By Father James F. Kelly, (Director of Religious Education)

June brings with the warm breezes of summer and the end of the regular parish religious education programs. Parish bulletins note that this Sunday is the last School of Religion class of this year. The appeal goes out for teachers, catechists for next year’s religion classes and for the various summer vacation schools which have taken root in the archdiocese over the last few years.

It wasn’t long ago that summer meant the end of religious education programs for youth and adults in the parishes of the archdiocese. But now, more and more, three- and four- week summer programs are being developed, enforcing the tenet that religious education is a life-long process. This, too, gives us occasion for reflection on the past and the future of the religious education ministry in the Archdiocese of Atlanta.

As new parishes develop, there is more and more of a need to develop effective religious education programs for children, youth, and adults. The GENERAL CATECHETICAL DIRECTORY notes that adult education is at the center of the religious education ministry. In the past five years, the Archdiocese of Atlanta has grown from 60,000 Catholics to 93,000 Catholics. This growth gives religious education, in this archdiocese, a great challenge to continue the task of making faith living, conscious, and active, to all our people.

To help this task, the American bishops, with approval from the Holy See, have just completed the NATIONAL CATECHETICAL DIRECTORY. This NATIONAL CATECHETICAL DIRECTORY is an official statement of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops on catechetical ministry in the United States. The NCD will help with the future planning of the catechetical mission of the Archdiocese of Atlanta, as well as the other dioceses throughout the United States.

This document, the NATIONAL CATECHETICAL DIRECTORY, looks at the contemporary problems in catechesis today. In its preface it states that, “Because catechesis is concerned with applying the certain, timeless teachings of faith to the uncertain, changing conditions of each generation, some errors of judgement, misplaced emphasis ...are likely...No small part of the difficulty arises from the fact that today most children are catechized in a way which bears little resemblance to the ways which their parents received instruction.” This NCD gives serious attention to these particular problems. It seeks to help the entire Catholic community to grow in unity, love and peace. “This document is presented to the Catholic community in the confidence that, as in the past, the Holy Spirit will guide the Church in our land in its catechetical mission both now and in the future.”

In the next year we can look forward to further study and reflection on the NCD to help us in the archdiocese with the ministry of catechesis. As one year ends, we can look forward to a new year of development of faith for all in the Catholic community for adults, youth, and children, to make the faith that we have a living conscious, and active faith.