Back to School … with Gratitude and Prayers for all our Catechists

BISHOP KEVIN J. SWEENEY

In the years that I served as pastor of a parish, one of the responsibilities that I came to appreciate and prioritize more and more each year was the call to collaborate with parents in the religious education of their children. There was a section from the Catechism that I would often share at parent meetings:

“… Parents, as the first and primary educators, must also ensure their children’s Catholic religious education and regular participation in Mass and other aspects of parish life. Sharing with them the lives of the saints, bringing them to church, helping them to participate in the Mass, and encouraging them to go to Confession are necessary ways to help children grow in faith. Catholic Schools and Catholic Religious education programs can help parents fulfill their responsibility to educate their children in the Catholic faith…” US Cath. Cat. for Adults p. 378

I still remember very clearly, speaking at parent meetings to open the school year and in meetings with parents whose children were preparing to receive their First Holy Communion, First Reconciliation, and Confirmation. I would encourage parents in their responsibility as the “first catechists” of their children. Over the years, more and more, I would also thank the parents for teaching their children, especially by their own example, living lives of faith, attending Mass and receiving the Sacraments. I would let the parents know that I, as pastor, the staff and parish catechists were ready to do whatever we could to support them. I also shared how privileged we were to share with them in this great responsibility of passing on the gift of our Catholic faith.

As we enter another new school year, the roles and responsibility of parents and all catechists to “pass on” and teach the faith is very much on my mind and in my prayers. In recent years, the issue of curricula and the “values” being taught in our public schools has become a concern for many parents and faith leaders. I believe it is important to recognize and thank all those who serve in public education; especially those who dedicate their lives and careers to teaching our children. While questions over the content of public school curricula, the values being taught, and the role (and rights) of parents are issues that seem to be becoming more complicated and perhaps more “politicized,” from a faith perspective, the responsibility of parents as the “first educators” of their children has not changed.

The role of the Church community, especially at the parish level, in supporting parents in their responsibility as educators and catechists also remains the same and, now as Bishop, I appreciate even more how much we need to be dedicated to working together to pass on the faith to our children. During the two-plus years that I have been Bishop, I have been encouraged to learn of the strong foundation of Catholic education that has been built here in our Diocese. Although recent decades have been very challenging for Catholic schools, especially parochial schools, we currently have 15 parish grammar schools and seven Catholic high schools in the Diocese. Our Diocesan Office of Catholic Education led by Father Stan Barron, Vicar for Education, and Mary Baier, Superintendent of Schools, does all that it can to support our Catholic Schools. We are also blessed with (and should remember in our prayers) all the school principals, presidents, administration and faculty, as well as our pastors and priests, women and men religious, benefactors and all those who work together to provide a Catholic education in our Catholic schools.

We commend and try to support all parents and families who make sacrifices to send their children to Catholic schools. At the same time, we should recognize that the great majority of children and young people in our Diocese receive their Catholic education by means of the collaboration between the “domestic church” and the parish religious education program. I believe that the centrality of the “domestic church” is one that needs greater emphasis, especially in our current cultural context. The Catechism states:

The Christian home is the place where children receive the first proclamation of the faith. For this reason the family home is rightly called “the domestic church,” a community of grace and prayer, a school of human virtues and Christian charity, (CCC, no. 1666)

All families are called to be that “domestic church” whether they send their children to a Catholic school or to the parish religious education program. In my own experience as a pastor in a parish that did not have its own parish school, I would encourage parents to consider sending their children to a Catholic school and make them aware that financial assistance was available. Here in Paterson, the Tri-County Scholarship Fund does a great job in making scholarships available, especially to families with limited financial means. While I encouraged and tried to help parents to send their children to a Catholic school, again, I became more and more aware of the need for a strong parish religious education program. We give thanks and pray for all our parish catechetical leaders (DREs and CREs) and for our volunteer catechists.

I am very happy to share that Father Yojaneider Garcia has been serving as the full-time director of our diocesan Office of Catechesis and Faith formation for the past eight months and he is offering support and resources to our catechetical leaders and catechists. In the past year, Father Garcia and his team helped to prepare 17 new DREs/CREs. More than 300 catechists attended the certification program that the Catechetical Office offers.

Each year the second or third Sunday in September (in most parishes and dioceses in the U.S.) is celebrated as “Catechetical Sunday,” an opportunity for catechists to renew their commitment and be recognized in their parishes. This year Catechetical Sunday is Sept. 18. The theme for Catechetical Sunday 2022, “This is my body given for you” (Lk 22:19), is consistent with the National Eucharistic Revival, with our diocesan Year of the Eucharist and our upcoming Diocesan Eucharistic Congress.

Late August and early September are an exciting time for many as it means going “Back to School.” As we think of the importance of education for our children, communities and society, let us never forget the importance of our children being educated in the faith and our responsibility to pass on and teach the faith to our children. Let us also always remember to support, be grateful and pray for all our catechists and most especially for all parents who are the first teachers of their children “in the ways of faith” (Rite of Baptism).