BY KATHI STEARNS

Staff Writer

ATLANTA--In a diverse, sometimes fragmented society the Archdiocese of Atlanta will attempt to present the moral teachings of the Catholic Church regarding the issues of family life in one uniform program.

The Department of Catholic Education, the Office of Family Concerns and Marriage Tribunal experts on canon law recommended that the teaching program known as the Benziger Family Life program be used in all parishes and Catholic schools.

The program is described as "creative, comprehensive and Catholic" by Annette Kulasa, archdiocesan consultant for children's catechesis.

Archbishop John F. Donoghue has requested that by September 1996 all parochial schools and parish religious education programs implement the Benziger series. This will ensure that one uniform family life program is being presented to all children and youth of the archdiocese.

"It is a program that will enable us as pastors, catechetical and school leaders, to actively support and assist all Catholic parents in their work of teaching and integrating Catholic teachings on love and sexuality into catechesis," Archbishop Donoghue wrote in a 1995 letter to pastors, children's ministry coordinators and Catholic school principals.

"Parents are to be the primary educators of their children; pastors are to be witnesses of faith teachings to the whole community with the assistance of parish and school leadership who direct the many teachers and catechists in this great task," the archbishop said.

The Benziger Family Life series thoroughly explores the family as a biological, social, psychological, emotional and spiritual unit as well as an integral component of the Body of Christ. Character formation, family relationships, Catholic morality and sexuality are each considered.

According to Msgr. Terry Young, Secretary for Education, the Benziger series will provide a moral framework that is not taught in public schools.

"There are those purists who say that the Church should not say anything about sexuality," he said. "You have to remember that most of the students in the archdiocese are in public schools and they are learning the information about their biological development in school. They receive all of this physiological information, but don't receive any moral direction about what to do with this information."

Family life education is not a code word for "sex education," Ms. Kulasa said.

"Education in Christian sexuality is a key element of family life education," she said. "It is only a part of this important ministry, and a small part at that. The program is committed to a process of moral development and the formation of Christian character."

Each text is geared for a particular grade level and contains 10 chapter lessons, grouped according to five thematic strands. They are: God's gift of family, God's gift of self, God's gift of life, God's gift of sexuality and God's gift of community. A two-page review follows each thematic section. One of the pages consists of a content review and features a summary, discussion questions and suggested class projects. The other is a "family time" page designed to be sent home for use by the student's family.

Each chapter of the student text is organized around a four- part lesson plan consisting of an introduction, development, application and family faith section. Each lesson concludes with a prayer.

"It is essential to remember that Benziger is not replacing any other program," Msgr. Young said. "It is complementing and enhancing what is already being taught."

In kindergarten students learn about life in the family. Children are introduced to the key concepts of family life education by exploring their membership in their own families as well as in the family of God. Lessons about self-worth, sharing, safety and growing are presented using stories and pictures.

First-graders are taught the importance of participation in family life. Children learn that they are mutually dependent upon family members for care and support. The text stresses the concepts of sharing, helping and forgiving.

The sacramentality of family life is discussed in the second-grade text. Students are shown how every aspect of family life can be a sign of God's love in the world. Students are taught health and safety skills, conflict resolution and outreach to others.

In third grade students learn about God's gift of life. The text shows how God's gift of life is shared by plants, animals and human beings. Students learn to recognize their own gifts and responsibilities in regard to creation.

Fourth-graders learn about growth in God's love. The text explores what happens as the students mature in body, mind, emotions and spirit. Students learn the importance of seeing themselves as created in God's image.

The basic theme of the fifth-grade text is the important role of marriage in the creation of new life. It shows, in a Catholic context, how God created human beings to share love and give life. Students learn how the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual changes of puberty are designed to prepared them for God's creative activity. The skills necessary for honest,

respectful friendships as a remote preparation for the sacrament of marriage are stressed.

Msgr. Young said that this is the text that numerous parents have viewed as sensitive. He believes that the material covered in the fifth-grade text is age appropriate and is reinforcing what he hopes is already being taught at home.

"The Benziger series is not trying to rob or manipulate the innocence of children," he said. "It is trying to put everything into context with physical development and sound moral decision-making. It is approaching it as a new area of growth and development."

For some students, Msgr. Young said, the material covered in this text may prevent students from feeling panicked about the changes their bodies are experiencing.

"Parents often think that when their child's body starts to change they'll run to their parents and get the information they need," he said. "I've been in education too long and I've seen some very terrified kids who never got that information at home. Ignorance does not protect innocence."

In sixth grade students learn about the sacredness of life at every stage. The series stresses the Catholic teaching on the dignity of human life, made in God's image and endowed with an immortal soul. The stages of pregnancy and birth, the influence of heredity and environment and the process of aging and death are presented.

The basic theme of the seventh-grade course is the importance of making good moral decisions, especially during the crucial years of puberty. The text stresses the skills necessary to form a good conscience and to combat negative peer pressure. Key issues rooted in Catholic teaching such as family relationships, gender identity, drug and alcohol abuse as well as abuses of God's gift of sexuality, are explored.

Eighth-graders learn about spiritual development. The text helps students apply spiritual values to decision-making, social issues and family life. Students learn how their individual actions pertain directly to God's kingdom.

The archdiocese and the Benziger program recognize the role of parents as the primary communicators of Catholic family values, the catechetical leader said.

"Family is and should be the chief source of the child's attitudes and values, and parents are the primary educators of their children," Ms. Kulasa said. "This is much more than a program or a process; it is a partnership. I am convinced that a partnership between home and parish is a way that we together can proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ and minister to each other with love, compassion and joy. In this way we recognize the grace and power of God and how it breaks into our lives every day."

Each grade level of the Benziger program offers a "family connection" booklet in addition to the student text. This 16-page magazine contains articles on Catholic parenting, morality and emotional and spiritual growth. Other instructional materials include a teacher's wrap-around edition, a teacher's resource book and a parish implementation manual.

The texts for the Benziger program were granted an imprimatur, an official declaration that the book is free from doctrinal or moral error, by Father Donald Dunn, vicar general of the Diocese of Colorado Springs, where the material was published.

The Benziger program incorporates excerpts from major church documents including the Catechism of the Catholic Church, papal encyclicals such as On Human Life and Veritatis Splendor, and numerous Vatican II documents and texts of the U.S. Catholic bishops.

Ms. Kulasa believes that textbooks in children's catechesis have made a remarkable turnaround in the past 20 years.

"Immediately following Vatican II catechetical textbooks went into the mode of an experimental faith approach," she said. "We wanted our children to experience God in everything, in all aspects of life. Scripture, doctrine and worship were all stressed as being important."

Since 1985 catechetical ministry has become more holistic in its approach, blending Scripture, doctrine, liturgy, prayer and life experience into its textbooks. "It is the connection of Church teachings with an individual's own faith experience that makes catechesis a true sharing in the Catholic way of life for today's families," she said. "It is through this holistic approach that our children find themselves more responsive to the call of Jesus to be faithful to the Gospel mandate of love."

In 1969 the Benziger Company published a special catechetical program on the needs of the growing child and the moral formation of the family following directives of the Second Vatican Council. The first edition of the Benziger Family Life Series was published in 1978, followed by a second edition in 1988. With the publication of the Catechism of the Catholic Church the third edition was released in 1995.