By Rose O’Connor |Correspondent

After all, “It is through … relationships that adolescents cultivate and develop their spirituality,” stressed Mercy Sister Mary Patrice Ahearn.

A Sister of Mercy of Alma, Mich., Sister Mary Patrice educated some 175 participants to “Adolescent Psychological and Spiritual Development” during a formation day sponsored by the diocesan Ministry of Catechesis and Evangelization Aug. 22 in St. William the Abbot Parish, Howell.

Bishop David M. O’Connell, C. M., joined priests, religious, catechetical leaders, administrators and catechists for the day-long event, held on the Memorial of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary. “It’s so exciting to have us all gather together and look forward to not only the future of the Church, but also the present,” said the bishop.

“I want to thank you for making the time for this because this is so critically important.” Bishop O’Connell continued. “You are helping us understand something that is so very important for us in our ministry and in our work with young people,” the bishop added.

Bishop O’Connell disclosed that the topic was important to him and one that was often on his heart and mind. “What is it we can do for the young people, how can we bring the young to Christ.”

The day began with Mass celebrated by Father Douglas Freer, vicar of Catholic education and director of the Ministry of Catechesis and Evangelization. In his homily, Father Freer highlighted the significance of the feast day coinciding with the beginning of preparation for the school year.

“It’s very appropriate that we gather today on this wonderful feast preparing for a new year of catechesis in whatever ministry we are involved. And that we begin this on the Feast of the Queenship of Mary. I hope that we will pray for Our Lady’s protection; protection for our catechists, our catechetical leaders, for our school principals, for our faculty, for our students. And most of all, I hope we ask for Our Lady’s intercession for their families,” said Father Freer.

In her discussion “To Teach as Jesus Did,” Sister Mary Patrice, who holds a doctorate in clinical psychology from the Institute for the Psychological Sciences (IPS) in Arlington, Va., spoke on two topics: Jesus understood his audience and Jesus lived everything he said, leaving time for questions and discussion.

Acknowledging that the adolescent years are often challenging for some, Sister Mary Patrice, provided a psychological understanding of adolescents and examined the implications for their spiritual life. Defining spirituality as “a person’s response to and growth in the Lord,” Sister Mary Patrice linked spirituality to “prayer, worship and service to the faith community.” Adolescent spirituality, she underscored, is one that is “Christcentered” and relational.

With that in mind, she stressed the importance of helping the youth develop a vocational identity that includes the priesthood, religious life and the sacrament of marriage, and realize that a vocational call is “exciting.”

Catechists were encouraged to employ Lectio Divina, a classical monastic practice of the prayerful reading of the Bible; to truly experience the Church and the Sacraments; to learn and celebrate the lives of the saints, and experience the Liturgy and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament with their students.

Following lunch, participants had the opportunity to network, examine resources from Loyola Press and learn about additional programs in the diocese to support catechists, such as TRED – Trenton Religious Education Directors – an association of DREs, CREs and other catechetical leaders from each of the four diocesan counties.

Participants, each of whom are engaged in varied ministry experiences, shared appreciation for Sister Mary Patrice and her understanding of this level of unique child development.

“She is on-target with the challenges that we face when dealing with the youth and the affects of culture and technology in the development of their faith and moral life,” Sister Bernadette Schuler, TRED president from Holy Innocents Parish, Neptune, acknowledged.

While many in attendance were parents themselves or have taught this particular age group for many years, there were those in attendance like John McGuire, the director of religious education for St. Paul Parish, Princeton, who appreciated the insight from Sister Patrice for a different reason.

“If you haven’t been a parent or you haven’t been a teacher it can sort of be an enigma to get in to the mind of the adolescent, and she brought up a lot of good points about how we have to minister to them to develop their faith. You have to teach them to cultivate a relationship with God,” he said.