Teens in focus of 'Called'

"Called to Be Church" planning groups across the Albany Diocese have been discussing the faith formation and religious education of school-age children, pre-teens and teenagers.

One group concluded that the most important part of catechizing young Catholics isn't lessons or service projects; it's reaching their parents and fostering a sense of faith at home.

The group includes Immaculate Conception, Our Lady of Mount Carmel, St. Adalbert's, St. Luke's, St. Paul's, St. Joseph's and Sacred Heart/St. Columba's parishes, all in Schenectady.

Parents' role

"One of the situations we experience in all of our parishes is reaching the children, and we often have parents who are not involved," said Rev. Robert Hohenstein, pastor of Mount Carmel parish.

He noted that elementary-school children look up to their mothers and fathers as examples of faith.

The parents "may bring their children to religious ed and make sure the children are prepared, but we don't see that connection with the liturgy," he said. "The parents have to set the example."

Learn and do

Both Father Hohenstein and Arlene Parisi, faith formation director for middle-school grades at St. Paul's, believe it is important to pass on values through action.

While learning is important for Mrs. Parisi's seventh- and eighth-graders, she said, book time must be paired with group talk and experience.

Young people "need to know the facts," she explained, "but [catechesis] has to be more than just sitting with books."

Family nights

To that end, Mrs. Parisi hosts regular family nights that involve catechesis and praying together.

If the parents of the children in a religious education program "see the priority of faith in life, they will want it for their children," she noted. "A lot of times, I'm finding that the parents don't know [their faith] themselves, so how can they give it to the children?"

If programs are more family-centered, she added, faith will be brought into the home, and lived by going to Mass and speaking freely about belief.

Involvement

At Mount Carmel Church, faith formation models have had to shift since the parish school closed in 2000. Father Hohenstein places a priority on involving teenagers, including their becoming a part of parish council decision-making and participating at Mass through such ministries as lectoring.

Susan Nieckarz, coordinator of the "Called to be Church" team at St. Adalbert's, agrees with that approach.

"Most of us don't have schools anymore," she said, "so we have to do different things to keep [families] in focus."

She recommends that parishes talk about ways to adapt to family schedules that are hectic and that may not always consider Church activities a priority.

Cooperation

Another factor affecting Schenectady is demographics, noted Father Hohenstein. Many downtown parishes have experienced the loss of young families. He sees a need for parishes to work together to serve the young people who remain.

One way for parishes to work together, he believes, is to jointly provide a teen center "and gear things towards their interests, kind of like the old CYO -- a central location where they can go and be together."

He also recommends a Sunday evening liturgy for teens and young adults, incorporating music and multi-media. One program like that already exists in the cluster through St. Paul's LifeTeen program.

Reaching teens

Ms. Nieckarz noted that St. Adalbert's has received a lot of positive feedback from simple ideas, including a program in which birthday cards are sent to parishioners. She believes such steps can be adapted to reach children and teenagers.

"We have to reach out to them in simple ways that will keep them remembering that we are there," she explained.

Mrs. Parisi agrees that reaching out is one of the most effective techniques. When youngsters "bond with you," she said, "they can speak about faith from their hearts. Your presence is more important to them than anything in the world."

(5/10/07) [[In-content Ad]]