Church has changed during past century

As the century turns, The Evangelist asked a number of experts and observers to comment on how Catholicism has evolved over the last ten decades:

PARISH PRIESTS

With fewer priests staffing parishes, clergy may find they are stretched in giving their attention to people in need, Father Doyle said. However, the changes of Vatican II that led to the increase in lay involvement have eased the burden.

"One of the best things is that lay people have taken responsibility to do much of the work of the parish," he said. "For a priest, this parish is an ideal place to be. I prepare homilies, celebrate the sacraments and do counseling. Lay people do everything else. It's the way it has to be in the future."

SCHOOLS

In addition to serving as teachers and administrators, the laity have made a significant contribution to Catholic schools on advisory boards.

"It used to be Father in the rectory or Sister or Brother in the school made all of the decisions," Mr. Curtin said. "We now have qualified lay advisory boards. It's been a benefit to Catholic education because they bring professional experiences and good advice."

The decline in enrollment in Catholic schools during the latter part of the century is unfortunate, Father Doyle said. "To me, it's a real loss," he said. "In my mind, there is no way 45 minutes a week [in religious education class] can have the same impact as five days a week in Catholic school."

Father Doyle believes that Catholic schools today are stronger academically than they were a few decades ago. NCEA data back up his belief. Catholic high school students consistently score higher than public school students on government-sponsored tests. A 1990 Rand Corporation study found that minority students and those from low-income families who attend Catholic high schools scored higher on the Scholastic Aptitude Test than their counterparts in public schools.

Similar results exist on the elementary school level, according to the NCEA. Catholic school eighth graders scored higher than public school eighth graders in reading, science, math and social studies on standardized tests.

The days of declining enrollment may be over. Enrollment in Catholic schools nationwide had increased for six consecutive years, according to the NCEA. In fact, Leonard DeFiore, president of the NCEA, said 155 new Catholic schools have opened during the past 12 years.

"The bottom line is: We need more Catholic schools," he said. "Parents are choosing them and bishops are committed to providing a Catholic education for every Catholic family who wants one. The end result should be a building boom for Catholic schools."

The past century also saw a decline that is positive: in the teacher-student ratio, which allows teachers to give more time to individual students, said Mr. Curtin. "I remember when there were 50 or 60 in a classroom," he said. "Now, we can meet needs better. Children aren't lost in the system."

The smaller class sizes also allow many Catholic schools to reach out to students with special learning needs.

Catholic educators, like other educators, face new challenges, including more children coming from single-parent households. "The number of kids in our school forced to grow up with one parent in the house has increased," Father Doyle said. "A clear loss in my lifetime is the weakening of the family structure."

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

Today, there are 5,500 catechists in the Diocese, and approximately 300 catechetical leaders and youth ministers, most of them laity.

But that isn't the only change that has affected religious education. There have been several eras of catechesis during the past century, Mrs. Schrempf said. One of the most well known is the Baltimore Catechism era, which began in 1850 and lasted until the 1950s. During this period, the focus of catechesis was on children and adolescents, and the method of teaching involved memorizing questions and answers. Teachers were primarily clerical or religious and instruction took place in parish schools or was parish-based.

In the next era, 1955-1965, catechesis included the use of Scripture, liturgy and Christ-centered texts. Prior to this time, Catholics weren't encouraged to read the Bible, Mrs. Schrempf said.

What has been nicknamed the "balloons and butterflies era" by critics came next and lasted until the mid 1980s. During this experiential time, the teachings of the Vatican Council were featured. The belief that faith was experienced in all aspects of life and that all life was sacred was emphasized.

During the late 1980s, the pendulum swung back, Mrs. Schrempf said. Religious educators took the best of the experiential era and tempered it with stronger doctrine in order to have a better balance.

During the last 50 years, religious educators have had the advantage of utilizing the social sciences in order to better present information. "We've taken what we know about educational psychology to help catechize," Mrs. Schrempf said. "It's helped us to become better catechists."

YOUTH MINISTRY

"We went from the CYO model to looking at the total needs of youth," explained Mrs. Schrempf. "We've helped youth claim their place in the Church of today."

SOCIETY

Responding to this violence has been "the most important work of the century," he said. "The Church has responded with a consistent ethic of life." This pro-life stance includes pleading for the reduction of nuclear arms, opposing the death penalty and protecting the child in the womb.

CHARITIES

In 1957, its programs became centralized in Albany with programs based there, and in Troy and Schenectady. This was because social work began in urban areas where problems were more visible than in rural areas.

In 1974, Sister Serena Branson, DC, became executive director of Catholic Charities, the first female to hold that position in the nation. She was charged by Bishop Edwin B. Broderick to expand the agency into all counties of the Diocese.

When she first took on the leadership of the agency, there were those who thought there were no needs in the outlying areas. "They didn't think there were poor in Columbia County," she recalled, "but a needs assessment showed they had the highest teenage pregnancy rate north of New York City"

During her tenure, the relationship between Catholic Charities and the government was strong, a remnant of President Lyndon Johnson's Great Society program. Home health care, clinics, a caregivers program, housing and teen pregnancy programs all received government funds. "These are just examples," she said. "This is the type of climate that existed. The government worked hand-in-hand with private agencies."

During the 1990s, the climate changed as "the government began to change," she said. "It's attitude is anti-poor. It's like something without a soul."

Welfare reform, Sister Serena said, was not well planned. "What they didn't take into account was that [the poor] lost food stamps and Medicaid while taking minimum wage jobs," she noted.

With government funding cuts came more of a demand for services. There is now more of a need for emergency services. In the past, those in need could get home relief assistance from the Department of Welfare or from their local government. Today, those funds are minimal, Sister Serena said, so more people turn to Catholic Charities.

Catholic Charities has also had to respond to new needs. Programs for those with HIV/AIDS now exist, as well as services for the increasing number of elderly.

As the Church moves into the next century, Sister Serena has a vision of how the agency will change: "I want to see Catholic Charities always be a very Judeo-Christian-centered agency that's ecumenical but holds to its Catholic heritage. It has to be on the cutting edge of things in society. It must be a vision of Christ for the poor."

EVANGELIZATION

"The population of the world has passed six billion, and of that only just over a billion are Christians," Father Doyle said. "There is a lot of work to be done in evangelization. The missionary days are not over."

Catholic schools, Mr. Curtin said, are playing an important role in these efforts. "Our schools are the greatest tool the Church has for evangelization," he said. Schools are evangelizing both Catholic and non-Catholic students as well as parents. Reaching parents is critical since many of today's parents were raised in what Mrs. Schrempf described as the experiential era of catechesis and may not have an understanding of the basics of the faith.

Mr. Curtin became principal of a Catholic school in 1976 and found that the religious instruction at that time was "touchy-feely." The result is that these former students are now adults who are hungering for a better understanding of the faith. Since that time, Catholic schools have strengthened their Catholic identity and religious instruction. Better resources now exist in the form of texts, videos and other materials.

Mrs. Schrempf agreed, saying: "We have the most exciting tools and processes to go a long way into the new millennium."

With the emphasis on evangelization, Mrs. Schrempf said, parishes are recognizing that catechetical efforts shouldn't be focused solely on children. "We must ensure that everybody in the community has an opportunity to grow in faith, including those with special needs, youth, families and adults," she said.

PARENTING

When children come to parish religious education programs or Catholic schools, they often arrive without any knowledge of the Faith. Parents expect that it is the role of the parish to instruct. However, the parish or school can only nurture what has already been introduced in the home, she noted. Children need to come into these programs already having heard Bible stories and knowing prayers. "If they come into it without this, they need a head start program," she said.

Faith formation, she said, is like being on a team. The family, parish, religious educators and the individual all play a role.

DEVOTIONS

He said it is good to reinforce devotion to the Eucharist and the saints, so the doors of St. Catherine of Siena are open during the day to allow visits to the Blessed Sacrament.

While the Church has changed, Father Doyle said the changes are not all losses. "Is the average Catholic holier now or less holy than the average Catholic at the beginning of the century? I don't know," he said. "I think the depth of spirituality has increased. It might be due to the frightening things that have happened. Do Catholics pray more than a hundred years ago? I guess they say fewer traditional prayers, but they take more time to reflect in God's presence."

(12-23-99) [[In-content Ad]]