The following excerpts are taken from articles found
in Keeping Faith First: A Resource Supporting the Whole Community of Faith © RCL,
2004. Each excerpt provides insight into some of the key components of
Whole Community Catechesis.
Introduction | Faith Sharing | Households of Faith
Gatherings | Service and Outreach
| "Catechesis
is no longer understood as something that happens in a classroom
for an hour only with children and youth and something adults
have completed. It is a ministry and work in which the whole
community participates and for which the whole community is responsible." —From "What Does it Mean To Be a Whole Community of Faith?" "A wide array of programs and ministries geared toward different groups and efforts suggests that the church or the parish is there to provide resources. That is true enough but incomplete. The church not only provides resources for Christian formation but, much more importantly, it is the primary resource of Christian formation." —From "Catechesis and the Whole Community: The Church as a Living, Growing Community of Faith" by Rev. Louis J. Cameli. |
| "Faith sharing
is life sharing! It doesn't require people to use highly theological
language or articulate every detail of church doctrine. It simply
invites people to share where they are on their faith journey
and how their life is impacted by faith. Faith sharing is as
much a matter of the heart as it is of the mind." —From "What Does it Mean To Be a Community of Faith?" "Daily, we listen to others on different levels. At times, we listen on a casual level, such as when a friend shares a recipe or tells an amusing story about what happened during a family vacation. At other times, when someone shares something more personal and intimate, we find ourselves having to tune in on a deeper level. Faith sharing requires listening on this deeper level as others in the community recount where they are in their faith journey and how they are enjoying or missing the presence of God in the reality of daily life." —From "To Listen as Jesus Did" by Wilkie Au, PhD. "In recent years, an extraordinary Catholic child with a rare form of muscular dystrophy gifted the world with five books of poetry. Mattie Stepanek, who died in June 2004 at the age of thirteen, wrote of the 'heartsongs' that sing inside each of us, often forgotten, ignored or drowned out by the distractions of everyday life. Like Mattie, the person who assists faith sharing by forming and asking good questions is one who seeks to help others hear and give voice to the 'heartsongs' God has given them. This is what faith sharing is about." —From "The Art and Science of Asking Questions" by Jo Rotunno. |
| "The vision
of Whole Community Catechesis challenges us to search for those
opportunities, events, and resources that will help build stronger
households of faith. As a result, the whole community of faith
itself will be enriched and discover ways in which to live the
Christian life of faith in each moment of every day." —From "How do we Build Households of Faith?" "A parish can be spiritually renewed by building strong households of faith, binding them together as a vibrant faith community that can make a difference for its members and for the world. This renewal requires the mutual respect and commitment of all who participate. In this way all can hear the invitation to faith that lies at the heart of the Christian Gospel." —From "Welcoming the Stranger: Whole Community Catechesis and Interfaith Households" by Jo Rotunno. |
| "Gathering
helps us to develop an understanding of who we are and often
affirms, encourages, strengthens, binds, and even transforms
us. It is why liturgy is at the very core of who we are as Catholics.
Through the communal celebration of the Eucharist, we stand in
unity with each other, sharing our common story. We are then
called to move into the world strengthened by word, meal, and
each other." —From "How Do We Gather to Share Faith?" "Once we understand why we gather, we can see the need to be attentive to both who and how we gather. Through a greater focus on the many dimensions of our liturgical celebrations and by supporting opportunities of gathering inclusive of multiple generations, cultures, and so on, we are recognizing another important way in which the whole community catechizes." —From "How Do We Gather to Share Faith?" "In many ways the task of Whole Community Catechesis is nothing more than helping believers understand the connection between their gathering for Eucharist on Sunday morning and all of the other 'sacred gatherings' that are part of their lives in between times." —From "When Believers Gather: A Deeper Look" by Rev. Robert D. Duggan. |
| "It has been
said that what happens inside the church lacks ultimate meaning
if it makes no difference outside the church. A key indicator
of effective catechesis is that it does not remain within the
walls of a classroom, a church, or even a parish boundary. It
is not meant to become mere information that is held in the mind
and utilized solely within a 'parish' setting. In order for catechesis
to come alive and fulfill its purpose and function, it must be
incorporated and integrated into our own lives and extended into
the lives of others. Effective catechesis reveals that our faith
does indeed make a difference as it propels us outward into the
world as bearers of hope and Good News." —From "What Difference Does Faith Make?" "To be a person means to be a full member of the human family. To be a disciple requires us to be about both service and justice. To be a parish is to act collectively to establish glimpses of the kingdom in our midst." —From "Establishing Glimpses of the Kingdom" by Thomas A. Chabolla. "The Church, therefore, is not a spectator that watches indifferently as the world passes by. Instead, the Church functions as a social conscience, on the one hand, reminding us of who we are as persons, what we have been created for, and how we should relate to one another. On the other hand, the Church is a participant in the social arena through its members who work to affirm human life and protect human dignity. The parish is one place where all these things can come together. It is both a community of believers and an institution situated squarely in the midst of society." —From "Establishing Glimpses of the Kingdom" by Thomas A. Chabolla. |
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