Catholic-Orthodox Conversation on Lay Formation
Fr. Gregory, an Orthodox priest and campus minister over at Koinonia and I have started up a interesting conversation on the difference between (and what we can learn from)Catholc and Orthodox approaches to lay formation.
Take a look and feel free to join in.
posted by Sherry W @ 7:48 AM
9 Comments
9 Comments:
Sherry,
I'm following this conversation with great interest, and I will be happy to contribute if there is an opportunity to add something to this conversation.
I'm pretty sure that dialogue like this doesn't happen too often. It's exciting!
Absolutely Keith.
We'd love to have your input.
re "On the parish level, catechesis is largely limited to children"
The same is true at the parishes (Catholic) in my area. The only real adult catechesis at all is in RCIA, such as it is. That being the case, while I think very good arguments can be made for the need for adult catechesis apart from RCIA, it is in connection with RCIA that the strengthening of adult catechesis has to take place. A rising tide lifts all boats sort of matter.
Having recently come into the Catholic Church, one of the things I do not understand is the lack of use of the Compendium of the Catholic Catechism in adult catechesis generally (at my parish anyway). It's like folks don't even know it exists and it's one of the best resources out there and has official sanction at the highest level. Do folks think "Oh, it's just a compendium" and forget the saying going back to Cicero about not having time to write concisely.
Sherry,
Thank you for your comments and linking to my blog. I have found the comments (both online and to me directly) to be interesting and most helpful.
Learning to support and sustaining each other as we struggle to follow Christ is so important. God waits on uor freedom to heal the divisions that separate us not only from each other, but from Him. Our conversation on formation is indeed a very good step along the way.
May the God the Most Holy Trinity Who heals in us every infirmity and makes up that which is lacking in us, bless us in all good works.
In Christ,
+Fr Gregory
Sherry,
Why is it that in various Protestant congregations one can find significant, healthy adult sunday school programs but such things are non-existant with Catholic/Orthodox? Is the more significant distinction between laity and religious a barrier to the creation of intermediate/lay leadership?
Thomas:
I actually know Catholic parishes with great adult Sunday school probrams (Blessed Sacrament in Seattle is one) but it isn't the norm.
Why not? Because formation for all the baptized is not a historic part of our culture although it has been mandated by the Church.
We have to remember that it wasn't until after the Reformation, that the universal formation of clergy was codified and mandated and it still took centuries to get that in place.
The whole CCD movement began after the Reformation as well. Although there were pioneering attempts in the late middle ages, it was the crisis of the Reformation that made Catholics realize that every member needed some kind of catechesis in addition to the sacraments. And it took centuries to try and implement.
And until the 20th century, it was almost all aimed at children because they were the future and the ones available for education (their parents were illiterate or semi-literate and working hard and considered past educating)
Even though formation for adults has been declared "the preferential option for catechesis", implementation is still in the early stages.
Protestantism has been Word-centered, concept-centered, and therefore, education-centered since the 16th century.
Sunday schools were started by Protestant reformers in places like England to reach out to working children on their only day off which was Sunday. They combined Christian education with basic readin' and writin', It was only after free public education became universal in the late 19th, early 20th century that Sunday school became strictly religious in content.
The energy that we put into the liturgy and sacraments they put into evangelization and formation.
Thomas:
Our booklet, The Parish: Mission or Maintenance, which Fr. Gregory is reading, goes into all of this in great detail.
Thanks, Sherry, i'm reading that booklet now
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