By Rita McInerney

The theme for catechetical Sunday, Sept. 21, “Speak the Truth in Love,” is one which can express the role of parents in sharing with parish catechists in the religious formation of their children. The Second Vatican Council declared that parents are the “primary religious educators.” Many parents have been fulfilling this role naturally; others readily relinquish their responsibility to the Church.

Parents, pastors and religious educators are beginning to recognize the need to develop an awareness of the parent’s role. “The vital influence of parents on the social and religious development of their children must be more widely recognized. Family life needs to be strengthened so that children and youths will derive their values from the home, rather than from potentially undesirable sources outside the home. The Church, through the parish, should provide an intensified support system for the family,” according to “Sharing the Light of Faith,” the national catechetical directory for Catholics in the United States.

The same directory says that “Though the influence of peers and of adult catechists is important, catechetical programs are not intended to supplant parents as the primary educators of their children. Parental involvement in catechetical programs is essential.”

There are numerous ways in which parents can be involved. Several were suggested by Anita Willoughby, a pastoral assistant at St. Jude’s in Sandy Springs. She believes ceremonies and celebrations are important.

“When a child is enrolled (in religious education) for the first time, it should be in the midst of parents, a ceremony with parents renewing the promise they made at the baptism to raise the child in the faith and which the Church promised to help them fulfill,” she said. The same involvement of parents should take place at the beginning of each sacramental preparation. “Catechesis for the sacraments should include the whole family.”

Mrs. Willoughby believes there should be constant communications between the catechist and the parent starting with orientation for parents at the beginning of classes. Telephone calls should be made by the catechist several times a year to let the parent know how the child is doing and to hear from the parent. Class Masses at the home of the children would be another way of encouraging family participation.

The parents’ role should be encouraged by the catechists, she said. Teachers should keep sight of the lack of confidence many of the parents feel. “When they grew up the attitude was that the Church knew what was best for the child. They didn’t know they were the Church.” And always, she added, the parents should be teaching by example of their own Christian service.

While family catechetics has been highly developed in some dioceses, just a few parishes in the Archdiocese of Atlanta have requested the Office of Religious Education (ORE) help them develop models for this. One of the parishes is a new one, St. Theresa’s in Douglasville where Father Ed O’Connor is pastor.

Many components have to be looked at to find the best way for families to come together to look at their faith, according to Sister Carleen Lynch, C.S.J., of the ORE staff. The meeting place, the space it offers, the numbers to be served, identifying of core groups, are but a few. The liturgical element, whether at the beginning or the end, or both, is essential.

“I firmly believe faith is the principal catechizing component. The more awareness of that, the better off we’ll all be,” Sister Carleen said. “We want to help families come together to look at faith in their families. The experience of God doesn’t happen in classrooms, it happens in life where it’s lived.”

The Office of Religious Education welcomes requests from parishes for family catechetics and all members of the staff will be involved in attempting to fit a model to the parish. There is a need to be open to “new means of catechetical formation as compared to the history of the CCD model. Family catechetics is of value for members of the family and family means many things. The traditional definition of mother and father is just one dimension of the many meanings of family in our parishes today,” said Tom Brassington, ORE director.

At St. Theresa’s in Douglasville, Father O’Connor is hopeful that entire families will attend the three-hour sessions on the third Saturday of each month. “We are generally following the program Father John Kieran used at Christ Our Hope in Lithonia last year. We will offer religious education to elementary and high school students and adults.” Father O’Connor said the parish will use the facilities of the First United Methodist Church of Douglasville for the once monthly morning classes.

The program, “Church,” approved for use in the archdiocese, is being used for the third year at Christ Our Hope. Like St. Theresa’s, the Lithonia parish does not, as yet, have a church or multi-purpose building and must rent space one Saturday morning each month in the Lithonia Methodist Church.

There is “maximum family involvement,” according to Regina Cumbie, directory of elementary religious education. Of the people involved, 90 percent are parents. Thirteen of the 14 catechists, two of the four assistants, and all of the people working on refreshments playground, bookkeeping, telephone committee and crafts are parents.

This year’s theme will be the story of the Church and Salvation, beginning with Abraham and including both Old and New Testaments. Mrs. Cumbie said the same subject is taught each month in all eight grades and the older children are encouraged to help their brothers and sisters. Each month a booklet is sent home with the children describing the work begun during the morning’s class and detailing what must be prepared for the next session. Parents are encouraged to help their offspring in the home study.

Response last year was more than 90 percent positive. “Both parents and children love it. The children were anxious to come to school after first being angry and sulky over missing their Saturday morning cartoons.” Attendance was excellent, Mrs. Cumbie said, except during April baseball season.

An adult study class to be offered this year will enable the parents to share the Saturday morning time with their children. They are also encouraged, occasionally requested, to sit in for the closing period of the session.

One of the catechists, Mary O’Neill said that after the children’s work is graded each month, a call is made to the parents if the work shows inadequate preparation. Another catechist, Annette Schmidt, said the degree of parent involvement varies and it’s sometimes difficult to tell if the parent is truly interested.

Great potential for the future of family catechetics exists in the archdiocese where, at present there are more than 19,000 students enrolled in the religion program for pre-school through 12^th grade. With parents sharing to the fullest in the faith development of the children there could be a great chorus of voices speaking the truth in love.