Continuing Adult Education
By Mike Lambrecht
“The first experience of the Church for children is in the relationship of their parents. The first formation in the faith, which parents provide in the home, is irreplaceable. The knowledge and life of faith begun at home is deepened through a systematic and complete catechesis provided in the parish... Parents should be assisted in their responsibility for forming their children in the faith by personal contact with the priest and
catechists, meetings, courses and adult catechesis.“1 This formation in the faith equips parents to hand on the faith to their children in an effective manner. After all, how can someone hand on what they do not have? The question remains, “Where am I going with all of this?”
By now you’ve probably all heard of the various offerings that we have had at Saint Therese Parish over the past several years for adults interested in learning more about their Catholic faith. We’ve had Bible studies, a study in Church history, a study on the basics of Catholicism (Catholicism 101), and numerous other presentations and offerings.
The Church teaches us that, “Adult catechesis concerns persons who have a right and a duty to bring to maturity the seed of faith sown in them by God... The faith of adults, therefore, must be continually enlightened, developed and protected, so that it may acquire that Christian wisdom which gives sense, unity, and hope to the many experiences of personal, social, and spiritual life.”2 It is by continually learning more about our faith that we are best able to deal with the trying circumstances of our lives.
However, I seem to see the same faces over and over again. This is not all bad—I have come to enjoy the relationships that have been built as we learn more about our Catholic faith together. Nevertheless, I know that there is a vast majority of parishioners out there whom I have never seen at any of our offerings. I would very much like to see some new faces mixed in with the old.
I am not exactly sure why some parishioners have never given any of our adult education opportunities a try. Perhaps they are too busy. Perhaps they feel that you have gone through the Catholic school system or CCD and know everything they need to know about Catholicism. Perhaps they have been confirmed, and, as such, feel they have no need of further education in the faith. Whatever the reasons, I hope that you will make the time to visit at least one of our upcoming offerings. It doesn’t have to be a 10 or 20 week commitment. In order to accommodate everyone’s very busy schedules, I try to offer at least one, completely free, two-hour session a month that is standalone and that deals with only one topic. For a full listing of the upcoming topics, please see this week’s bulletin insert.
Pick a subject that interests you and mark your calendar to give it a try. You may find that you enjoy it and find yourself coming back for more.
1 Commentary on the General Directory for Catechesis p. 59
2 General Directory for Catechesis p. 173