Catechists are ‘essential workers’

PARSIPPANY  Despite fear and uncertainty, catechetical leaders in parishes of the Diocese received encouragement in their efforts to continue to provide religious education programs to their young people in the fall by Bishop Kevin Sweeney and the diocesan Office of Catechesis during a pair of meetings with them on Aug. 11 in St. Peter the Apostle Church here.

Bishop Sweeney and Father Paul Manning, executive director of St. Paul Inside the Walls: the Diocesan Center for Evangelization in Madison and diocesan vicar for evangelization, urged catechetical leaders to stay committed to offering religious formation programs to youths in their parishes. This could take place as on-site classes that practice social distancing, online learning, at-home instruction or a hybrid of these approaches. About 100 directors of religious education (DREs) and coordinators of religious education (CREs) attended one of two meetings with diocesan leaders on how to navigate the coronavirus crisis.

“On behalf of the Diocese, I wanted to thank catechetical leaders for their efforts. These last few months have been challenging, but they have done great work. As a pastor in Brooklyn, I saw the importance of having a great catechetical leader in the parish,” he told The Beacon afterward. Prior to being named Bishop of Paterson by Pope Francis, Bishop Sweeney served as pastor of St. Michael Parish in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, for a decade. “I also wanted to tell them and their pastors that whichever way that they chose to offer religious education this fall — with concern for safety guidelines, the Diocese is backing them in their decisions,” the Bishop said.

During the 80-minute sessions — one in the afternoon and another in the evening, Bishop Sweeney took the opportunity to introduce himself to the parish catechetical leaders in the Diocese — most for the first time since he became Bishop on July 1 — and to open a line of communication with them. In a question-and-answer session, he listened to their concerns about reopening their programs and their many suggestions about how to do so safely — many involving new technologies. Participants, who included lay people, clergy and religious, practiced social distancing and wore masks at the meetings, which was hosted by the Office of Catechesis.

“There could be a silver lining in these challenging times: that these new approaches to catechesis could lead parents to becoming more involved with their kids’ religious education and the Church becoming more involved in the home — the ‘Domestic Church,’ ” said Bishop Sweeney.

During each session, Father Manning outlined some of the many safety guidelines issued by the state and the diocesan Schools Office that parishes must follow to re-open their religious education programs. These regulations, which include practicing social distancing, wearing face masks and using hand sanitizer, are listed on the Office of Catechesis page of St. Paul’s website as https://insidethewalls.org/office-of-catechesis. The office is administered from St. Paul’s.

For now, the state is pushing ahead for the safe reopening of schools with social restrictions in the fall but if Gov. Phil Murphy closes them or restricts access again by executive order, parishes should be prepared to conduct faith formation virtually or through at-home instruction until classes can resume. Because unique character, demographics and available resources differ in each parish, the local parish and staff will be left to their own discretion for the “design and implementation of a modified program of catechesis,” Father Manning said.

At the meetings, Father Manning also encouraged catechetical leaders who have not yet done so, to join the diocesan Catechetical Leaders Association (CLA), a voluntary association of catechetical leaders who assist one another with community, support, ongoing formation, best practices and mentoring. Anyone who currently serves as a DRE, CRE or youth minister is invited to join. Visit the Office of Catechesis web page for details, he said.

During the question-and-answer period, Cheryl Wallace, DRE and pastoral associate of St. Kateri Tekakwitha Parish in Sparta, shared with the audience that she has talked with her catechists and families through Zoom videoconferencing, listening to their situations, concerns and suggestions. She called the meeting with Bishop Sweeney a “breath of fresh air” and said she was happy to hear especially how urban parishes are navigating the pandemic with more limited resources.

“The Bishop has a wonderful vision — seeing the situation and having concern that we continue our programs with our families that are the ‘Domestic Church,’ ” said Wallace, a CLA at-large board member, who first met Bishop Sweeney in an earlier Zoom videoconference with him and the CLA board. St. Kateri, she said, plans to hold online and at-home learning for the fall but is still making adjustments to the format. “The meeting at St. Peter’s with the Bishop lifted our spirits. He called us ‘essential workers.’ We were all happy that the Bishop wanted to hear from us. We are all working though this, doing the best that we can,” she said.

Another participant, Sue Reilly, religious education program director at St. Mark Parish in Long Valley, plans to offer a Family Catechesis, an intergeneration program that the faith community introduced two years ago with great success. Every two weeks, she will post a video, lesson, family project and a challenge.

“Bishop Sweeney is very pro-religious education and he recognizes who we are as religious educators. He seems ready to lead the Diocese. I am excited about what he brings. I came away with a good feeling,” Reilly said.

Another CLA board member at large, Lorraine Scandariato, director of children’s ministry (K–5) at Resurrection Parish in Randolph, is planning for a mix of live lessons in the church and livestreams of those lessons so that people who do not feel comfortable coming to the church for the lessons can watch at home. They will include 15-minute lessons before Masses about the parts of the liturgy and 15 minutes afterward with age-appropriate lessons for children and families about the Gospel. Families might bring home projects to complete for Lent or Advent, Scandariato said.

“Bishop Sweeney will be a positive influence on the Diocese,” Scandariato said. “I was happy that he took time out of his busy schedule to meet with us. The meeting was a positive experience,” she said.