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Making Religious Education Work
It Starts with the Parents
Fr. Nonomen October 25, 2016 - 12:37pm
"Remember children, today
is Wednesday. Don’t leave anything valuable in your desks because
public-school students will be using the classroom this afternoon.”
Sister Alphonsine delivered the weekly warning with a sweetness that
quite effectively tempered the contempt in her voice. We third graders
gave each other knowing glances. Then we would dutifully pack up our
World Fair erasers and Mary Poppins pencil sharpeners, say a quick Hail
Mary for the redemption of those public-school souls, and fervently hope
that Thursday morning would not find our room littered with crushed
beer cans and cigarette butts.
That memory returned as I strolled through the Religious Education
classrooms recently. Like many parishes, mine has hundreds of children
enrolled in its faith-formation programs. These children are students in
the local public-school system, and their parents look to the parish to
help provide some spiritual education and sacramental preparation. As I
made my rounds, I carefully scrutinized the pint-sized parishioners,
looking for any signs of a budding Artful Dodger. Nothing. As a matter
of fact, the kids cheered me up as they always do, with their impromptu
performances of silly songs about lost sheep and by handing me some new
artwork to hang on my refrigerator.
Not only times have changed; so has the atmosphere that drifts
through the religious-education classrooms. More positive and friendly,
certainly, but I also attribute the climate change to a somewhat
formidable decision our parish made a few years ago. The number of
families with children in religious education was growing at a healthy
rate. The problem was many of these families did not seem to be engaged
in any other aspect of parish life, including worship. A “drop and run”
mentality was developing among the parents, which most of us on staff
recognized as an all-too-familiar occurrence in other places where we’ve
worked. We knew this was not a unique problem and that it needed to be
addressed with an assertive creativity. For a year we read and discussed
books, interviewed parents, prayed, and imagined possible ways to
address this problem. We finally reached a decision that seemed bold to
us—even a little radical—because it was essentially simple.
First, parents could register their child for a year of religious
education only in person and only at one of two meetings at the start of
the academic year. The dates and times of these meetings were
publicized months in advance. We wanted the families to see each other,
and to recognize that they are part of a larger community. The meetings
were held in the church, a nod to the centrality of the Eucharist, and
they were kept efficient, out of respect for the time of busy parents at
a busy time of year. It began with common prayer, moved to some
thoughts about formation, some practical matters, and then ended with
parents filling out registration forms. After these meetings,
registration was closed for the year with only a few pastoral
exceptions.
Second, there is no financial charge for religious education. Each
family was asked to volunteer ten hours as a family over the course of a
year in any parish endeavor that appealed to them. There were no
“volunteer police” to keep track of these hours, only an honor system.
As anticipated, we lost some families. Six, to be exact. Six out of
hundreds. What we hadn’t anticipated (and did not dare to expect) was
the surge of energy this unleashed in the parish, particularly in the
faith-formation programs. Suddenly, there were greeters at the doors and
helpers in the classroom; new children’s choirs formed; special
projects were suggested and completed. Many other parish activities
benefited as well from this wave of spiritual energy. We kept hearing
how so many people had been wanting to connect with the parish, but just
didn’t know how. The ten hours (many volunteered more) provided the
impetus for that connection.
At the registration meetings, we now allow time for parents to share
among themselves stories about their hours of service, and what they
think their children might have been learning in those hours. It is
exciting to witness these men and women understand, in concrete ways,
that their example is educative, as much as anything being taught in
their child’s classroom. Through this whole experience, the staff and I
are learning as well. We’ve learned again that the Spirit of God will
gladly lead, as long as we take the time and have the patience to listen
for it.
These years have pointed us in a new direction and there is a great
deal more to learn. But as I walk through the classrooms of children,
bumping into so many adults, I smile and think of how Sister Alphonsine
would be so surprised by all this—so very pleasantly surprised.
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