St. John Vianney when presenting a homily on temptation once wrote:

It is most unfortunate for ourselves if we do not know that we are tempted in almost all our actions, at one time by pride, by vanity, by the good opinion which we think people should have of us, at another by jealousy, by hatred and by revenge. At other times the Devil comes to us with the foulest and most impure images. You see that even in our prayers he distracts us and turns our minds this way and that (The Sermons of the Cure of Ars, 90-91).

Screwtape Letters and the Catechism

Having taught High School catechetics for many years, one thing that kept coming up in all of my religious education classes was the issue of sin, temptation, and what to do about it. Go figure, a teenager wanting further explanation on sin, the devil, and how to deal with temptation. This led to the idea of making The Screwtape Letters required reading for my religious education courses and adding a twist to their lesson. Knowing my class’ keen interest in sin, I decided to construct lesson plans utilizing The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis and cross-referencing the chapters with the Catechism of the Catholic Church. What I found in this process was a wealth of doctrinal formation that my students instantly gravitated to because they could see the dialogue come alive between Wormwood the understudy and Screwtape the uncle whose instruction dealt with leading souls away from Christ. Using the Catechism gave me the opportunity to introduce the students to the Catechism. Once my students figured out how valuable the Catechism was during the semester course for debunking the methods Screwtape taught Wormwood, their secular world-view began to change to a Catholic world-view.

The success of this process is attributed to sin. Before you start implicating me in inciting heresy, what I mean by this statement is the desire of the human heart is to know and understand sin, knowing our concupiscence is something we live with daily. The teenagers I have had the privilege of teaching, continually asked me how to avoid sin and seek a closer relationship with Christ. You could see the longing in their eyes for truth that would ease the burden in their souls. With this backdrop, I approached The Screwtape Letters as an opportunity to help my students know and understand why Christ came into this world.

Backdrop of a Lesson

Book twelve of C.S. Lewis’ masterpiece reveals Screwtape encouraging Wormwood to keep “the young man from experiencing reality” or in other words knowing good and evil. Screwtape tells wormwood;

[H]e must be made to imagine that all the choices which have effected this change, i.e. actions towards God, of course are trivial and revocable. He must not be allowed to suspect that he is now, however slowly, heading right away from the sun on a line which will carry him into the cold and dark of utmost space.

This poignant piece reflects the desire to keep man from understanding truth, and the love God has for all of his children. In another way, Screwtape is encouraging a relativistic worldview for this young man. Screwtape tells Wormwood:

“As long as he retains externally the habits of a Christian life he can still be made to think of himself as one who has adopted a few new friends and amusements but whose spiritual state is much the same as it was six weeks ago.”

Debunking Screwtape

The process to “debunk” Screwtape involved selecting a passage from the book and then carefully finding the counterpoints to Screwtape via the Catechism, e.g.:

Sin is an offense against reason, truth, and right conscience; it is a failure of genuine love for God and neighbor caused by a perverse attachment to certain goods (1849).

The aim of catechesis is to seek what is above, not what is below (Col 3:1-3). Our human will can only carry us so far by our own merits. We cannot forget who gave us our soul, God — for the sole purpose of directing our very being to Worship Him and receive His love. The moral law is the work of God’s instruction for our lives. It is His fatherly instruction that guides us to take care of our souls. It prescribes for man the ways, rules of conduct that lead to the promised beatitude; it proscribes the ways of evil which turn him away from God and His love (1950).

Application of the Catechism

The moral law should not be viewed as a spiritual chain around your neck preventing you from experiencing freedom. It is in the moral law where true freedom resonates in every action we commit. If we embrace the moral law, then we embrace Christ who is the end of the law, that everyone who has faith may be justified (Rom 10:4). One profound reality resulting from this catechetical activity was the realization by my students that sin is real. Keep in mind, these students did not become paranoid or scrupulous with respect to every sinful act. They went from a desensitized notion of sin to the reality that sin unfortunately is alive and well. Sin was not viewed as a mistake or error in judgment. If it’s a sin, then it’s a sin.

The outline described above reveals how powerful the Catechism can be when used to our advantage in instructing others in the faith. The story of Screwtape and Wormwood, at first glance intriguing, is unveiled more when paralleled with the Catechism. Why, you see the classic battle line of good versus evil and the purpose of the Crucifixion. It helps us see true love and realize this love comes from Christ.

The inevitable day arrives. As the catechists walked into the parish center, we began with prayer and introductions.  I typically begin with a short story reflecting on the catechetical formation for the day. This process helps to gauge the audience and determine when to run when they have had enough. Kidding aside, the first segment involved preparing them for the day, the aim of the instruction, purpose, goals, desires and application for the classroom. A good strategy when teaching teachers is not to patronize them. They are teachers and know everything. I know I am one of them. In reality, the heart of instruction here lies with an authentic witness of the living Gospel of Jesus Christ in a gradual loving way.

Knowing that many teachers resort to arts and crafts because of a genuine fear and ignorance in teaching the Catholic faith to students I began the training by asking the catechists for the one thing they would like to know about the faith they still had questions on. After a subtle pause (pretty typical) hands were drawn. The questions asked centered on sin, true presence of Christ in the Eucharist, confession, purgatory, mass participation, is the Church biblical, Mary, how to read the bible, other religions etc. My next question to them was why they wanted to know about these particular doctrines. Their response was nothing short of amazing.  They did not know how these particular teachings came to be! Keep in mind, these catechists are supposedly teaching children the Catholic faith. Right there and then I realized we needed to start at the very beginning e.g. Do you believe in God the Father the almighty?

If the teacher does not have a sound understanding of how their life reflects the Gospel let alone living within the Story of salvation, then how are they going to impart the story onto their students?  Hence, the focal point of the problem we face in the catechetical field. Our catechists lack basic doctrinal formation. I charted a different course of action realizing that this group needed a systematic engaging approach to learn and apply Catholic doctrine in the classroom.

The result was a mini-RCIA course where I went through Salvation History and presented to them their role in light of Jesus Christ the Divine Teacher (Heb 11:6). In other words, they needed to see how the Church came to be, their role within the Church and the graces given to us by Christ at Baptism to continue His work in the Church He founded. A basic outline of the curriculum for this training session looked something like this:

1. Introduction to God’s plan for salvation in our lives.
2. Creation and God’s love for us.
3. Original Sin and the fall from grace because of the first sin.
4. Proto-evangelium (First Gospel)
5. God’s covenants with his people i.e. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses
6. The role of our Blessed Mother as the “New Eve.”
7. Summary on Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture
8. Summary on Apologetics
9. Summary of the Seven Sacraments
10. Summary of the Ten Commandments
11. Summary of Mortal Sin and Venial Sin
12. The Incarnation
13. Liturgy and the Mass
14. The Church
15. Lives of the Saints
16. The Our Father, Hail Mary, and the Apostles Creed.

It was important the catechists saw the biblical basis for these doctrinal pillars. In addition, how the Catechism references the teachings of the Church through the footnotes. A short primer on how to use the Catechism of the Catholic Church and view the references, cross-references, and articles numbers to find a particular teaching gave the catechists a better grasp of the information.

This experience is common. A generation of uncatechized faithful over the past thirty-years has drifted throughout their Catholic life not knowing the graces they received through their Baptism. The recitation of our Baptismal promises appears as an afterthought to many. When asked within the Rite of Baptism, Do you reject, sin, and all his empty works, and all his empty promises . . . it begs to ask the question to these teachers whether they truly understand what sin is in order to reject it.

When I posed this very question to one of the teachers in the training session, the response was a common one. Why do we need to concentrate on sin, it is more important to focus on the works of Jesus? Do you see where this particular catechist has quietly misaligned the purpose of Christ and His Church. Whether its ignorance, issues with the doctrine of sin, or a personal experience initiating this response, the opportunity to discuss the nature of sin was difficult. Now, we must be careful when discussing the doctrine of sin from this pastoral perspective; we do not know what the person has gone through personally where a certain sinful act may have caused negative, spiritual harm or drawn out a bad experience. It is vital that a catechist be carefully aware of the audience they are instructing. However, we cannot shy away from addressing the dangers of sin itself.

Another teacher, noting her frustration in sitting through a dreadful class in her opinion said these magic words: “You can keep your catechism, how do you expect me to apply it in the classroom?” Moreover, there you go, this brave soul echoed the sentiments of others who had resisted on using the catechism in the classroom. This “shot heard around the classroom,” reflected the genuine mentality of many teachers viewing the catechism as a useless tool because it probably did not provide cutouts for the kids to “draw” and “cut-out.” This comment troubled me because of an apparent ignorance towards the application or appreciation of the Catechism. There is fruit to the argument that it is not the teachers fault. From one perspective, this may be true; nonetheless, it does not negate the fact of what we are dealing with now. St. Augustine-the Father of Catechetics describes catechizing the ignorant in this way:

“The best method for instructing ignorant men in Christian doctrine, one that will bear much fruit is to ask questions in a friendly fashion after the explanation; from this questioning one can learn whether each one understood what he heard or whether the explanation needs repeating. In order that the learner grasp the matter, we must ascertain by questioning whether the one being catechized has understood, and in accordance with his response, we must either explain more clearly and fully or not dwell further on what is known to them etc. But if a man is very slow, he must be mercifully helped and the most necessary doctrines especially should be briefly imparted to him.”

As the Catechist trainer in this situation, you cannot scold nor demean these individuals. In many ways, ignorance is rooted in their responses due to a lack of formation. Thus, a gentle but firm disposition serves us well in this type of situation because we do not want to lose them.  Our hope rests in a genuine conversion for these teachers (1 Pt 3:15). The “you can keep your catechism” statement by the teacher mentioned earlier should not detract anyone from teaching the faith. My call for this person was to help her find God. An opportunity arose to present the Gospel, reveal the importance of Christ in our lives and provide her with an open opportunity to seek Him.

It is very important that the catechist reveal the relevance of doctrine in the lives of the faithful. Our faith is naturally explicit (1 Thess 2:13) because God has made Himself visible through His Church. Man naturally seeks what is visible and revealed. For instance, when we are able to observe and recognize a moral act the exercise of the doctrinal action takes effect on our senses. We are able to witness doctrine exercised.  The liturgy – a public work, provides a visible reality of the existence of faith and the exercise of doctrine.

By the end of the day, the teachers who survived my training session realized in a small way the necessity of teaching doctrine to children. The success of the day came not by how much doctrine I could expose them to, it was helping them realize how little they knew about the faith and what to do about. Not only for their souls but also for the souls of the children they teach.

The religion instructor must be prepared to proclaim the truth of the Catholic Church. His/her responsibility is to aid the development of the person they are instructing by explaining Church teaching carefully and appropriately through a careful transmission rooted in Sacred Tradition, Sacred Scripture and the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The door to the nourishing a soul in Catholic doctrine must be convincing so the person applies these doctrines to everyday life. The need for the Catechism of the Catholic Church is more relevant than ever if we genuinely desire to impart the Catholic faith. Our duty and responsibility is to answer the questions our students have. Clarity of truth is primary in our instruction.

This is how my confirmation teacher began his catechetical instruction on sexual morality. Why, you may ask, did he have the need or even the thought of sharing a moment like this? Whatever the reason may have been, it did not provide a sound moral outlook for these students, including myself, at the time.  Any genuine appreciation of the virtues of purity and chastity, let alone a healthy outlook of sexual intimacy within the bonds of holy matrimony, was lost in this critical teaching moment.

Concluding with the story, this poor teacher eventually told us that if you truly love someone then having sex is perfectly fine.  His reasoning reflected “the right” to express your love in the “fullest way possible.”  Therefore, you could imagine what the boys in my class were thinking.  Immediately they began to say, “I love you” to the girls because my Confirmation teacher just opened the door for all of us to reconfigure the notion of love in our minds. The definition of “love” had taken on a false definition. Love only has a physical component and not a supernatural one before the eyes of Christ.  A perversion has taken hold where physical lust replaces true intimacy with Christ.

The moment he crossed the line into doctrinal ambiguity and, even worse, utilized his own personal experience in a distorted way, the doctrinal moment became irrelevant. Fortunately, I knew back then that his instruction was completely misguided. He had the souls of these kids to contend for.  Knowingly or unknowingly, he was encouraging them to engage in a behavior that would potentially lead their souls away from Christ and provide a distorted view of sexual morality.

After this unfortunate instruction, I raised my hand and asked the teacher one question. I asked if he had married his girlfriend. He was not amused with my question. His response somewhat surprised me. He said no! I then proceeded to tell him, “Then I guess you truly didn’t love her.  My second point is this: your instruction on sexual morality is a direct contradiction to the teachings of the Catholic Church.” With that statement, he threw me out of class for being belligerent and misleading. Go figure!

What was his intent in all this?  As I look back, I believe he was trying to find a way to relate to us and grab our attention. There was an assumption that we needed to hear a unique story relating to the ideologies of the day in order for his instruction to take hold. I believe that this was the first of many errors in method and doctrin he engaged in at the spiritual and intellectual expense of the class.

Common Teaching Errors

Let us break down this actual event and see where it went wrong. This example may bring back memories of similar events you may have experienced yourself, hopefully not like my own. The craft of using personal experience is one where the teacher can effectively articulate instruction to an audience based on his/her understanding of the instruction.  It is a method of relating to those being taught. A parallel struck here rests in the use of parables by the Divine teacher, Jesus Christ Himself. The experience of the healing of the Centurion’s servant in Matthew’s Gospel reflects the witness the centurion gave of his faith to Christ (8:5-13), this model can serve us well because it’s anchored on a submission to the will of the Son of God.

When we engage an audience, our experience should direct the student to engage in truth anchored in the saving realities of a Divine Deposit of faith. This unique Deposit of Faith becomes an animator for more truth. Rooted in Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture we reflect on the heritage of the Church handed down by Christ to the Apostles (see: Mt 16:16-19; Acts 2:39-42). Our experience must not be used to profess a personal platform away from these saving realities e.g. the sacraments, the Ten Commandments etc. Our instruction must always put people into a communion and intimacy with Jesus Christ (Catechesis In Our Time, 5).

Experience can be negative if it deviates from revealed truth, in the worst case, deviating from Christ. The art of personal experience is a form of preparation or calculated disengagement leading the student to desire more of the “story.” This “story,” centered in Jesus Christ, leads to genuine instruction and proper faith formation.

The potential danger in purely experiential catechesis is the student will merely dwell on the experience of the teacher without anchoring into a firm foundation of how this relates to Christ and His Church. All experience must direct itself to the revelation of Jesus Christ. In other words, experience is fine if one, it is truly authentic and two, it leads the person to holiness. This is the catch. Experience should leave the person desiring to see more truth. In essence, what we have in experience is a subplot of inquiry to lead the person to the deeper mysteries of Christ and His Church.  What are some practical steps to utilize our experiences in a healthy way?

The Art of Experience

Sound experience should be clear concise and lead others to a desire for truth. (Rom 3:4)

• Sound experience should not be driven by a personal agenda.

• Sound experience should highlight the continual plan God has for us in our lives (2 Pet 1:3-4).

• Sound experience is witnessing your relationship with Christ as a child of   God.

• Sound experience is rooted in the truth, beauty and goodness of the Catholic faith at work.

• Sound experience reflects the living witness of the Gospel.

• Sound experience is a carefully crafted catechetical preparation where the teacher leads the student into a journey of faith centered on Jesus Christ.

• The parables offer an example of using experience in a sound manner.

From these practical steps, our aim is to lead the person to the mysteries of Christ. This journey will inevitably lead us to the source and summit of the Christian life. When we speak of the Holy Eucharist as the source and summit, a proper understanding of why the Word became flesh (Incarnation) is in order. Our experiences ultimately reside understanding this doctrine in light of our witness. Experience is fruitless without this understanding.

Motives of Credibility

The Catechism provides a beautiful four-pillar explanation on why the Word became flesh (457-460):

• to save us by reconciling us with God (1 Jn 4:10)
• so that thus we might know God’s Love (1 Jn 4:9)
• to be our model of holiness (Jn 14:6)
• to make us partakers of the Divine nature (2 Pt 1:4).

Our experience should not direct us apart from Christ. On the contrary, it should lead the person to desire more of Him through our personal witness of faith rooted in Him.  If we look at the four reasons, i.e. pillars for the Incarnation stated above, we see a common theme; Christ loved us so much that he endured the ultimate sacrifice for our salvation.

When teaching others, a fundamental all must adhere to is that our teaching is not our own. It is Christ. We have received a gift to hand on to others. This gift includes our experiences in the faith and is of which something my Confirmation teacher should have taken note.  Our teaching directs us to the essentials. The essentials are the revealed truths of the faith that offer “motives of credibility” in our assent to the faith (CCC 156).

Should you share your personal experiences as part of teaching? Wholeheartedly, yes! But only if doing so will encourage your students along the path to holiness and  a deep relationship with Christ nourished by the Eucharist.

God did not create you because He had any need of you, for you are wholly useless to Him, but only that He might exercise towards you His goodness, bestowing on you His grace and glory. To accomplish this, He has given you an understanding to know Him, a memory to remember Him, a will to love Him, an imagination to recall His mercies, eyes to see the wonders of His works, a tongue to praise Him, and so with all your other faculties (Book X).

This striking mini-tome crafts the very purpose of our creation as St. Francis De Sales tells us. The essential point here is that we are created for the good of God. It is like the old spiritual adage: "God doesn’t make junk; I’m lovable." In reality, our very creation resonates with a love that is unique to our Father alone because of His infinite goodness.

One Young Man’s Experience

Understanding this saving reality draws me to a conversation I had with a dear friend of mine. He shared with me the daily moral challenges his son was facing during his first year in college. Not a day went by where my friend’s son was not  chastised for either being a faithful Catholic, defending the moral teachings of the Church, or mocked for not acquiescing to certain behaviors others engaged in.

One incident that typified the continual onslaught was "orientation night" for freshmen. As a way of "welcoming" the incoming class and at the same time helping them "relax", a stand-up comedian was brought in as the main evening entertainment. Without getting into specifics the comedian was less than virtuous and charitable with the content of his act. He noticed that my friend’s son was not at all amused. The comedian brought his son up on stage and bluntly asked him if there was a problem with his act. This brave young man then took the opportunity to tell the comedian he found his act morally offensive, demeaning to women, and degrading to God. Unfortunately the comedian did not take these comments well and proceeded to chastise this brave young man for his opinionated faith.

Authenticity

What kept this young man’s faith so strong? The primary answers rests in his Catholic upbringing. The Church has always reminded us that parents are first the primary educators of our children. (Gravissimum Educationis , 6) Now, I value the relationship my friend and I have because we are fathers whose mission is to prepare our children to engage the world through their Catholic faith. We share a prudent, common-sense look at the world and constantly discuss how our children will handle the rigors of the world through their faith. Knowing the Church is under a constant attack in various ways, we are keenly aware of the armor (Eph 6:10-20) our children must take on to effectively witness and evangelize the faith to others.

The Basis for a Catholic Curriculum

A second answer to the question I stated above rests in an effective Catholic School program, hence the Idea of a Catholic school . Many people in various circles Catholic or otherwise may argue that Catholic Schools in the United States have strayed from their Catholic identity, especially in doctrinal formation. However, I have seen and foresee a renewal in Catholic school education. My friend’s son benefited from a Catholic school environment whose purpose is to promote and teach the Catholic faith. Catholic schools strive to be beacons of hope .

The aim of the Catholic school where this young man attended was very clear; develop the student to view the world through a Catholic lens. A Catholic school curriculum should expose the student to one, know what is happening in the world; two , instruct on the supernatural history of the world; three , instruct on Divine History; and four ; instruct in Human development. The aim of these four points is to direct the student to a sacred history. The sacredness of this history rests in Jesus Christ. If we can get our students to understand these points, hopefully they will see how their own personal living is part of the Divine history of God. In other words, the student will see the hand of God throughout history thus witnessing and living a true Christian humanism forged in the Son of God.

We desire sound instruction for the soul of the student. If it is not, then the example of my friend’s son quite possibly may have turned another direction. The education of the soul is at the heart of a Catholic School. The General Directory for Catechesis establishes this point very clearly.

It is necessary, therefore, that religious instruction in a Catholic school appear as a scholastic discipline with the same systematic demands and the same rigor as other disciplines. It must present the Christian message and the Christian event with the same seriousness and the same depth with which other disciplines present their knowledge.  It should not be an accessory alongside of these disciplines, but rather it should engage in a necessary interdisciplinary dialogue (73).

Echoing this position, Pope Benedict XVI during his April 2008 visit to the United States addressed this same theme to Catholic Educators at the Catholic University of America in Washington D.C. He expressed the particular responsibility of every Catholic educator "to evoke among the young the desire for the act of faith, encouraging them to commit themselves to the ecclesial life that follows from this belief."

The Idea of a Catholic School

The "Idea of a Catholic School" has a mission to transform the soul. Faith and Reason coexist in this equation. Venerable John Henry Cardinal Newman in his masterpiece "The Idea of University" comments that; "Nature and Grace, Reason and Revelation come from the same Divine Author whose works cannot contradict one another (240). As Catholic educators, the "moment" of conversion for our students begins the moment they come into our classrooms and we view "Heaven" as the primary aim for the "souls" of these children. Everything else will fall into place. Amen.

Understanding Doctrinal Methodology

Teaching Catholic doctrine to teenagers may appear like trying to find water in the Mojave Desert. However, it doesn’t have to be this way. This backdrop brings me back to my brothers’ original point, “They don’t know anything!” If a student is struggling to capture the essence of Church teaching at the freshmen level, what happened during their primary years of religious education formation? Was there any attempt toward some form of catechetical instruction? At the sake of sounding somewhat cynical to these questions, many will probably say no. Was there a faithful curriculum that was followed? Was the content and methodology sound? Do Catholic schools teach the faith effectively? The Catechism of the Catholic Church provides a framework for doctrinal instruction. “Catechesis is an education in the faith of children, young people . . . which includes especially the teaching of Christian doctrine imparted, generally speaking, in an organic and systematic way, with a view to initiating the hearers into the fullness of Christian life” (CCC 5).

The Art of Catechesis

Pope John Paul II reminded us in his Apostolic Exhortation, Catechesi Tradendae that the definitive aim of all catechetical instruction rests in forming an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ (CT 5). The term catechesis means to re-echo. In essence, Catholic schools are directed to form the heart and mind of the child to Christ. Many people will generally argue Catholic schools have failed in this regard over the past 40 years. While this position may have its limits, examples of a discontinuity of the faith are evident. For example, an emphasis on social justice themes at times provided a student with the only means of doctrinal formation and instruction. Thus, exclusion of key doctrinal teachings e.g. sin, contraception, the Resurrection, the true presence of Christ in the Holy Eucharist and so on rarely appeared in classroom instruction or religious education textbooks. Catechetical texts from the 1980’s, for example, reflected a theme of love without necessarily directing this love towards God. The word, “happy” was more evident than the term “sacrifice.” These themes reflected an experiential approach to catechetical formation that rested on emotion, obscure symbols in a non-sacramental form, liturgical experimentation involving dancing, secular music, misinterpretation of the Gospel within the liturgy and so on. Re-echoing God’s Word through sacred scripture evolved into a paraphrasing of the Gospel. This approach mined the authentic Word of God and its’ true hermeneutic.

Interesting Trends

Over the years I have seen the implementation of experiential based catechetical instruction where the emphasis is horizontal rather than vertical. In other words, instruction was based on the realization of man apart from God and not of God. Emphasis in most catechetical schools of thought rested on the love of God without identifying the truth or origin of that love. The most devastating development of this failure is the lack of doctrinal formation centered on Jesus Christ.

In 1997, a USCCB report was issued by Archbishop Daniel Buechlein OSB of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis who headed the USCCB Ad-Hoc Committee to oversee the use of the Catechism of the Catholic Church in catechetical texts. His committee found several troubling symptoms at the time of the report of woeful catechetical instructional materials. The list systematically revealed an obscurity in teaching on the Blessed Trinity, Jesus Christ as the centrality of Salvation history and so on. Since the publication of this report, extensive work has been done in the implementation of the Catechism and the conformity of texts. The committee has issued an approved conformity lists of texts that reference the Catechism. However, the committee does not systematically gauge sound pedagogy or methodology i.e. measurement of effective doctrinal instruction of the texts that are presented to the committee.

The Catholic School Dilemma

My brothers’ experience as mentioned in the beginning is not to far off from many Catholic school institutions in the United States. The question(s) of fidelity and sound doctrinal formation has been the subject of debate for many in Catholic education. With the publication of the Catechism of the Catholic Church and the development of the Ad-Hoc Committee to over-see the use of the Catechism in Catechetical texts, doctrinal content has improved somewhat. However, there is still much work to be done in catechesis with respect to methodology, precise doctrinal instruction and the catechetical training of teachers in the faith. A wealth of resources has come to the forefront in the field of catechesis i.e. The General Director for Catechesis , National Adult Catechism , and most important, the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

And this leads to my underlying point. Do Catholic schools teach the faith? I should qualify this question by emphasizing “fidelity” in teaching the faith. Over the last decade I have encountered families tell me one of the main reasons they decide to send their children to a Catholic school is the faith. At the same time, families have told me the reason why they leave a Catholic school is because of the lack of faith and sound Church teaching throughout.

The erosion of sound catechesis had taken a heightened position in the last 30 years. The Baltimore Catechism became taboo. The mass exodus of religious and priests from our Catholic schools, the shedding of an authentic faith for an experiential exercise in something other than the blessed Trinity became all too commonplace. Gone was the understanding and memorization of scripture. The revelation of Christ as the Son of God was a mere historical note for all to read but not to be understood. As many parents saw this erosion, the question was naturally asked; is it worth sending my child to Catholic school?

Have Catholic school retained a faithful Catholic identity? In many respects, Catholic identity has been blurred in our schools. It has become a token only when needed for a special occasion i.e. monthly mass, Advent penance service, May Crowning, etc. Please, do not get me wrong. The examples I just provided are sound expositions of the faith aimed at fostering a conversion of the heart to Christ. The problem is that these events are too few, far, and between to adequately maintain a consistent Catholic formation process in our schools. The Catholic faith is more than just a subject to be taught and learned. It must be lived and witnessed by all. Because of the high percentages of laity in Catholic school across the country, emphasis on catechetical formation is a must. I firmly believe that the two-headed monster that has blurred our Catholic schools of a rich vibrant faith is the lack of catechetical formation of our teaching staffs and the breakdown of the family unit.

The Aim of Teaching Religion

Frank Sheed, in my opinion, one the great catechists, theologians, and apologists of the 20^th century properly emphasizes correct catechetical instruction in his book; “Are We Really Teaching Religion.” He states, “the aim of teaching religion in Catholic schools, that we are agreed on something like this: that the indispensable minimum is that Catholics coming out of our schools should emerge with a tremendous devotion to Christ, Our Lord, with an awareness of Him, a considerable knowledge of His life and Personality, and a desire to increase that knowledge; if they have got that, they are all right; even if they have got nothing else, they are still all right, they will come to very little harm” (pp. 2-3). His proclamation seems pretty straight forward and obvious. However, this is where assuming correct instruction of the faith is taking place, should be looked upon more carefully.

The Catechism teaches us that the “desire for God is written in the human heart” (CCC 27). Meaning, we are created to love God. Our desire is formed at the moment of conception. This desire will either deepen us towards God or turn us away by our own choice, influences, and actions. Sound religious education leads the student to establish a desire, a thirst for God’s love. A Catholic school is called to foster this desire in the hearts and minds of their students. It sounds simple and it should be. Fidelity fosters freedom to engage the heart and mind of a student into the saving realities of Jesus Christ. Taking the virtue of simplicity to a deeper understanding, St. Frances De Sales commented on the virtue of simplicity this way; “Simplicity is nothing but an act of charity pure and simple, which has but one sole end-that of gaining the love of God. Our soul is then truly simple, when we have no aim at all but this, in all we do. The office of simplicity is to make us go straight to God, without regard to human respect or our own interests. It leads us to tell things candidly and just as they exist in our hearts. It leads us to act simply, without admixture of hypocrisy and artifice-and, finally keeps us at a distance from every kind of deceit and double-dealing.”

Renewal and Hope

Why should families have hope in the renewal of catechesis in Catholic schools in light of what has already been discussed? I believe a conversion of heart is taking place by many in Catholic education circles. The necessity of sound doctrinal content is essential for the very identity of a Catholic School. The continued exposition of the Catechism of the Catholic Church as evident through the approval of catechetical texts is a step in the right direction. Second, the use of the Catechism in the formation of teachers also fosters hope in the renewal. In the Diocese I work in, we have made great strides in the implementation of the Catechism through our religious education curriculum for elementary grades, formation of Catholic school teachers in sound doctrinal methodology, and approved religious education texts faithful to the mission of the Church.

In conclusion, I can honestly say we are on the road to simplicity with Christ. We are striving to teach our children and direct them to the love that never ends (CCC 25) . I see a horizon where parents, faculties, and staffs in our Catholic schools are realizing more than ever, the importance of an authentic love that is true and genuine for the salvation of these little souls.

Our Journey

My wife and I are Catholic educators by vocation for the last 13 years. Both of us are products of public school and Catholic School education. In many ways, the two systems of education complimented each other for us personally. We have homeschooled our children for several years and currently have our older two enrolled in Catholic school. We have seen the pros and cons of public school, homeschooling and Catholic school when it comes to curriculum development, pedagogical instruction, moral foundation and so on. Careful consideration and appropriate discernment are tantamount when formulating the best direction to educate children, especially within the Church.

Why Catholic Education?

One of the consistent questions people ask me related to Catholic Schools is: Why choose Catholic Education? A parent who is sincerely considering Catholic Education for their child discerns many challenging questions i.e. Catholic Identity, faithfulness to Church teaching, strong academics, moral foundation etc. In listing these very important constructs, one ought to view how Catholic Education has always taken care of the soul and mind of the child. My point resonates further when the issue of Charter Schools comes into the conversation as an alternative to Catholic school. I tend to question where a Charter School would avail itself of such a thought when it comes to a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

The order and structure of Catholic Education is rooted on a proper understanding of the child’s role in society in light of being-created in the image and likeness of God. Understanding this point, Catholic Schools exist to assist parents in the formation of a proper Christian Anthropology to their son or daughter. The foundation of this Christian Anthropology rests primarily with the parent. The aim of Catholic education is assisting a child’s understanding of his/her relationship with Jesus Christ.

One of the greatest Catholic Educators in the Church St. Augustine of Hippo professed that the mission of Catholic Education is to “assist the child find and encounter a relationship with Jesus Christ.” St. Paul in his instruction to St. Timothy urges him teach the truth and that those who do not teach in keeping with our Lord Jesus Christ is full of conceit and knows nothing (1 Tim 6:1-6).

The Charter School Phenomena

The statements from my previous paragraphs address an earlier article I read on Catholic Exchange.com by Mrs. Heidi Hess Sexton on the “Case for Charter Schools” (Aug, 28. 2009). Mrs. Sexton articulates some positive points Charter Schools are having in communities across the country. By many instances, she is correct in addressing the position that not all charter schools perform well. In her personal witness, Charter schools are very beneficial for her children. It gives me great joy to see a parent take their role as the primary educator of their children with great care and love. My position addresses her comparison of Charter Schools with Catholic Schools that I believe misses the mark.

Catholic Schools are by far and large an instrument in the continual catechetical development of a child. These sacred institutions aim at being an extension of the parent who has faithfully handed on the Catholic faith to their children. Sound catechetical instruction in a Catholic School aims at the primary object to bring children into the mystery of Christ . This mystery fosters a desire for sound catechesis established not as a means of promoting one’s own teaching or someone’s personal mastery of a subject, instead, it is the establishment of the teachings of Jesus Christ because He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. (John 14:6)

Another great Catholic Educator St. John Bosco incorporated his famous pedagogical technique of Reason, Religion, and Kindness as the means of winning the soul of the child and providing an excellent Catholic education.

The Charter school , no matter how great, cannot offer what I have just described. It may formulate a curriculum based on virtue, compassion, and general discipline. Uniforms may be commonplace and interaction between students and faculty may actually be charitable. In the end, it is still a public school with a specific academic emphasis. Can a Charter school form a foundation rooted in Jesus Christ? The obvious answer is no. A recent poll conducted on why parents choose Charter Schools falls in to three main categories. These are:

1. Realize and Education Vision

2. Gain autonomy

3. Serve a special populatio n

The Sacred Congregation for Catholic Education (CCE) states in its document entitled: The Catholic School when it comes to the actual instruction of the student within the school, the Catholic educator must exhibit a constant reference to the Gospel and a frequent encounter with Christ within the educational framework. (55) The result of this methodology, a child experiences his or her dignity as a human person created in the image and likeness of God.

The Religious Dimension of Education in a Catholic School tell us: from the first moment that a student sets foot in a Catholic School, he or she ought to have the impression of entering a new environment, one illumined by the light of faith, and having its own unique characteristics. (25) Echoing this statement, Pope Benedict XVI in his address to Catholic Educators at the Catholic University of America in Washington D.C. (April 2008) expressed the particular responsibility of every Catholic educator “to evoke among the young the desire for the act of faith, encouraging them to commit themselves to the ecclesial life that follows from this belief.”

My position as a Catholic Educator echoes the response to the call of the “New Evangelization” to build a family rooted in love. What makes Catholic Education so unique? It fosters a genuine Christian journey to Heaven. A child walking through the doors of any Catholic School should immediately experience truth, beauty, and goodness. The very essence of Catholic Education is Jesus Christ. The reality, a Charter school would have a difficult time offering these gifts.