DREs discuss plans for restarting

CLIFTON  Weeks before parishes started to reopen for Masses on the weekend of the Feast of Corpus Christi, June 13–14, 60 directors of religious education (DREs) programs in parishes in the Diocese began discussing when and how they might restart their programs after months of a statewide lock down due to the coronavirus pandemic.

DREs discussed possible plans in the still-uncertain future on a May 28 Zoom online video-conference of the diocesan Cate­chetical Leaders Association (CLA). They also talked about the ways that they continued to provide their young students religious education during these unprecedented times. They also spoke about how they kept the students connected to their faith communities by using creative outreaches — all while everyone followed directives to self-quarantine, which included the temporary closing of churches.

“These months of quarantine have brought forth a whirlwind of new challenges in faith formation and the pandemic will most likely continue to alter and shape our programs going forward,” said Deirdre Nemeth, CLA president and DRE at St. Vincent de Paul Parish in Stirling. She hosted the Zoom video-conference with Ivannia Vega-McTighe, diocesan assistant director of evangelization, who coordinates the diocese’s Hispanic Ministry and Catechetical Ministry and who also serves as part-time DRE at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson. “The Zoom meeting offered all of us the opportunity to collectively share our creative ideas and plans as well as give support to one another as we navigate the future of our faith formation programs,” Nemeth said.

The DREs discussed the possibility of starting their programs on time in September or postponing the start of live or online religious education classes until October to follow the lead of public schools in reopening — although they admitted that “we don’t know what the fall will look like.” That’s also because some programs hold classes in local public schools. Some parishes also are looking to hold virtual classes — an effort that would be aided by religious education publishers that are offering more online resources. Some were thinking about postponing their programs until January.

Any plans to reopen would be made on a parish-by-parish basis and subject to the approval of each pastor and Bishop-elect Kevin Sweeney, who will be ordained and installed as the eighth Bishop of Paterson on July 1.

Plans also will depend on how well the spread of the virus has slowed by the fall and if the government continues to mandate social restrictions by then, DREs said during the teleconference.

“In this unprecedented time, we need to be very pastoral and empathetic. We need to be a place of peace. We need to make families feel comfortable and meet them where they are now,” said Lorraine Scandariato, director of children’s ministry at Resurrection Parish in Randolph and CLA member-at-large.

The DREs also spoke about how the pandemic forced many of them to move their Masses for first Holy Communion and Confir­mations, which were scheduled for this past spring, into the fall. Most parishes have canceled live sessions of their Vacation Bible School for children this summer while some of them have opted to host an online session for students sheltered safely at home, Nemeth said.

This summer signals significant changes in the leadership of CLA and diocesan Catechetical Ministry. On July 1, Nemeth will step down as CLA president to be succeeded by Cathy McGuire, the current CLA vice president and DRE at St. Therese Parish in Succasunna. On that date, Vega-McTighe also will resign as diocesan associate director of evangelization to become full-time at St. John’s Cathedral with a new title: director of family faith formation. Consisting of DREs and parish youth ministers, CLA offers a schedule of activities that encourage members to share their experiences and discuss ways to integrate new ideas into their programs and deepen both their spiritual faith lives and sense of fellowship, Nemeth said.