Ad Cat

Tomorrow we're presenting at the Catechetical Congress down in Randolph. Our topic is "Adolescent Catechesis- Our Mission Field". Here's the outline of what we'll be presenting:


** If you were traveling to Namibia to teach Catholicism, to “form faith”, how would you start?
(Learn about their culture- learn to speak their language or at least to communicate in a way that works for both sides of the conversation. (maybe it’s symbols! Maybe it’s songs, ritual actions, etc…) Find out what their needs are, and show how faith in God can address those needs…)

** Adolescents are a culture all to their own, and it is helpful to consider serving their population as missionary work.

** The effect on the change in support systems that surround kids today is drastic- and creates the culture that our adolescents live in, and which defines their “personality” as a group.

** Have you ever seen an American meet up with someone who doesn’t speak English? After a little bit of trying to converse, what happens? They start to YELL! This is one technique that is often used in catechetical methods, and just like the actual language barrier this technique echoes, it doesn’t do much good. Yelling at someone in a language they don’t understand is a waste of time.

** Curricula are designed nowadays to reinforce what kids are learning at home and in Mass.

** We can move toward empowering one or more of their support systems to take their job back, in supporting and building and reinforcing their faith and learning, (ie Whole Comm. Catechesis) AND we can start taking into consideration the culture we’re serving, set some appropriate goals, and learn new ways to communicate with them.

** We're going to take a look at Confirmation- the history and theology of the Sacrament, what it is and what it isn't... and talk about this theory: Your Youth Ministry should look very much like it would if Confirmation didn't exist.

We think DRE's should set goals, with committees and staff, for the formation of their young people, and then design curricula to reflect and achieve those goals. This is in stark contrast to the pervasive model of buying a textbook series and teaching from them.

Then we'll open it up for Questions and comments, and rounds and rounds of applause.
We'll be available after the talk to sign autographs and pose for photos.