Review of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd

www.cgsusa.org
Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (CGS) is a Montessori approach to Religious Education. The program has three developmental levels, with each level building upon previous levels. The curriculum stems from liturgical and biblical concepts in the Church, and the presentations for each level are presented in a three year cycle. Children receive the greatest benefit after being in each level for three years. In 1981, James Fowler wrote a book entitled Stages of Faith: The Psychology of Human Development and the Quest for Meaning. In this book, he details six developmental stages we go through in our faith lives. The first three stages are primarily age related, while higher levels may or may not be reached, depending on the faith development of the individual. The CGS program is an ideal program for recognizing the faith development of a person. Each of the three levels for children are age related and follow very closely the first three levels of Fowler’s stages of faith. Another strength of the program though is the formation for catechists. It allows for further faith development into the higher stages of adult faith.

Stations of the Cross with Pope John Paul II

Audience: young adults

A review of the resource: The Stations of the Cross with Pope John Paul II, Joseph M. Champlin. Liguori, 1994.

During Lent praying the Stations of the Cross is a devotion that takes one through the events of Jesus’ suffering and death. There are fourteen traditional Stations of the Cross beginning with Jesus being condemned to death and the fourteenth station Jesus is laid in the tomb. Contemporary versions have a fifteenth station; The Resurrection. Pope John Paul II officially added the fifteenth station according to Joseph M. Champlin on Good Friday, 1991. On that Good Friday in 1991, Pope John Paul II also adapted some of the other traditional stations. This booklet takes the adaptation that the Pope created and provides a rich pilgrimage to follow Jesus’ steps. The format is a balance of traditional and contemporary. There are illustrations that are deliberately focused on the adapted stations of John Paul II, along with psalms and reflections that enrich the image of each station. The booklet serves as an enriching variation on an age-old devotion as one is reflecting on the self-giving love that Christ suffered for us.

Pope John Paul II had a connection with the youth, he established world youth days, and his global travels provided a sense of belonging to young adults. In section four of In Passing on the Faith: Transforming Traditions for the Next Generation of Jews, Christians and Muslims, James L. Heft provides the reader with insights from Brother John of Taizé in understanding youth and prayer traditions. Prayer and community in Taizé along with a searching for a deepening of their faith has been the constant strong hold for decades. Young adults responded to the authenticity of the Taizé community. John Paul II was authentic in his connection and commitment to young adults and his Stations of the Cross has a wide appeal to the meditation dimension of the prayer. Reflections focus on what is essential in accepting the love and passion of Christ. The Passion of Christ is the ultimate of witnessing. Brother John said, “Our community’s deepest aspiration is to make accessible the sources of trust, so that people, especially the young, can live their lives rooted in this trust.” (Heft, 160). The Stations of the Cross is a rooted and trusted devotional prayer. This resource that is based on the adaptation of the Good Friday pilgrimage of 1991 by John Paul II serves a young adult audience well, because of the trusted relationship the Pope had established with this group and the contemporary fresh version it presents of the Stations of the Cross.

Use of Parables and Consumerism

This is a review of Roger Hassett’s, The Power of Parables. Mr. Hassett’s a former religion teacher at the University of San Diego High School, San Diego, California. He discusses how one could use parables to teach a variety of lessons, by reading parables. First, help the students listen to the parables with their hearts and not their heads. He accomplishes that by leading the students in a guided-relaxation exercise called a stress inventory. It is a simple exercise in which the students assume a good posture, become aware of their breathing, and slowly relax each part of their bodies from head to toe. They can then focus better on the story. Once the students are relaxed, you can begin reading the parable. Be sure to bring it to life! Give each character a distinctive voice. Read slowly and carefully. Because the students are in a meditative state, they are quite open to the message, so take your time with it. When the story is completed, give the students a minute or two to come back to full consciousness. Then allow them five or ten minutes to write their reflections on the parable--their gut reactions to the story and where they find God, themselves, and others in it. Students use three questions about a given theme as it is presented in a particular parable:

1. Where am I with God in all of this?
2. Where am I with myself in all of this?
3. Where am I with others in all of this?

For this session, I have considered the use of THE RICH FOOL in Luke’s Gospel. This reading/parable is related to consumerism or materialism, which is the focus of this week’s reading.

Luke 12:13-21 [13] Someone in the crowd said to him, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me." [14] Jesus replied, "Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?" [15] Then he said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." [16] And he told them this parable: "The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. [17] He thought to himself, `What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.' [18] "Then he said, `This is what I'll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. [19] And I'll say to myself, "You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry." ' [20] "But God said to him, `You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?' [21] "This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God."

As noted above, the focus this week is consumerism and America’s obsession with having more, and more never being enough. The readings are from The Anglican Theological Review, which include synopsis’ from, The Loss of Happiness in Market Democracies by Robert E. Lane, Dematerializing: Taming the Power of Possessions by Jane Hammerslough, Luxury Fever: Money and Happiness in an Era of Excess by Robert Frank and so on. The article was good at summarizing the various larger stories, in the context of American’s always wanting more. The concept of Affluenza is introduced and our need to have more and more stuff is considered. The theory is that the more stuff we accumulate the happier we are supposed to become. However, that doesn’t always happen. What people are missing is a right relationship with God, but finding that in this consumer-driver society is difficult.

When you consider these readings, the theme of consumerism, and the use of parables, the parable exercise would be most beneficial with older students and/or adults. Since parables are sometimes difficult to dissect, use with younger students might be difficult, unless they are working in conjunction with older students or adults. For my lesson plan for this week, I team second-graders with their parents, in preparing for their first communion. The parable referenced in this article would be better suited with the children and adults working and discussing it together. The relaxing exercise wouldn’t work with younger children either, since that sort of activity is beyond their conception. The focusing is beneficial for more mature persons. Otherwise, I like the parable exercise, the use of guided relaxation, and the three focus questions. In using those concepts with the parable cited above, the theme of consumerism and materialism can be easily tied to God and His love; and the negativity of greed.

Loyola Press Intergenerational Event Review

Activity Centers for Intergenerational Event: The Passion and Resurrection of our Lord
From: Loyola Press Online
http://www.loyolapress.com/activity-center-good-friday-intergenerational-event.htm

Loyola Press offers numerous suggestions for an intergenerational event that will help families engage in the Triduum. The resource offers 10 different activity centers that coordinators can mix and match to meet their time, space, and participant needs. It suggests ending with Good Friday prayer service that includes an Agony in the Garden skit.

Fowler's Stages of Faith clearly outlines 6 different stages of faith that you may find in any given parish setting. The challenge for any coordinator planning an intergenerational event is to include activities that cross both generations and stages of faith development. Unfortunately, Loyola Press' Activity Centers fails on both accounts.

Of the 10 suggested centers, 7 of them are entirely child centered. They include basic arts and crafts projects, coloring, planting seeds, etc. While there are times that adults are included in the lesson description, they're participation is limited to assisting the children in creating whatever project the activity calls for. 2 of the centers include family handouts that do reach across the parent-child generational gap including questions and comments that are appropriate for each generation. However, these handouts do nothing to include older children (the activities are all elementary or preschool level) or generations beyond the parent.

In terms of Fowler's stages of faith, a majority of the activities are geared toward stages one and two. The final prayer service and drama has the potential to reach beyond into stage 3, as do some of the parent-directed activities, but this potential will only be reached if the leader of the activity makes an active effort to reach into stage 3 during the activity. None of the activities suggested will reach stages 4-6.

While the variety of suggestions and the freedom to create your own event that fits your needs makes this resource appear to be very valuable, a closer look at the activity suggestions demonstrates that at it's core, this is really just an elementary/preschool resource that includes parents as volunteers. It has the potential to be a great resource for this age group, but does not truly live up to its name as an intergenerational resource.

An Evaluation of the Little Rock Scripture Study Series

The resource reviewed in this entry is the Little Rock Scripture Study series. There are multiple courses available on the Hebrew Scriptures and the New Testament, as well as some thematic studies on topics such as the infancy narratives of Jesus and women of the New Testament. These studies are intended for small groups of about 8 to 12 adults. They require both individual study and communal sharing within the small group. The objective of these resources is for adults to gain a deeper understanding of the books and themes contained in the Bible.

The program is structured around daily personal scripture study which includes reading the selected passage(s) from the Bible and the commentary that goes with them. Then, the participants reflect on what they have read, asking themselves what the Scripture passages says, means, means to them, and what they are going to do about their understanding of the Scripture. Then, the participants answer a set of questions that are intended to help them further reflect on what they read. Once a week, the participants meet with their small groups to discuss the results of their personal reflections. The course of study concludes with a wrap-up lecture which is intended to clarify the themes of each of the daily lessons.

In the excerpt from Stages of Faith: The Psychology of Human Development and the Quest for Meaning, Fowler describes six different levels of faith that people progress through. For various reasons, some adults will be at different levels of faith development. The Little Rock Scripture Studies can be used with people who are at many different levels of faith development. This resource provides an opportunity for those at a lower stage of faith development, such as the Mythic-Lateral or Synthetic-Conventional levels to engage the Scriptures in a way that they may not have done previously. The Little Rock courses engage the participants in looking at the broader picture of the Scripture, including the historical context, use of literary devices, intention of the author, and application of the Scripture to the participant’s life. This can help the person in the lower levels of faith to begin to reflect critically on the stories from Scripture that they have heard repeatedly, and to begin to identify and apply Scriptural messages to their own lives.

The Little Rock courses also have the ability to prove meaningful to those participants who are at a higher level of faith development. While some of the questions and information provided in the commentary may seem to be simple, if the participants are able, they can make as much out of it as they want. There is room to go beyond the printed resource. It would also be beneficial to the small group of adults engaged in the course to have a few individuals who are at a higher level of faith development than the majority of the group. This exposure to a different way of understanding can help the other members of the group to progress in their own faith development.

Overall, The Little Rock Scripture Study series appears to be a good resource for adult faith formation. It has the potential to engage people at multiple levels of faith development. As with any resource, there is the possibility that it will not be used to the fullest of its potential. Or that the participants who are at a lower level of faith development will not be able to engage in a discussion with those at a higher level. It is also possible that the participants who are at a lower level of faith development will feel intimidated by and have a difficult time connecting with the material. Most likely all of these problems can be alleviated through appropriate small group facilitation.

Taize: Prayer for all People

Stages of Faith, the Psychology of Human Development and the Quest for Meaning, by James W. Fowler, Harper:San Francisco, 1981.

Taize Prayer service offered by the Viatorian Community in Arlington Heights is a monthly service where people of all ages are invited to gather together in prayer fashioned after prayer services in Taize, France. Once a month, students, parents, neighbors, and clergy gather together for about an hour and a half to sing, chant, hear the Word proclaimed, and pray together. It is an evening of quiet and reflection, offering many the opportunity to take intentional time out of their busy lives to sit and just “be.”

In Fowler’s writings, he focuses on describing the six faith stages people may (or may not) go through. People do not necessarily go through all of the stages or in the same order. Stage one is described as Undifferentiated Faith. This is when there is complete reliance and trust on another. An infant who must completely rely on their guardian would be an example of this stage. The second stage is Intuitive-Projective faith. This stage usually includes those from ages 3-7. People in this stage are influenced by stories; they grasp concrete concepts through images in stories. The third stage is Mythic-Literal Faith, and it is where most adolescents and adults remain. This stage is literal and one-dimensional. The fourth stage is Individuative-reflective faith. Young adults are in this stage, although many adults don’t ever reach this point in their faith journey. In this stage there are tensions between individuality and associating the self with the group; it’s a time of demythologizing and critical reflection on self. The fifth and final stage is Conjunctive Faith. It’s the most complex, and it sees both issues/sides at the same time. Fowler even finds it difficult to fully describe this stage since it is not attained by many people. The six stage is reserved for saints or near saints.

I think Taize would be a great activity for many adults simply because it allows for individuality and can be experienced in different ways by people in different faith stages. Someone in earlier stages would appreciate the direction and concrete structure/flow of the evening. Members could simply sit and listen if they are uncomfortable singing/participating vocally. Those in higher stages, like 4 and 5, are able to allow the Taize experience to affect them in a multitude of ways. Since they realize everyone has their own world view and different life experiences, they are aware that Taize prayer can touch people in different ways at different points in their life. Overall, I think Taize offers much freedom for people from a variety of stages; it allows the individual to take what they can depending on where they are at.

RCIA

The RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) program at Holy Family Parish is a modern day cultivation of faith. The program embodies the spirit of Catechesis, which is to walk along side and echo life’s experiences, rather than direct and teach followers. Now I cannot speak on behalf of the entire Archdiocese of Chicago’s RCIA program, I can only speak from experience and observance at Holy Family. This model follows a gradual year long experience with six major events such as Rite of Acceptance, an overnight retreat, and finally Initiation on Hoy Saturday. The weekly meeting is run more like a party with an agenda than as a class. Each meeting may have a purpose but the direction and pace is dictated by the participation of the candidates. The candidates and sponsors are accompanied by team leaders and fellow members and non members of the church. Many of the people at the meetings are there because they continue to get great joy out of the experience even though they are not candidates or sponsors. The atmosphere is of great wonder and questioning. No question is turned away and no answer is denied. Experience is often the greatest answer. I was not always happy to go but always strengthened and happy when leaving.

Stages of Faith, the Psychology of Human Development and the Quest for Meaning, by James W. Fowler, Harper:San Francisco, 1981,
Fowler covers six stages of faith. These faith stages go along with the psychological development of humans. He starts with a pre-stage which covers early infancy but moves quickly into the first stage Institutive- Projective Faith. Here speech and symbols of communication begin. Infants learn to manipulate what they receive example: crying brings mother, and mother sooths. The perceived perspectives are absolute or the only perspectives. Stage 2 is the Mythic-Literal Faith stage. This is when bind our experiences to a meaning with stories. We can retell stories and even imagine new ones but cannot reflect upon them. We are stuck in concrete operational thought. Stage 3 Synthetic Conventional Faith begins with a greater concept of others in the world. Fowler uses the phrase “I see you seeing me” to help reflect on this stage. God is often a significant other that provides and confirms acceptance. We begin to question and reflect upon what we know. Stage 4 is Individuative-Reflective Faith. This stage is where Fowler would place most adults. In stage 4 we see the world as having different view and ways of being. We are no longer defined by our perceived roles we have developed to choose our own roles. We have choices and use a conscious effort to define our boundaries. Fowler believes that stages 5 is obtained by an experienced human, or in other words “old”. For Fowler stage 6 is reserved for saints or near saints.

I feel that the RCIA program is a great way for those of us in or between stages 3 and 4 to communicate. Often faith is a personal topic and asking questions of another person’s faith is not proper or polite. The stage 3 people may be too caught up in self perception to feel comfortable discussing what they have not yet answered. For those in stage 4 they may recognize and even accept that there is a faith and a journey but if they do not perceive themselves as on the journey it is very hard to change their view. To truly affect these adults a strong emotional connection must be made. However great the RCIA program is there is never enough time to reach every participant. The RCIA model brings people from many different stages and provides a safe and encouraging arena to speak your mind. This arena at Holy Family is called a small Christian Community.