Catechesis, spiritual formation

The aim of the article is to show the main challenges facing Polish catechesis, including religious education at school; these challenges relate to the proper approach to the person of the Mother of God in the experience and practice of Catholicism, to appreciate the element of evangelization and identity in the preaching of faith. The author addresses the issue of the relationship between three concepts as follows: catechesis, the school of faith and the school of Mary described in the Bible and through Tradition. Then, the proper approach to Mariology in the context of entire theology it synthetically shown. The summary is a presentation of the mystery of Mary as the content of catechesis and the formulation of postulates related to Marian catechesis.

This paper presents a kerygmatic liturgical model of catechesis as a tool, which has its place especially in the Christian initiation of the children and adults. In the first part of this article we consider the purpose and meaning of the models of catechesis. It especially focuses on the results of the work of Josef Andreas Jungmann, who is the author of the concept of kerygmatic teaching in catechesis. In the second part we present the application of Jungmanns's approach to the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd program by Sofia Cavalletti and we point out the potential of this program for the renewal of catechesis of children in the Czech Republic. A kerygmatic liturgical model of catechesis is a tool which has its place especially in the Christian initiation of the children and adults and which reflects on the current need by Pope Francis to return to kerygmatic and mystagogical catechesis. The purpose of this paper is to introduce the starting points of this kerygmatic liturgical model of catechesis according to Josef Adreas Jungmann, and to study its application in the theological concept of Sofia Cavalletti's work called the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd.

Father Mieczysław Węglewicz was an outstanding teacher and youth minister. He is a model catechist for modern catechesis. As a teacher and a didactic, Father Węglewicz helps the students in the catechism class by finding the appropriate rules of conduct and way of life. His didactics allows the catechist to get to know the students better, thus providing a more effective catechesis.

From these conference notes: "Lonergan's idea of doctrine as judgment has shaped the way I train lay people for ecumenical encounter between church and parish.  I have learned the following:
1. That healthy ecumenical dialogue—whether international or local—embraces doctrine;
2.  That lay people are much more capable of theological judgment than we give them credit for, especially where understanding precedes judgment;
3.  That honesty about the differing judgments of their traditions can bring local Christians together, rather than further separating them."

This paper critiques the current state of catechesis in the church, concluding that its limitations result from its philosophical foundations, which it finds inappropriate for the purpose, objectives, and tasks of catechesis. It then presents a theory of transformative catechesis based on “paradoxical logic,” employing Rosemary Haughton’s distinction between formation and transformation and the hermeneutical theory of Jürgen Habermas. By way of illustration, it uses the Matthean story of the “rich young man,” arguing that the way in which contemporary catechesis functions often leads to the kind of discipleship associated with the young man rather than the commitment demanded by Jesus. Rather than catechesis as formation, following a socialization model, the author advocates recognition of the transformative dimension of catechesis, which requires a radical change of the person. The paper offers a definition of this new type of catechesis as well as a comparison with other forms of experiential catechesis.

In this brief article, I am pleased to introduce the Genevan Catechism (1542/1545), the culmination of John Calvin’s concern to reach the unlearned audience of Geneva, and propose that the catechetical practice still stands as a useful strategy for training youth in the faith and incorporating them into the liturgical life of the church.

Link to read the article: https://credomag.com/article/the-genevan-catechism/

This paper draws upon the insights of Jack Mezirow, an American sociologist and educator who has described in detail the stages that a person experiences when being transformed by the sometimes painful experience of adopting new, wider meaning perspectives like those often encountered in the study of theology. Such enlarged perspectives, from the point of view of Christian faith, have the capacity to be more integrative by taking into account a fuller comprehension of the human experience.

I believe that the questions we ask and the priority we give them decides the direction and ultimately the future of the church. So, I am suggesting ten priority questions for leaders to ask prayerfully and courageously if they hunger for the renewal of their churches. Are you seeking church renewal?  If so, apply these questions to your church polity?

According to official data, currently there are over two million Polish emigrants. Several hundred thousand of them live in Great Britain. Many studies and publications have been devoted to Polish emigration, but there have been none focussing on their religious life or Christian education and formation. To fill the gap, for the first time, empirical research has been carried out among Polish priests working with Polish emigrants in England and Wales. The survey concerned preparations for receiving the Sacraments organised by parishes of the Polish Catholic Mission established in that area. The survey tool in the form of a questionnaire was developed by academics from the John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin. The results obtained facilitated the determination of the organisational framework, topics, forms and methods of Catholic sacramental formation for Polish emigrants. This paper presents and analyses the results of the survey concerning the preparations of Polish children for their first Confession and Holy Communion, and the preparations of young people for the Sacrament of Confirmation. Furthermore, an attempt has been made at determining the major challenges faced by religious education and formation for Polish emigrants living in England and Wales, and the areas requiring further investigation have been identified.

The article is an attempt to show the most important questions concerning the use of catechism in contemporary catechesis. Special attention is focused on the necessity of catechism in religious education, but the author also describes the difficulties related to the teaching of this catechism. This theme is first analyzed in the light of history and catechetical documents. The first part of the reflection is a historical review of catechism contained in catechesis. In the second part the author analyzes the most important documents for catechesis and searches in them contents about the problem of catechism in catechesis: the General Catechetical Directory of 1971, the Apostolic Exhortation Catechesi tradendae of 1979, the General Directory for Catechesis of 1997 and the Directory for Catechesis of the Catholic Church in Poland of 2001. In the third part one finds the analyses of the most important problems concerning the use of catechism in the practice of catechesis. The following challenges of the new evangelization are pointed out: a crisis of the faith and a problem concerning the knowledge of Christian doctrine, tension between the knowledge of faith and the attitude of faith, and refusal to memorize the catechism formulas.

The educational function of the community is fulfilled through teaching, liturgy and pastoral undertakings. These are the fundamental functions of the Church. If the Good News which the Church proclaims is to remain the Light “which enlightens every man coming into the world”, the Church must remain the guarantor of conscience, its guardian, and the defender of the person, thus of humanity itself. The ecclesial character of Christian morality does not take away from conscience per se. It simply points to a need for its ecclesial interpretation since, apart from God, there is no other immutable basis for the absolute character of law and moral obligation. The parish plays an important role in the integral education of humans and the development of their faith. It is the most significant place in which the Christian community is formed. The parish, therefore, becomes a point of reference for persons seeking a living Church, looking for a place of authentic prayer and dialogue, a friendly community which attracts by means of an authentic Christian lifestyle. It is the community of faith that makes catechesis alive in its teaching, celebration (liturgy), as well as practice (diaconate). Thanks to these activities, meeting the Church in the parish becomes real and immediate – it is here that the daily life of the faithful encounters the reality of Salvation.

In dit artikel staat de vraag centraal hoe binnen de catechese kennisverwerving van de Bijbel en de daaruit voortvloeiende geloofsleer van de kerk én de catechisant als uniek individu met een eigen leef- en belevingswereld beide de aandacht kunnen krijgen die zij verdienen.

""This book outlines Jonathan Edwards's vision of the Christian life. Focusing on his broad vision of a pilgrimage to heaven, and developing his understanding of the means of grace, this volume introduces readers to the spiritual life of one of Protestant's most spiritually-minded theologians.

This volume is written for the non-specialist, attempting to introduce Edwards to readers unfamiliar with his thought and the academic debates surrounding these issues.""