T H E F E A S T O F S A I N T A L OYS I U S G O N Z A G A
ISSUE 17 - JUNE 2014
COREnotes
Q U A R T E R L Y
J O U R N A L
O F
T H E
O F F I C E
F O R
Autopsy of a Deceased Church Page 3
10 Steps to Managing Communications in a Crisis Page 4
3 Starting Points for Encouraging Non-Practicing Catholic Families Page 6
The Price of Not Evangelizing Page 8
Unpacking the Problem of Substituting the Church for Jesus Page 10
C A T E C H E S I S
Mission We believe that through our ministry we continue the mission of Jesus Christ by enabling the people of the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois to develop the gifts given them by the Spirit. In carrying out this mission, we strive to provide resources, service and leadership to all who are part of the educational mission of the Church: religious education, early childhood, elementary and secondary schools, and adult education. We do this in the spirit of Jesus Christ.
Staff Jonathan F. Sullivan Director of Catechetical Services jsullivan@dio.org Chris Malmevik Associate Director for Catechesis cmalmevik@dio.org Cynthia Callan Executive Secretary for Catechesis Secretary for Youth and Young Adult Ministries ccallan@dio.org Jean Johnson Superintendent of Catholic Schools jjohnson@dio.org
Recently the members of our department have been looking at and reviewing a slew of new Confirmation programs that have been making the rounds. (We’ll be publishing some general thoughts and recommendations in the coming months, but feel free to call if you are looking at programs right now.) One trend I’ve noticed is that all of them try to be “turn key” programs – that is, they are designed to be easy to use with little need to prep or input on the part of the facilitator. Through video presentations and guided discussion booklets, there seems to be little for the catechist to do. On the one hand this may seem a feature. In today’s busy, fast-paced world, having a program that doesn’t require a lot of time and investment can be helpful, especially for a parish that doesn’t have a lot of trained catechists. On the other hand, the Church’s teaching is clear that no program, video, or book is able to catechize on its own. The General Directory for Catechesis reminds us that No methodology, no matter how well tested, can dispense with the person of the catechist in every phase of the catechetical process. The charism given to him by the Spirit, a solid spirituality and transparent witness of life, constitutes the soul of every method. Only his own human and Christian qualities guarantee a good use of texts and other work instruments. In other words, evangelization and catechesis are primarily human endeavors. They require the cultivation of relationships, not the bright glare of an LCD machine; patience and discernment, not a “one-size-fits-all” approach; and above all the demonstration of a lived relationship with Jesus Christ, not fancy graphics and music. That’s not to discount the usefulness of programs, videos and books. But it is to remind us that the most important factor in a young person’s faith formation is the people around them who will demonstrate the importance of faith and invite the young person to enter more deeply into that faith. The former are important, yes; but the latter are indispensable.
Marilyn Missel Associate Superintendent of Catholic Schools mmissel@dio.org
Aloysius Gonzaga, S.J. (Italian: Luigi Gonzaga, Spanish: Luis de Gonzaga; March 9, 1568 – June 21, 1591) was an Italian aristocrat who became a member of the Society of Jesus. While still a student at the Roman College, he died as a result of caring for the victims of an epidemic. He was beatified in 1605, and canonized in 1726. (from Wikipedia).
Lori Casson Secretary for School Personnel lcasson@dio.org Kyle Holtgrave Associate Director of Youth and Young Adult Ministries kholtgrave@dio.org
For additional reading about St. Aloysius Gonzaga visit Wikipedia or Catholic.org. St. Aloysius Gonzaga 1568-1591 Autopsy of a Deceased Church……3 10 Steps to Managing Communications in a Crisis……4 3 Starting Points for Encouraging Non-Practicing Catholic Families ……6 The Price of Not Evangelizing……8 Unpacking the Problem of Substituting the Church for Jesus ……10 Online Graduate Study Opportunities ……16
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BOOK REVIEW Jonathan F. Sullivan Autopsy of a Deceased Church: 12 Ways to Keep Yours Alive Thom Rainer’s Autopsy of a Deceased Church: 12 Ways to Keep Yours Alive (based on this post from his blog) is a short but penetrating look at the symptoms indicating a sick church community. The book is based on interviews Rainer conducted with representatives from 12 closed churches. Through these interviews he identified various patterns and symptoms of dying churches: lack of evangelization, a failure to budget for mission, no communal prayer, etc. Rainer’s purpose is not just to depress us, though. As he states in the outset, his hope is that this “autopsy” will help others to identify symptoms of an unhealthy church before it becomes a crisis. To that end he includes reflection questions at the end of each chapter to help church leaders discern the “vital signs” of their communities. The book ends with suggestions for churches in various stages of decline. Rainer does not mince words. He advocates for drastic changes in drastic circumstances, something many communities will resist. But Rainer is not concerned with comfort; he is concerned with churches communicating the Gospel effectively. A quick note: while Rainer is Baptist and some of the examples in the book have a decidedly Protestant bent, the symptoms and suggestions identified by him are just as applicable to Catholic parishes. Any diocesan or parish leader interested in healthy parish communities would do well to read and reflect on Rainer’s work.
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10 Steps to Managing Communications in a Crisis In April at the diocese’s annual Principals’ Leadership Conference, Kathie Sass, our soon-to-be-retired diocesan spokesperson, gave a wonderful presentation on the 10 steps leaders should take to anticipate and react to crises in their ministries. The talk was based on the work of Jonathan Bernstein. First, Kathie outlined the steps organizations should take before a crisis to ensure they are ready should a crisis occur: 1. Anticipate crises and put written policies in place on how to avoid and deal with specific types of crises. 2. Identify a crisis communications team. The team should include whoever is the head of the organization, legal council, and someone on staff with expertise in the crisis area. 3. Appoint an official spokesperson. You don’t want media calling teachers, parents, etc. Appoint someone who is well-spoken, not just the person in charge. 4. Train your spokesperson! 5. Establish notification and monitoring systems. This includes both old media (television, radio, and newspapers) as well as new media (text messages, Facebook, Twitter, email, etc.). 6. Identify and know your stakeholders. Communicate with them and let them know who to refer media inquiries to. 7. Develop holding statements. Don’t say “No comment”; at the very least express sympathy, offer prayers, and say that a statement will come later. Crisis communications team should review these holding statements regularly to ensure that they are well crafted, easily understood, and truthful!
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Kathie then gave guidance on how to respond should a crisis occur: 1. At the outset of a crisis, assess the situation. Make sure you know the specifics before acting or making a statement. Reacting before you have all the information can result in bad decisions or hasty statements that must later be retracted. (This is where those holding statements come in handy!) 2. Finalize and adapt your key messages; continue to communicate these messages to your key stakeholders. Don’t automatically act on a lawyer’s advice to say nothing! Transparency can mitigate bad feelings and avoid the appearance of a cover up. 3. Do a post-crisis analysis. Detail what you did well, what you failed to anticipate, and how you could improve. Update your policies and procedures as needed. All of us hope that we can avoid crises in our ministries, but the past few decades have shown that we all need to be prepared to act should the unthinkable happen.
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Starting Points for Encouraging Non-Practicing Catholic Families
My friend Marc Cardaronella recently wrote a challenging blog post up about what we are teaching Catholic families about who and what they are. After reading through the questions posed for the Extraordinary Synod on the The Pastoral Challenges of the Family in the Context of Evangelization — and its assumptions about the faithful’s familiarity with documents such as Gaudium et Spes and Familiaris Consortio – Marc muses Is the Vatican so out of touch with the faithful? These are very intellectual questions that assume a lot of knowledge. Do they really think most Catholics read and understand these documents and terms? But the other thing I thought was–should I have been teaching them this stuff? I’ve never even considered having a class for families on who and what they’re supposed to be. Parents would never come. But if we don’t somehow teach them, how will they know? How will families understand themselves and what they’re called to be? I’ve been wondering something similar for some time, although I also wonder if we’re teaching families what they should be doing to practice the faith at home. So many Catholic parents don’t even seem to be doing the basics anymore. And if they aren’t going to Mass on Sunday or praying before meals, do we really expect them to be sharing their faith in any meaningful way with their children? I don’t think the answer is to hand out copies of Familiaris Consortio to every Catholic family and expect them to read it. So where do we start?
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Talk about the domestic Church. We need to remind parents that their families are a microcosm of the universal Church. Just as we gather together in parish communities to celebrate our faith, serve one another, and give thanks to God, so too are families called to do the same. This isn’t an “add-on” or something we do when we have extra time, but an integral part of what it means to be family in a Catholic context. Reminding families who they are — and using the language of the domestic Church — is one way to get them thinking about and moving towards this reality.
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Encourage greater Mass attendance. By that I don’t mean haranguing parents to be at Mass every Sunday. Rather, we should encourage them to take small steps towards greater participation. For a family that only attends at Easter and Christmas, maybe that means going once per month. For a family that participants more frequently, moving towards regular weekly attendance. And for families that are already attending every week, encouraging adding a daily Mass every week. The point is small improvements that can build on each other, not going immediately from 0 to 60.
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Reinforce family meal time and prayer. We’ve all seen the statistics that show how regular family meal times leads to better grades, a reduced likelihood of drug and gang involvement, and better mental and physical health. So why do so few families practice a daily shared meal? This simple step can help re-prioritize a family’s activities, help make connections to the Eucharist, and expand their faith lives through shared prayer and conversation. Activities such as Loyola Press’ The Meal Box (which my kids love) are a great tool to facilitate this interaction.
What are three ways you can think of to reach Catholics families and help them pass on the faith to their children?
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The Price of Not Evangelizing By Marc Cardaronella
Is there a price for our failure to evangelize?
And we are to blame for not evangelizing My first reaction was to reassure him and to tell him that perhaps it was just a matter of timing and God knew this was the right time for him to join. My second reaction was to apologize to him. If Catholics were better at evangelizing, perhaps he would have known about the Church earlier. It hit me that our failure in evangelizing, in reaching outside the parish and tell people what we’re about was a factor in his not knowing the truth. Traditionally the Church has been fine all by itself and didn’t think it needed anyone else. The attitude was–we are Catholic, they are not. We have the truth, they don’t. If they want the truth, they can come to us and we’ll give it to them. But we’re not going out of our way to find them and tell them about it. Why should we care?
Does it really matter if we fail to tell people about the truth of Catholicism? He never knew the truth One of the RCIA candidates pulled me aside last Sunday to talk. He seemed a bit distraught. He was so happy to be coming into the Church but also very upset that it had taken him so long to get here. “I should have done this 15 years ago,” he said, “but I didn’t know. No one ever told me what the Catholic Church really taught. I’ve wasted so much time. I think my life would be different now if I’d done this years ago.” He further commented that he never heard anything good about the Catholic Church. Protestants talked about the Catholic Church as apostate, the Whore of Babylon. So, he never even considered Catholicism as a possibility because of that. It was just off the table as an option.
Owning your own story Marketers have this concept of owning your own story.
The media never said anything good about the Church either. They portrayed it as medieval, antiquated, and out of touch. It was a ridiculous anachronism, and also not worthy of serious consideration. All of this is misconception and misunderstanding of course, but he never knew. Now he regretted being kept in the dark for so long.
There’s a conversation going on about your business whether you’re participating in it or not. If you’re not, then someone else is telling your story. And, if it’s your competition or someone that dislikes you, they may be telling it wrong. You have to have to tell your own story. If you’re the loudest voice out there about who you are, people will listen to you first before someone else. If you’re not, they’ll believe the others.
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We’ve lost control of our story
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A MODERN-DAY CATHOLIC WOMAN?
That’s where we are. We’ve lost control of our own story. We’ve let other people tell it for us, and they’ve told it wrong. For years we’ve been content to hang back and play in our own backyard, shunning the neighbors. But the neighbors have spread rumors and lies. Now no one believes us when we tell the truth about who we are.
IN HER CHERISHED HEART 2014
What is the price of not evangelizing? It never used to be that much. Catholics had their own identity and were content to keep to themselves. But now, even the insiders don’t know who they are. Worse, they look outside to Protestants and the secular media for their identity…and they get the wrong story. So the Church hemorrhages members like crazy because it seems ridiculous and no longer makes sense.
Consider this question and more.
Join us for a day of Affirmation, Education, and Reflection. Saturday, September 13, 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Chiara Center, 4875 LaVerna Road, Springfield, IL 62707 $30 before August 23, $35 at the door Online registration will be available or at 8 a.m. at the conference For more information find us on Facebook at: In Her Cherished Heart or email cherishedheartteam@gmail.com
We need to change that. Having a burden for evangelizing Evangelicals talk about having a “burden” on their hearts. A burden is a deep conviction, a calling from God that can’t be ignored. The only way to get rid of a burden is to take action. Catholics need to develop evangelical hearts, a burden for those who do not know Christ through the Catholic Church. It makes a difference. People are perishing for lack of a teacher. The world needs the Catholic message. It’s starving for this truth. If we don’t spread it, it won’t get spread. And people like my RCIA candidate will never hear it. To me, that really is a high price for comfort. Marc Cardaronella is the director of religious education at Holy Cross Catholic Church in Champaign, Illinois. This article was originally posted on his blog: http://marccardaronella. com/2014/04/02/price-of-not-evangelizing/. Reprinted with permission.
“We cannot forget that evangelization is first and foremost about preaching the Gospel to those who do not know Jesus Christ or who have always rejected him. Many of them are quietly seeking God, led by a yearning to see his face, even in countries of ancient Christian tradition. All of them have a right to receive the Gospel. Christians have the duty to proclaim the Gospel without excluding anyone. Instead of seeming to impose new obligations, they should appear as people who wish to share their joy, who point to a horizon of beauty and who invite others to a delicious banquet. It is not by proselytizing that the Church grows, but ‘by attraction’.” - Pope Francis, Evangelii Gaudium (no. 15)
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Unpacking the Problem of Substituting the Church for Jesus by Colleen Reiss Vermeulen
Keith Strohm observes, “Often as catholics, we substitute the Church for Jesus–as if they were completely interchangeable. But Jesus is not the Church. Rather, He is the Bridegroom who gives His life for His bride. It is through Jesus that the Church receives Her holiness…it is through Jesus that the Church is a channel of God’s life and love to the world. We are his Body, but the Body without a Head is simply a corpse” (The Gospel Is Scandalous, 6/3/14). A reader of both of our blogs raised the question–is thinking that Jesus is different than the Church the road to Protestantism?
Here’s the really important part though…there does seem to be a problem of some Catholics substituting the Church for Jesus Christ. And when this happens, it’s not the Church of the Catechism and Church teaching that gets substituted. This authentic Church is so much more than mere human organization. It’s hierarchical in that it includes sacred orders, not hierarchical in the earthly, business sense. It’s a mystical body of the communion of all believers throughout all time, not “those pesky bishops.” It’s the Body of Christ, with Jesus as Head, not the local pastor’s club.
The answer according to Church teaching is clearly no. The Church and Jesus Christ are not interchangeable, they are not synonyms for the exact same thing. As we read in the Catechism: In Christian usage, the word “church” designates the liturgical assembly, but also the local community or the whole universal community of believers. These three meanings are inseparable. “The Church” is the People that God gathers in the whole world. She exists in local communities and is made real as a liturgical, above all a Eucharistic, assembly. She draws her life from the word and the Body of Christ and so herself becomes Christ’s Body (§752).
If this real, true understanding of Church was being substituted, then we wouldn’t have much of a problem, since this authentic belief in Church is necessarily connected to Christ as Head, and is certainly a valid path to entering into personal relationship with Jesus as Lord and Savior.
The Church and Jesus Christ are strongly related, connected and in complete unity, as the Church only exists through the Holy Spirit–but though they are one [as a bride/bridegroom, or a head/body], they are not the exact same thing.
However, when Catholics substitute the Church for Jesus, they tend to substitute a completely erroneous notion of “the church.” The “church” that gets substituted for Jesus is often understood as some sort of social club, affinity group, identity group, organization
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of people with like morals, civic organization, secular nonprofit charity, group to exclude those who “aren’t like us,” cultural catholicism, or those who “pay, pray, and obey,” etc. And when these erroneous notions of “church” get substituted, recent history has shown that many people end up not embracing the authentic Catholic belief that our God desires a relationship with each of us, through His Son, Jesus Christ. As the Pew Forum on Religious Life reported, only 60% of Catholics believe God is a personal one, with whom they can have a relationship (see pg. 5). The reader with the question offered this quote from Pope Francis: It is an absurd dichotomy to love Christ without the Church; to listen to Christ, but not the Church; to be with Christ at the margins of the Church…One cannot do this. It is an absurd dichotomy. And that’s exactly right. Pope Francis is talking about the Church as Catholicism truly teaches. We need not fear being “too Protestant” by talking about Jesus, for following Christ in all its fullness and truth is being the Body of Christ, the Church. Embracing Christ does not lead away from the Church. However, substituting a false idea of “church” as membership, club, or earthly institution can quickly become a distraction that gets in the way of Jesus Christ–and this is what we must guard against. Colleen Reiss Vermeulen lives in Ypsilanti, Michigan, and volunteers as an assistant in her parish’s Catechesis of the Good Shepherd Level I Atrium and as a tutor in her parish’s Schola Artium program. This article originally appeared on her blog: http://practicalevangelization.wordpress.com/2014/06/04/unpacking-the-problemof-substituting-the-church-for-jesus. Reprinted with permission.
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Online Graduate Study Opportunities in Ministry and Catechesis With the advent of new media technologies studying for theology and ministry has gotten easier and easier. Here are three great programs available to lay ministers in our diocese who are looking for advanced study options.
Aquinas Institute of Theology St. Louis, Missouri; www.ai.edu
Aquinas Institute is a Dominican-sponsored graduate school of theology and ministry located in downtown St. Louis. Most classes may be taken on-campus or online. Students from the diocese of Springfield in Illinois receive a substantial tuition discount thanks to a partnering agreement with the school. In addition, scholarships are available from the Office for Catechesis. Academic Programs • • • •
Master of Arts (MA) Masters of Arts in Pastoral Studies (MAPS) Master of Arts in Pastoral Studies in the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (MAPS) Master of Divinity (MDiv)
Quincy University
Quincy, Illinois; www.quincy.edu Quincy University recently announced the creation of a new online Master of Religious Education. This 33-credit program involves 10 courses and a culminating experience to integrate classroom learning while tailoring the program to your specific ministerial situation. Academic Program • Master of Religious Education (MRE)
Augustine Institute
Greenwood Village, Colorado; www.augustineinstitute.org The Augustine Institute offers online graduate courses in theology with an emphasis on preparing lay ministers for the new evangelization. Academic Programs • Master of Arts in Theology (MA) • Graduate Certificate
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• • • • •
Graduate Certificate in Biblical Studies Graduate Certificate in Pastoral Care Graduate Certificate in Spiritual Direction Graduate Certificate in Thomistic Studies Doctor of Ministry in Preaching (DMin)
S AV E TH DAT E E!
Decatur Conference Center & Hotel Decatur, Illinois
Pre-Conference November 15 Sessions on Athletics, Young Adult Ministry and Youth Ministry
Ar twork: Cece Donathan, Christ the King, Springfield, Illinois
Keynote Speaker
Sherry Weddell, Author of Forming Intentional Disciples
Closing Speaker
Sponsored by the Office for Catechesis and the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois Made possible in part by the Annual Catholic Services Appeal
Kathy Mears Executive Director of Elementary Education, NCEA
Contact Information Office for Catechesis 217-698-8500, ext. 178 cmalmevik@dio.org
Registration Brochures available after August 1, 2014 Visit dio.org/catechesis/daec for up-to-date information
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The eternal Father, by a free and hidden plan of His own wisdom and goodness, created the whole world. His plan was to raise men to a participation of the divine life. Fallen in Adam, God the Father did not leave men to themselves, but ceaselessly offered helps to salvation, in view of Christ, the Redeemer "who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature". All the elect, before time began, the Father "foreknew and pre-destined to become conformed to the image of His Son, that he should be the firstborn among many brethren". He planned to assemble in the holy Church all those who would believe in Christ. Already from the beginning of the world the foreshadowing of the Church took place. It was prepared in a remarkable way throughout the history of the people of Israel and by means of the Old Covenant. In the present era of time the Church was constituted and, by the outpouring of the Spirit, was made manifest. At the end of time it will gloriously achieve completion, when, as is read in the Fathers, all the just, from Adam and "from Abel, the just one, to the last of the elect," will be gathered together with the Father in the universal Church. - Lumen Gentium (Dogmatic Constitution on the Church) no. 2
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COREnotes June 2014 - Issue 17
The Feast of St. Aloysius Gonzaga
Office for Catechesis 1615 W. Washington • Springfield, IL 62702 - 4757 217.698.8500 ph • 217.698.8620 fax • dio.org/catechesis