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Question Title	Posted By	Question Date
CCD - Your suggestions will be helpful	Gerard	Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Question: I have been teaching CCD for several years now and each year I get disappointed with the material even though I have made my opinions known. It seems like all the teaching revolves around social justice. Bible passages are just thrown in here and there and it seems like the students are taught more about Martin Luther King, Cesar Chavez, and others that fought for justice. I teach 7 and 8 grades and by that time I feel they should know their basic prayers, have a knowledge of the Ten Commandments, the Sacraments, the Mass, etc. Unfortunately they seem to know very little. They know nothing about Moses, Noah, Old Testament stories, the prophets, etc. or even what it is they receive during communion. If I talk to them about Moses or mention a story in the Old Testament, they are lost. I use the material very little and I actually have to give them a crash course on the basics. I talk about the Gospel readings from the previous Sunday. Basically I give them an accelerated course on the Bible, Church teachings etc. I don't expect them to remember everything but I tell them that at least when someone else mentions something about the Bible, they can have some idea of what they are talking about. I have gotten them to ask serious questions like: "If God knew men were going to sin, why did he still create them?" or "Why is contraception a sin?" or "Why is homosexuality a sin?" or "Why do Catholics say The Blessed Virgin Mary remained a virgin?" etc., etc. Some even keep me after class to ask about purgatory, confession and other important matters that I feel they should have learned by now. I use the Bible, Catholic Church teaching, using reason, etc. and try to give them a thorough explanation and not just "cuz the Church says blah, blah, and that's it". I know you were Baptist once and I'm sure you attended Sunday School. At what level do you say Baptists youth around 14-15 are regarding the Bible? What would you suggest I cover as important topics. I'm covering the Seven Deadly Sins AND the corresponding virtues, at the moment and they question me, not as a challenge but surprisingly they want to know more. These kids are hungry for meat and seem to be tired of the "be nice, do good, let's sit around singing Kumbaya" type of teachings. Thanks.
Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OMSM(r), LTh, DD Dear Gerard: It upsets me a great deal to hear about CCD material focusing on so-called social justice. There can be no social justice without people devoted to God, for it is God who teaches us the values and gives us the heart to be concerned for the downtrodden and the oppressed. Before one can be the peace activist, one must know their faith. Our faith the the foundation upon which all else rests. I think this is one of several reasons that our culture is dying — because we construct our culture without God. I think this is one reason why individual people are so unhappy and find themselves in such consternations — because they try to construct their lives without God and His Church. Jesus said, "For what is a man profited if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul?" (Matt 16:26) What does a man gain if he achieve social justice but loses his soul to hell? Whoever is the religious education director and the pastor should be horse-whipped if they are provided liberation theology materials. Liberation theology is condemned by the Church. Even if the materials do not go that far, from what you are describing, it is still inappropriate. CCD is about learning the faith, not taking a sociology course. CCD is about the faith, not about social justice, not sociology, not social history. I would think that this point is not rocket science.Those responsible for these materials should be ashamed. If you are able to do real teaching of what is suppose to be taught without getting fired, then praise God and keep on truckin'. Kids, especially at that age, what meat to chew on, not all that nice, nice, political correct garbage. The word "nice" come from the Latin meaning "ignorant." These kids do not want ignorance, they want knowledge, they want substance. Once I got into bible study in the Sunday School and Youth group at Calvary Baptist Church at ages 15 and 16, I ate it up bog time. I was considered the "Cardinal Ratszinger" of the youth group, that is, the one that kept everyone on track doctrinally. That was not always the the place to be in terms of being liked, but all us kids took the bible seriously, even if we did not fully live out that faith very well. You are doing exactly the right thing, and are covering the topics that you should cover. If they are ignorant of the Old Testament stories, then teach those wonderful stories. Even more teach them the connections of how those stories prefigure Christ and the New Testament and the Catholic Church. That will be fascinating to them. In addition, teach them the symbolism found in the traditional architecture of the Catholic Church building, such as the vaulted ceilings that represent the hull of a ship because the Church is the Ship of Salvation. Amongst these interesting pieces of information teaching them the guts of the faith, the things they need to know to live a virtuous and godly life, teach them the doctrine of the faith. That is your job as CCD teacher, even if your superiors do not agree. If these kids are hungry for the truth, feed them. Jesus said to Peter, "feed my sheep". As CCD teacher you are the worker-in-the-field for Peter and are equally bound when Jesus says, "feed my sheep" (and that includes the lambs). We will pray for your courageous stance to be the teacher God wants you to be so that you can feed these lambs what they need to be feed. God Bless, Bro. Ignatius Mary Footer Notes: This forum is for general questions on the faith. See specific Topic Forums below: Spiritual Warfare, demons, the occult go to our Spiritul Warfare Q&S Forum. Liturgy Questions go to our Liturgy and Liturgical Law Q&A Forum Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office) Questions go to our Divine Office Q&A Forum Defenfing the Faith Questions go to our Defending the Faith Q&A Forum Church History Questions go to our Church History Q&A Forum

Question Title

Posted By

Question Date

CCD - Your suggestions will be helpful

Gerard

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Question:

I have been teaching CCD for several years now and each year I get disappointed with the material even though I have made my opinions known. It seems like all the teaching revolves around social justice. Bible passages are just thrown in here and there and it seems like the students are taught more about Martin Luther King, Cesar Chavez, and others that fought for justice. I teach 7 and 8 grades and by that time I feel they should know their basic prayers, have a knowledge of the Ten Commandments, the Sacraments, the Mass, etc. Unfortunately they seem to know very little. They know nothing about Moses, Noah, Old Testament stories, the prophets, etc. or even what it is they receive during communion. If I talk to them about Moses or mention a story in the Old Testament, they are lost. I use the material very little and I actually have to give them a crash course on the basics. I talk about the Gospel readings from the previous Sunday. Basically I give them an accelerated course on the Bible, Church teachings etc. I don't expect them to remember everything but I tell them that at least when someone else mentions something about the Bible, they can have some idea of what they are talking about.

I have gotten them to ask serious questions like: "If God knew men were going to sin, why did he still create them?" or "Why is contraception a sin?" or "Why is homosexuality a sin?" or "Why do Catholics say The Blessed Virgin Mary remained a virgin?" etc., etc. Some even keep me after class to ask about purgatory, confession and other important matters that I feel they should have learned by now.

I use the Bible, Catholic Church teaching, using reason, etc. and try to give them a thorough explanation and not just "cuz the Church says blah, blah, and that's it".

I know you were Baptist once and I'm sure you attended Sunday School. At what level do you say Baptists youth around 14-15 are regarding the Bible? What would you suggest I cover as important topics. I'm covering the Seven Deadly Sins AND the corresponding virtues, at the moment and they question me, not as a challenge but surprisingly they want to know more. These kids are hungry for meat and seem to be tired of the "be nice, do good, let's sit around singing Kumbaya" type of teachings.

Thanks.

Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OMSM(r), LTh, DD

Dear Gerard:

It upsets me a great deal to hear about CCD material focusing on so-called social justice. There can be no social justice without people devoted to God, for it is God who teaches us the values and gives us the heart to be concerned for the downtrodden and the oppressed.

Before one can be the peace activist, one must know their faith. Our faith the the foundation upon which all else rests. I think this is one of several reasons that our culture is dying — because we construct our culture without God. I think this is one reason why individual people are so unhappy and find themselves in such consternations — because they try to construct their lives without God and His Church.

Jesus said, "For what is a man profited if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul?" (Matt 16:26)

What does a man gain if he achieve social justice but loses his soul to hell?

Whoever is the religious education director and the pastor should be horse-whipped if they are provided liberation theology materials. Liberation theology is condemned by the Church. Even if the materials do not go that far, from what you are describing, it is still inappropriate. CCD is about learning the faith, not taking a sociology course. CCD is about the faith, not about social justice, not sociology, not social history. I would think that this point is not rocket science.Those responsible for these materials should be ashamed.

If you are able to do real teaching of what is suppose to be taught without getting fired, then praise God and keep on truckin'.

Kids, especially at that age, what meat to chew on, not all that nice, nice, political correct garbage. The word "nice" come from the Latin meaning "ignorant." These kids do not want ignorance, they want knowledge, they want substance. Once I got into bible study in the Sunday School and Youth group at Calvary Baptist Church at ages 15 and 16, I ate it up bog time. I was considered the "Cardinal Ratszinger" of the youth group, that is, the one that kept everyone on track doctrinally. That was not always the the place to be in terms of being liked, but all us kids took the bible seriously, even if we did not fully live out that faith very well.

You are doing exactly the right thing, and are covering the topics that you should cover. If they are ignorant of the Old Testament stories, then teach those wonderful stories. Even more teach them the connections of how those stories prefigure Christ and the New Testament and the Catholic Church. That will be fascinating to them. In addition, teach them the symbolism found in the traditional architecture of the Catholic Church building, such as the vaulted ceilings that represent the hull of a ship because the Church is the Ship of Salvation. Amongst these interesting pieces of information teaching them the guts of the faith, the things they need to know to live a virtuous and godly life, teach them the doctrine of the faith. That is your job as CCD teacher, even if your superiors do not agree.

If these kids are hungry for the truth, feed them. Jesus said to Peter, "feed my sheep". As CCD teacher you are the worker-in-the-field for Peter and are equally bound when Jesus says, "feed my sheep" (and that includes the lambs).

We will pray for your courageous stance to be the teacher God wants you to be so that you can feed these lambs what they need to be feed.

God Bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary

Footer Notes: This forum is for general questions on the faith. See specific Topic Forums below:
Spiritual Warfare, demons, the occult go to our Spiritul Warfare Q&S Forum.
Liturgy Questions go to our Liturgy and Liturgical Law Q&A Forum
Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office) Questions go to our Divine Office Q&A Forum
Defenfing the Faith Questions go to our Defending the Faith Q&A Forum
Church History Questions go to our Church History Q&A Forum