Whole Parish Approach to Catechesis

What is it?

1. Framework for providing religious formation and education at the parish level that involves ALL ages.
2. Comprehensive approach that is lifelong, centered in the events of Church life, and matures faith.
3. Complete process Not a program for faith formation.

 What does it accomplish?

1. Form Adult Christians of mature faith.
2. Deepen and enrich people’s faith with a greater awareness that they are the People of God in all areas of their lives.
3. Animate the world with the spirit of Christ.
4. Sense of Catholicism as a comprehensive way of life.

A Whole Parish Approach to Catechesis requires that the parish integrate and unify its catechetical efforts so that:
                  a) every sector of the parish has an opportunity for catechesis; and
                  b) the parish becomes a curriculum in which unifying faith themes link the various age groups.

Effective catechesis is interconnected with liturgy, sacraments, the church year, justice and service, prayer - and utilizes intergenerational learning as a key method for implementation.

      “It has really helped me to appreciate the wisdom of our seniors, the energy and faithfulness and spirit of our children, the hunger of our parents, and the questioning of our young adults. We bring all that together in a community setting and allow them to minister to each other and to help each other grow, and then take it home with them.” (CMD)

When people of different ages are brought together to learn their faith, the corporate memory of the faith traditions is strengthened and sustained. We can teach children how to pray the Rosary, but having them hear the stories of elders whose prayer lives were sustained by a particular Mystery, or by the rosary’s pattern of praying, keeps alive the tradition and enriches the faith of all who hear the stories.

There is an urgency with respect to faith formation today because we are failing to form people in the faith in a manner that empowers them to practice their faith and fully participate in the events of the faith community. On the other hand, imagine the synergy of faith expression if all in the community were formed in and prepared for the same event or practice at the same time!

Bishop Blaise Cupich (Rapid City, S.D.) has written about the decision in his diocese to  move toward intergenerational faith formation in Handing on the Faith: The Church’s Mission and Challenge. He acknowledged that the old method of catechesis isn’t enough for today. Many Catholics are anxious about passing on the faith to the next generation and don’t feel competent to teach our beliefs. Cupich acknowledges that what we have been doing in not working and expresses a belief that we need a fresh approach which addresses three issues:

1. We need to pass on the faith in a way that creates a thirst for God and the Church in the lives of young people.
2. Consideration must be given to the context of Church life and practice when it comes to sharing the content of our faith and tradition.
3. The participation and witness of everyone is needed.

                 Bishop Cupich goes on to address the consequences and implications of shifting from a schooling model of catechesis to a community-based faith formation model.

1. Everyone is responsible with an intergenerational approach because “all take responsibility for creating the circumstances for handing on the faith to all. That means that faith formation is not just for the young. It is intergenerational because faith formation is a lifelong learning.”
2. The context for learning the content of faith is the events in the life of the church.
3. The events-centered, lifelong approach involves a systematic and cyclical curriculum.
4. What happens at home reinforces what takes place in the community as it learns and develops a corporate Catholic identity.

This events-centered approach highlights the Gospel message and Catholic tradition. It also encourages the parish to utilize events which come from the life of the community itself, its history, its people and its culture.