Total Catechetical Education An old/new proposal: Total catechetical education is to inform, form, and transform communities and persons,

in lived and living, whole and wholesome Christian faith Total Christian Faith requires "total catechetical education

Not parish alone; Not "school" alone; Not "family" alone; Not lectionary alone; Not catechumenate alone; Not curriculum alone ; Not catechists and religious educators alone; Not any one thing or person alone!

Instead: a coalition of parish family and school

engaging all aspects of each,

for people from cradle to grave, teaching and learning together - sharing faith

in total Christian faith engaging head, heart and hands, lived through community for the life of the world

Every "parish" "family" and "school" must participate in mission and ministry of Church, and with "a catechetical education consciousness"

Must ask of every activity, symbol, etc. "what is this teaching?

Old fourfold description of Christian ministry:

Koinonia (community of Christian witness);

Kerygma (preach, teach, evangelize the word of God); Leitourgia (as community to worship God);

Diakonia (care for personal & social welfare)

Parish (or intentional Christian community).

Witness - structure, ethos, participation, values?

Word - ready and direct access to Scripture and Tradition? Worship - good liturgy nurtures faith, poor is dangerous!

Welfare - works of mercy and justice for faith formation?

"Family" - sustaining networks of domestic life - to be "domestic church" Family of: Witness - through lifestyle to Christian values;
Word - to share faith around Scripture & Tradition; Worship - liturgy of the home;

Welfare - place of love and justice, inward and outward.

"School" - formal contexts & events of intentional education. Word - of scripture and tradition; clear focus of "school."
Witness - an ethos of Christian community & values; Worship - opportunity for worship, prayer, spiritual life; Welfare - works of mercy, justice, peace, as integral

Religious Education or Catechesis

Why not both as catechetical education
Hazard of religious education that does not teach to learn from and for life Hazard of catechesis that does not inform thoroughly in the religious tradition

For intentional moments of catechetical education Two resources - Life and Christian Faith Catechetical education - to correlate the two A conversation between Life and Faith Bringing life to Faith and Faith to life

Catechetical education: to mediate a correlation and interaction between profound human experiences and the revealed message (GDC #153). By correlating faith and life (GDC #207) catechesis bridges the gap between belief and life, between the Christian message and the cultural context (GDC #205) One must start with praxis to be able to arrive at praxis (GDC #245)

Christian Faith - its Story and Vision of Gods reign Approached as a treasury of great spiritual wisdom for life

Crafting Story/Vision according to the mode of the receiver.

Christian faith

Life - peoples own lives and engagement in social/political world Why Life? Gods presence, grace, and revelation unfolds in daily life To form as well as inform, must engage people as active participants their lives A living faith requires bringing faith and life together

life

life to faith to life

Focusing: Engage people with a real Life/Faith theme M.1: Invite to expression around the Theme M.2: Encourage reflection and sharing together M.3: Give Access to Story and Vision of Christian Faith as a wisdom for life M.4: Encourage appropriation making one's own M.5: Invite to decision cognitive, affective, or behavioral - for life

Lonergans Dynamics of Cognition: a holistic and wisdom way of knowing.

Begins with attending to the data

Moves to understanding
Reaches on to judging what is true or false Moves to deciding about the good and the true

Note the teaching style of Jesus (See Lk 24:13-35):

Turned people to look at their lives; To see with a new perspective; Taught Good News of God's Reign done on earth as in heaven Encouraged disciples to make the Faith their own Called them to decision to follow his "way" of life and for life
Luc Freymanc 2001/2 www.freymanc.com

Thomas H. Groome.
See Educating for Life: A Spiritual Vision for Every Teacher and Parent, (Crossroads 2000) and What Makes Us Catholic: Eight Gifts for Life (HarperCollins, 2002)