has brought representatives of the variety of formational ministries to the same table to proceed with common vision and effort, as well as the fine collaboration among the pastor, the Rev. John Tapp; Sister Florence Ann Marino, the school principal; and George Pioli, the director of faith formation. Not only is the school “on the same page” as the rest of the parish community, but the parish is also benefiting from the talent and expertise of the school faculty. Aligning the Catholic school and the parish catechetical process is a challenging but valuable component of reaching out to all the parents and adults in lifelong faith formation.

Build on Children’s Program

The experience and wisdom of Bill Huebsch, who has published and spoken widely on this catechetical thrust, provides good advice by recommending that the children’s’ religious education program not be jettisoned prematurely. Heubsch suggests building on it, through a gradual integration of the parents and other adults in the formation process. Two fine resource books he has written are Dreams and Visions: Pastoral Planning for Lifelong Faith Formation (New London, CT: Twenty-Third Publications, 2007) and Pastor’s Guide to Whole Community Catechesis (also Twenty-Third Publications, second printing, 2007).

The spirit of collaboration that has emerged from the Catholic catechetical publishing community is particularly heartening. Twenty-Third Publications, Harcourt Religion Publishers, the Center for Ministry Development, Lifelong Faith Associates, and Oregon Catholic Press are working together to serve the pastoral needs of parishes and schools who share this vision. At one point in the early stages of the evolution of lifelong faith formation, a concern was expressed by some American bishops that we might be in danger of losing doctrinal content by moving out of the “classroom” model to the Sunday liturgy and the family-centered model. To their credit, the authors and publishers addressed this issue and provided extensive “scope and sequence” charts to illustrate the catechetical unfolding of our church’s doctrinal and moral teaching in alignment with our liturgical celebrations.

It is encouraging to know that bishops are open to the catechumenal model recommended by both the General Directory for Catechesis and the U.S. National Directory for Catechesis.

This renewed vision will undoubtedly be “labor intensive,” as Father Donnelly phrased it. In our implementation, however, we will benefit from the enhanced spirit of collaboration of bishops, priests, deacons, and laity. With God’s blessing, many more people will experience the call to conversion and acceptance of the gospel as the way to life.

The Rev. Msgr. Thomas P. Ivory is pastor emeritus of Presentation Parish in Upper Saddle River, N.J., and was co-founder of RENEW while serving as Newark Archdiocesan Catechetical Director.