In a recent edition of America magazine, there is a William O’Malley, SJ article (link here but subscription is required) on the USCCB’s  Doctrinal Framework for the Development of Curriculum Materials for Young People of a High School Age,  Father O’Malley often writes on adolescents and faith in America.

He is critical of the document.  A counter-argument to his article might suggest that he is missing the point; that the Framework is meant directly for curriculum developers and not focused towards teachers, such as himself, the ones who will eventluallu  impliment it on the “front lines.” He suggests that the document is “pedagogically counterproductive.”

O’Malley suggests that “The Framework is inflexibly ‘top-down” perceptive, rigorously certain. It is, as theorists describe academic theology, faith seeking understanding (fides quaerrens intellectum).  That could hardly be further from our primary tasks as educators. Our audience does not have personally validated Christian faith. A majority are baptized but never converted and prefer not to be. Many have a real, albeit vague, faith in God based on their parents’ faith, but the question is too peripheral to merit personal probing.”

O’Malley describes himself as responding the the Framework “with the loyal frustration of a Panzer commander ordered to advance on Stalingrad when the oil in my tanks is (frozen into) black tar.”

Find a print copy of this article.  It’s worth a read.

Recently, the National Initiative on Adolescent Catechesis asserted that some of the ourcomes of effective faith formation with young people would include:

> Sustaining a personal relationship with Jesus Christ supported through regular prayer, faith sharing and scripture reading.
> Sharing the Good News through words and actions, through Christian service and working for peace, justice and human dignity.
> Participating fully, consciously, actively and regularly in the celebrations of the sacramental life of the Catholic Church.
> Articulating the fundamental teachings of the Catholic faith and demonstrating a commitment to learning and growing in this faith.
> Applying Catholic ethics, virtues, principles, values and social teaching to moral decision- making, life situations, and in interactions with the larger culture.
> Discerning and using their gifts to actively belong to and participate in the life and mission of the parish, school, and larger community.
> Celebrating cultural/racial and ethnic diversity as a gift from God, and pursuing the development of Christian community across cultural/racial and ethnic backgrounds in their parishes, schools, and broader communities.
> Exploring God’s call to vocation through prayer, reflection, and discernment.

To see more about this, check here.

Recently, the National Initiative on Adolescent Catechesis promoted that the following are foundational and interdependently connected elements in this process of adolescent faith formation.

> Empowered Parents and Faith-Filled Families
> Vibrant, Youth-Friendly Parishes
> Fruitful Partnerships
> Comprehensive Ministry to Youth with Intentional and Systematic Faith Formation
> Inclusion, Trust and Acceptance

To see more about this, check here.

Chris Folmsbee at A New Kind of Youth Ministry recently came across a book by Stephen Jones called, Faith Shaping: Youth and the Experience of Faith ( Judson Press, 1987).  He reports:

Faith Shaping is full of little nuggets that are not only relevant for today but are required for people who work with today’s youth.  Probably the most helpful morsel of the book for me was chapter 9 on culture shaping.  In this chapter, Jones reminds his readers “We will not do justice to adolescents unless we help them consider the shape of their emerging faith in relation to their culture.” (P.89) . . .

The trend we commonly understand as ‘youth leaving the church’ isn’t primarily about the churches tendency toward abandonment, a rise in the influence of media or the Internet or the inability to reach a post-literate generation through traditional methods.  Rather, it is primarily an issue of doubt and distrust. 

We (youth workers) have not believed in and trusted the Holy Spirit’s ministry and movements enough among youth to allow youth to be the shapers of their culture.  Instead, we’ve tried to shape the culture ourselves.  This tragic mistake has led several decades of youth toward finding ways outside of the church to practice their faith and shape their culture.  This is why students are graduating and not coming back. 

Chris’s full post is here.

Last week, the Pope met with the Italian Episcopal Conference which was meeting to examine the theme: “The educational question: the urgent task of education”.

Some of the quotes pulled from that meeting:

“At a time in which relativistic and nihilistic concepts of life exercise a powerful enticement, a time in which the very legitimacy of education is placed in doubt, the principal contribution we can make is that of bearing witness to our trust in life and in man, in his reason and in his capacity to love.”

“The difficulty in forming authentic Christians interweaves and melds with the difficulty of creating responsible and mature men and women…  Alongside an appropriate curriculum that identifies the aim of education in the light of the model to be followed, there is a need for authoritative educators to whom new generations can look with trust”.

“A true educator places himself in the front line and knows how to unite authority and exemplarity in the task of educating those entrusted to his care. We ourselves are aware of this, having been given the role of guides among the People of God, guides whom the Apostle Peter invites to tend God’s sheep and to ‘be examples to the flock’”.

Read more here.

A few weeks back, for my kids, I wrote up my own commencement speech (not that it has not been decades since I have actually given one,)

This blog’s chaplain, Father Austin, was a bit grumble-y that I posted the concepts before he actually had a chance to deliver it.  In the end, he delivered a great sending-forth working upon the themes found in Night at the Museum 2.  It’s worth checking out here here.  (Beside, it affords me the opportunity to post an Amy Adams picture on the blog.) 

Father Austin does really good stuff in tying in modern culture into his presentation of faith.  Look how he uses Beyonce’s Halo for a wedding!

From Renewing the Vision: Ministry with adolescents utilizes each of the Church’s ministries—advocacy, catechesis, community life, evangelization, justice and service, leadership development, pastoral care, prayer and worship—in an integrated approach to achieve the three goals for ministry.

First articulated in A Vision of Youth Ministry, these ministry components describe the “essence” of ministry with adolescents and provide the Church with eight fundamental ways to minister effectively with adolescents. Today, in light of our National Strategy on Vocations, we add vocational discernment to the “essence” of ministry with adolescents.

Today, ArchBalt will be hosting a Summit on Vocations.  Your prayers would be appreciated!

Pat Villa is the coordinator of youth ministry at St. James in Solana Beach, CA who regularly blogs out his thoughts musings reflections …

He has been participating in the facebook discussion board for Mark Ostricher’s Youth Ministry 3.0  which suggests directing young [eople toeards that which is communional and missional. Pat suggests that all the vehicals (retreats, conference, mission trips, sacraments) all in place but wonders if we are willing to trust the next steps – - – which are not our own.

“But, after the encounter, are we good enough at boldly and lovingly offering the choice of conversion? Not a coercive conversion (i.e., you will go to hell if you sin). But an authentic, from-the-inside-out new-born desire to recognize hope in love, hope in faith, hope in redemption, hope in fulfilling the deepest desires of our heart. Because, to me, communional and missional is not possible without conversion. Without offering the choice of conversion, do our ministries fall short of what Christ and the Church is calling us to?”  Read his whole post here.

It’s a good question as we are within the fullness of the Confirmation season.  How much room do we really leave for the Spirit?

This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it! The adventure begins today.

Today, we are starting a season of parent led in-home religious education in eight parishes and schools for almost 100 families.  If you remember back, you read about it here and here.

Anyway, I’m requesting your prayers for those involved in this effort.  May Project Be become a source of empowerment for parents as well as an invitation to faith for their young people.

In Mid-March, we started following the work of Sean Reynolds with a post here.

It was quickly followed here with more from Sean.

And, I am going to continually embarrassingly post Sean Reynolds stuff up because . . . HE”S RIGHT!

Sean is calling for “Nothing short of our rethinking how we ‘deliver’ faith to young people – acknowledging the centrality of parents and families, acknowledging the partnership of parents and parishes, the partnership between parishes and schools.”  He states that “We have been at cross purposes with each other for too long.  We need to invent a new way of being church with one another.”