Forming children in faith extends beyond the classroom
July 29, 2019 at 12:37 p.m.
By Mary Morrell | Managing Editor
“Train the young in the way they should go; even when old, they will not swerve from it”(Proverbs 22:6).
Scripture speaks of the responsibility and potential of raising children with wisdom, not only academically, but morally and spiritually as well.
For Catholic families, the advent of September marks not only a time of academic training, but a return to parish religious education programs. When it comes to matters of faith formation, parents and guardians often feel that it’s something best left to those more knowledgeable, or those with more training.
In truth, while information about the Catholic faith may come from the text or the catechist, the best faith formation comes from the example of parents and families. Whether a parent has a little or a lot of knowledge about the Catholic faith, there are many simple but important steps that can be undertaken to reinforce children’s catechetical lessons at home and help a child grow in faith. Here are a few:
"h Make your home a school of love, teaching the lessons of Jesus through example – forgiveness, compassion, joy, and self-sacrifice, where the most important relationship is one with God and all relationships are built on love and respect.
"h Worship as a family. Just as dinner at home is a family occasion, coming to the table of the Lord for Eucharist is the most important family meal. Draw your child’s attention to the symbols, saints, stained glass windows, and rituals of the Mass and use these things for discussion or, for younger children, for drawing. Hang up the Mass schedule from the parish bulletin, and from neighboring parishes, as well, as a resource to ensure that Mass can fit into increasingly busy family weekends.
"h Pray with your child, and let your child know that prayer is an important part of your life. Prayers can be as simple as talking to God as you would a loved one. Repeating traditional prayers will help younger children learn what they are being taught in religious education classes. Help your child to understand prayer as a way to develop a relationship with God, with Jesus and the Holy Spirit, and with Mary and the saints.
"h Read everything that comes home from the child’s catechetical leader. Participate as fully as possible in meetings or events meant to include parents. Participation reflects interest and helps children appreciate the importance of their faith formation. It also provides an opportunity to ask questions, make suggestions or set up a time to discuss concerns with the program leader.
"h Set aside a special time for homework, learning prayers or doing some form of community service. By scheduling these activities you let your child know they are important.
"h Learn together. Have your child read some of their lessons to you. Ask them questions and be ready for their often very insightful responses. Look for opportunities to reinforce their lessons through shared activities at home. Old-fashioned visits to the library for books on saints or people of faith are a nice addition to computer games and apps which may be available through Catholic publishers. Ask the parish PCL for suggestions.
"h Make your child’s soul a priority, feeding it in the same way you feed your child’s body and mind. Make sure your home is filled with spiritual nourishment – relationships lived with love, visible images of faith, grace before meals, Catholic traditions like praying the Rosary, a family Bible where children can see their names written down as valued members of the Family of God, and an age-appropriate Bible from which children are encouraged to read and talk about what they’ve read with family members.
In addition to the home, the parish is not simply a place where religious education is taught, but, rather, is a lived experience of faith for the child. What happens in the home and the parish forms the child in faith. In these two communities, primarily, children begin to understand what all the information they are learning in their classrooms means when they go out into the world to live their faith. Parishes can help in the responsibility for faith formation by welcoming families with children to the liturgy and providing opportunities for families to participate in the life of the local faith community.
Working together, families and parishes can respond to Jesus’ call to, “Let the children come to me, and do not prevent them; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these” (Matt. 19:14).
Mary Morrell is a master catechist, facilitator for Dayton University’s Virtual Learning Community for Faith Formation and former associate director of religious education for the Diocese of Metuchen.
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By Mary Morrell | Managing Editor
“Train the young in the way they should go; even when old, they will not swerve from it”(Proverbs 22:6).
Scripture speaks of the responsibility and potential of raising children with wisdom, not only academically, but morally and spiritually as well.
For Catholic families, the advent of September marks not only a time of academic training, but a return to parish religious education programs. When it comes to matters of faith formation, parents and guardians often feel that it’s something best left to those more knowledgeable, or those with more training.
In truth, while information about the Catholic faith may come from the text or the catechist, the best faith formation comes from the example of parents and families. Whether a parent has a little or a lot of knowledge about the Catholic faith, there are many simple but important steps that can be undertaken to reinforce children’s catechetical lessons at home and help a child grow in faith. Here are a few:
"h Make your home a school of love, teaching the lessons of Jesus through example – forgiveness, compassion, joy, and self-sacrifice, where the most important relationship is one with God and all relationships are built on love and respect.
"h Worship as a family. Just as dinner at home is a family occasion, coming to the table of the Lord for Eucharist is the most important family meal. Draw your child’s attention to the symbols, saints, stained glass windows, and rituals of the Mass and use these things for discussion or, for younger children, for drawing. Hang up the Mass schedule from the parish bulletin, and from neighboring parishes, as well, as a resource to ensure that Mass can fit into increasingly busy family weekends.
"h Pray with your child, and let your child know that prayer is an important part of your life. Prayers can be as simple as talking to God as you would a loved one. Repeating traditional prayers will help younger children learn what they are being taught in religious education classes. Help your child to understand prayer as a way to develop a relationship with God, with Jesus and the Holy Spirit, and with Mary and the saints.
"h Read everything that comes home from the child’s catechetical leader. Participate as fully as possible in meetings or events meant to include parents. Participation reflects interest and helps children appreciate the importance of their faith formation. It also provides an opportunity to ask questions, make suggestions or set up a time to discuss concerns with the program leader.
"h Set aside a special time for homework, learning prayers or doing some form of community service. By scheduling these activities you let your child know they are important.
"h Learn together. Have your child read some of their lessons to you. Ask them questions and be ready for their often very insightful responses. Look for opportunities to reinforce their lessons through shared activities at home. Old-fashioned visits to the library for books on saints or people of faith are a nice addition to computer games and apps which may be available through Catholic publishers. Ask the parish PCL for suggestions.
"h Make your child’s soul a priority, feeding it in the same way you feed your child’s body and mind. Make sure your home is filled with spiritual nourishment – relationships lived with love, visible images of faith, grace before meals, Catholic traditions like praying the Rosary, a family Bible where children can see their names written down as valued members of the Family of God, and an age-appropriate Bible from which children are encouraged to read and talk about what they’ve read with family members.
In addition to the home, the parish is not simply a place where religious education is taught, but, rather, is a lived experience of faith for the child. What happens in the home and the parish forms the child in faith. In these two communities, primarily, children begin to understand what all the information they are learning in their classrooms means when they go out into the world to live their faith. Parishes can help in the responsibility for faith formation by welcoming families with children to the liturgy and providing opportunities for families to participate in the life of the local faith community.
Working together, families and parishes can respond to Jesus’ call to, “Let the children come to me, and do not prevent them; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these” (Matt. 19:14).
Mary Morrell is a master catechist, facilitator for Dayton University’s Virtual Learning Community for Faith Formation and former associate director of religious education for the Diocese of Metuchen.
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