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"Integrating Liturgy and Catechesis: On the Cutting Edge" Why is Sacramental Catechesis an Issue Today? Download the current pdf schedule here. Sacramental Catechesis is in a period of transition. What does this mean? We are only now coming to grips with what sacramental catechesis is really all about in the Church. It has taken many years for us to come to this stage of development where we can truly begin to appreciate the profound impact of this activity in the Church. What has brought us to this stage? It has taken us over thirty years to come to a deep and genuine appreciation of the impact of the Second Vatican Council on our lives. The changes inaugurated by the Council were not mere cosmetic changes for the Church. These changes effect the very nature of Church itself especially in the areas of liturgy, catechesis, and sacramental theology. The teachings of the Council in these areas has brought about a new and deeper appreciation of sacramental catechesis. Liturgy One of the most profound effects of the Council was initiating a liturgical reform in the Church. The Constitution on the Liturgy [CSL] called for a revision of all our liturgical rites so that they more fully and completely reveal the reality they signify. All of our liturgical rites were gradually revised over the next 10 to 15 years following the Council. The liturgical reform went to the very heart of who we are as Church. Many of us were impacted by the change to the vernacular, new ritual structures and names given to various rites, the role of the laity in the liturgy, etc. After many years these revisions are second nature to us now. But these changes do not reflect the 'heart' of the liturgical reform. We are now ready for a deeper level of appreciation of the liturgical reform. Over the past 30 years we have grown in wisdom and a deeper appreciation of what liturgy is all about and what the liturgical reform inaugurated by the Council was really meant to do - to transform our lives through the liturgy. How does this effect our understanding of sacramental catechesis? One of the most important things we have become aware of is the formative power of liturgy. It is this element that is having a great effect on how we understand sacramental catechesis. The CSL states that "liturgy is the summit toward which the activity of the Church is directed; at the same time it is the fount from which all the Church's power flows" [CSL 10]. The formative power of the liturgy is recognized in many of our catechetical documents and liturgical texts. The National Catechetical Directory, 36 states: "Every liturgical celebration has educative and formative value." The Directory for Masses with Children [DMC12] points out: "...liturgy itself always exerts its own inherent power to instruct." The Lectionary for Masses With Children [LMC 21] emphasizes that: "The liturgy has the power to form children and all believers in the paschal mystery." And the Catechism of the Catholic Church [CCC 1074] stresses that: "Liturgy is the summit toward which the activity of the Church is directed; it is also the font from which all her power flows. It is therefore the privileged place for catechizing the people of God." This understanding and belief in the formative power of liturgy plays a major role in how we 'do' sacramental catechesis. First of all it means that the rites are a primary source of catechesis. We don't just use liturgical prayer to 'punctuate' a catechetical moment. The liturgical prayer itself is used in catechesis and has the power to form us into a community and the beliefs of our Church. Practically this means that catechists are familiar with the "Introduction" that accompanies each rite. The introduction sets forth the "theology" of the rite. For example, if a catechist is preparing people for Confirmation, they need to know what the Church believes about confirmation. The Introduction to the Rite of Confirmation sets forth a wonderful theology of confirmation. It talks about confirmation as a sacrament of initiation. It states that in the sacrament one receives the gift of the Holy Spirit. This is to be the fundamental goal of sacramental catechesis for confirmation - leading people on the journey into the Spirit and celebrating this reality with the reception of the sacrament. A full understanding of the sacrament is also set forth in the ritual texts of the rite, the scriptural repertoire provided for each rite, and the dominant sacramental symbols and gestures of the rite. The ritual prayers also set forth what the sacrament is all about. These prayers need to be explored in our sacramental catechesis with those preparing for a sacrament. They proclaim the reality of what is being celebrated. So, too, do the sacramental symbols and gestures found in the rite. The Catechism of the Catholic Church clearly points out that: "Liturgical catechesis aims to initiate people into the mystery of Christ [It is 'mystagogy.'] by proceeding from the visible to the invisible, from the sign to the thing signified, from the 'sacraments' to the 'mysteries'" [CCC1075]. What does this mean for sacramental catechesis? 'Cracking open' the many levels of meaning of the symbols and gestures pertaining to a particular sacrament is a primary catechetical activity in sacramental catechesis. By doing so we lead people into the sacramental mystery that will be celebrated; by doing so we proceed from the 'visible to the invisible, from the sign to the things signified'. Finally, sacramental catechesis involves 'breaking open' the scriptural repertoire provided by each rite. The list of Old Testament, New Testament, and Gospel readings is not just there to 'pick' from for the sacramental celebration. This 'repertoire' of readings points to the meaning of the sacrament. Just as the readings for the entire liturgical year are broken open for those in the catechumenate so that the fullness of the mysteries of our faith our set forth, so, too, does this happen with each particular sacrament. The structure for sacramental catechesis should include the proclamation and breaking open of the Word contained in the rite. It is based on the formative power of the living Word of God in our lives. Catechetics Since the Vatican Council, catechetics has emphasized the role of liturgy in catechesis. The NCD set forth the 4 'Signs of Catechesis': Biblical, Liturgical, Ecclesial, and Natural. Throughout the years catechesis has developed the biblical, ecclesial, and natural signs. Now we are coming to grips with the role of liturgical signs in our catechesis. The NCD 44 states: "the celebration
of the liturgy, the sacramental rites, and the
Church Year are important source of catechesis." In
the past there has been a 'gap' between catechesis
and liturgy that is now beginning to close.
In the past we have had catechists who knew
little about liturgy, and liturgists who
were not acquainted with catechesis. Sometimes
it was felt that catechesis is As we begin to delve into the meaning of sacramental catechesis, we are beginning to realize the ramifications of the relationship between catechesis and liturgy. Our catechetical texts, especially those for sacramental catechesis, need to begin to reflect the revised rites of our Church. The prayer prayed in the classroom, needs to echo the liturgical prayer of the Church. The scripture proclaimed in the classroom relates to the scripture proclaimed on Sunday and/or the scriptural repertoire of the rite. Sacramental Theology We have also deepened our awareness of sacraments since the Council. Sacraments are not 'mechanical exercises'. They are moments of encounters with Christ. When we celebrate a sacrament we truly encounter the living reality of Jesus Christ as signified in that celebration. We also believe that sacraments are NOT 'rites of passage' but Conversion Moments. In the celebration of the sacrament our lives our transformed. Sacramental Catechesis must lead people gradually to change their lives. The Church also teaches the sacraments belong to Church. They are not 'private' actions that only effect a few. This has great ramifications for sacramental catechesis. First it means that sacramental catechesis is done in the 'parish'. It is not the private possession of a religious education program or a catholic school. It is the Church that celebrates the sacrament and it is the Church that prepares and leads people to receive a sacrament. We have a most beautiful example of this with the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults where all those preparing for sacramental initiation do so within the context of the parish community. The time of sacramental preparation for a sacrament is a time of renewal for the entire parish community. Let us take the example of a parish that has a group of children preparing for first reconciliation. All children, those in Catholic School and the parish Religious Education Program, are prepared to receive the sacrament together. They are joined with their families who journey deeper into this mystery with them. This is also the time when those who are older, who for whatever reason have never received reconciliation, also come to be prepared. It is the time when those who have been alienated also come to join the parish journey towards renewal in reconciliation. It is the time when the catechumens receive catechesis on the sacrament [although they do not receive it] and the candidates received their sacramental preparation for reconciliation. They are catechized by seeing the community itself in the active process of reconciliation. Finally it is the
time for the entire parish community to journey
together, with those being prepared for the
first Conclusions Sacramental Catechesis needs to be changed to reflect these deeper realities which have emerged since the Council in the area of liturgy, catechesis, and sacramental theology. Our catechetical texts for sacramental catechesis have to be adjusted to reflect these beliefs. Our catechists and catechetical leaders need to be formed into these deeper realities and into a fuller awareness of the revised rites of our Church. Our parish communities need to be more fuller catechized into the richness of our sacramental lives. All of us need to begin to understand that the sacramental life of the parish flourishes when all [catechists, assembly, liturgists, clergy] share a common vision with the Church. Copyright, 1997. Linda L. Gaupin, CDP, Ph.D., Diocese of Orlando. "Sacramental Catechesis: A New Model" Preparation for a sacrament is always a special time in the life of the Church. As such sacramental catechesis is a unique and very singular activity intimately related to but distinct from religious education. In the past these two activities have oftentimes been confused with the result that both activities are weakened. Our understanding of sacramental catechesis has been significantly challenged in recent times with the promulgation of the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults [RCIA] and the revised General Directory for Catechesis [GDC]. These documents have given us a new impetus to revitalize and renew our structures and programs for doing sacramental catechesis in the Church for those baptized Catholic in infancy. One of the more important contributions of the RCIA, that often goes unnoticed or unappreciated, is the blueprint it provides for how we lead people to sacraments [sacramental catechesis]. Of all of the revised rites of the Church, the RCIA actually details the major components essential for leading and forming people into the sacramental life of the Church. And the GDC stipulates that "the model for all catechesis is the baptismal catechumenate" and that "this catechumenal formation should inspire the other forms of catechesis in both their objectives and in their dynamism" [GDC, 59]. If we take this directive of the GDC to heart, we begin to see that what is essential for leading people to sacraments in the process of 'becoming' Church is also essential for leading people to sacraments for those who are Church. We don't lead people to sacraments one way if they are not baptized, and another way if they are. What happens when we begin to apply the objectives and dynamism of the catechumenate to the way we do sacramental preparation in the parish? Conversion Catechesis First, we
begin to see that what we are essentially
about in sacramental catechesis is 'conversion
catechesis.' The RCIA directs that the catechumenal
process is a spiritual journey by which those
who have heard the mystery of Christ proclaimed
enter the way of faith and conversion [RCIA,
1&5].
For this reason catechumens are not placed in
the parish adult education program. Correspondingly,
sacramental catechesis is also a spiritual journey
whereby those already baptized deepen their
way of faith and conversion in the sacramental
life. It is an intense and immediate period
of time when children, youth, and/or adults
are lead to grow in their relationship with
Christ especially as celebrated in the sacrament
they are about to receive. It is a time when
the Church has a unique opportunity to deepen
and renew people's relationship with Christ
as well as to transform their lives into the
sacramental mystery they are preparing to encounter. Context for Sacramental Catechesis: The Community The context for sacramental catechesis is the parish community. One of the major dynamics of the catechumenate is that it "takes place with the community of the faithful" [RCIA, 4] because initiation "is the responsibility of all the baptized" [RCIA, 9]. This principle challenges us to look at a whole new context for sacramental preparation in the Church: the parish community. The parish community as the context for sacramental catechesis means that those who are receiving religious education in the parish religious education program, the Catholic school, or the home, nevertheless come together for sacramental preparation. The context for sacramental catechesis is important because it reflects our catechetical, liturgical, and ecclesiological teachings of the past 30 years. The Constitution on the Liturgy [CSL] points out that "Liturgical services are not private functions, but are celebrations belonging to the Church" [CSL 26]. The GDC proclaims that "catechesis is the responsibility of the entire Christian community" and therefore "is not an action which can be realized in the community on a private basis or by purely personal initiative" [GDC,220, 219.b]. And the revised liturgical rites of the Church all emphasize the responsibility of the people of God in the preparation for the sacraments. In other words, sacraments are not just conversion moments for those preparing to receive them for the first time, but for the entire parish community. In the Diocese of Orlando we are attempting to implement sacramental catechesis in the context of the parish community to its fullest understanding. First, all those who are preparing to receive a sacrament come to a parish based program. Their parents, guardians, and families participate in the program as well. Then those children/youth/adults who for some reason were never prepared for a sacrament come at the same time. We seek out those children and youth who for some reason do not participate in religious education or any other form of parish life and who need to prepare for a sacrament, thus seeing this time as a unique opportunity for outreach and evangelization. Finally, the entire parish community is invited to come to renew and deepen their spirituality in the sacrament. It truly becomes a time of total parish renewal. And those preparing to receive the sacrament for the first time do so within the context of the parish community committed to living the sacramental life. This model is not easy to implement when we are accustomed to 'fragmenting' parish life through structures that keep people separate. We need to be inspired by the GDC directive that "it is important also that the catechesis of children and young people, permanent catechesis and the catechesis of adults should not be separate watertight compartments . . . it is important that their perfect complementarities be fostered" [GDC, 72]. Too often we have the DRE doing sacramental preparation in one time period, the Catholic school in another, those of different age groups at another time during the year, the youth director and adult education director or pastoral associate doing sacramental preparation at another time of the year and many times all this with 5 different theologies of a single sacrament! Sacramental moments are natural times in the life of the parish to gather and renew all the people of God in the sacramental life of the Church. Furthermore it manifests to those receiving a sacrament for the first time that this is not an isolated instance of sacramental celebration, but a way of life lived by a sacramental community. Role of Liturgical Prayer Liturgical prayer plays an integral formative role in sacramental catechesis. The RCIA describes for us the unique process of sacramental catechesis: "A suitable catechesis is provided by priests or deacons, or by catechist and others of the faithful, planned to be gradual and complete in its coverage, accommodated to the liturgical year, solidly supported by celebrations of the word" [RCIA, 75.1]. We need to restore the integral role of liturgical prayer in sacramental catechesis. Throughout the past 30 years the catechetical and liturgical documents of the Church have emphasized the importance of the formative power of liturgical prayer; yet we have not fully put this into practice. The GDC expertly sums up the situation: "Catechesis is intrinsically bound to every liturgical and sacramental action. Frequently however, the practice of catechetics testifies to a weak and fragmentary link with the liturgy: limited attention to liturgical symbols and rites, scant use of the liturgical fonts, catechetical courses with little or no connection with the liturgical year; the marginalization of liturgical celebrations in catechetical programs" [GDC, 30] In our diocese all those who participate in the parish based sacramental program first gather together in the worship space to celebrate a Liturgy of the Word. This celebration becomes their first 'catechesis' within the context of prayer. Here the scriptural readings, prayers, general intercessions, symbols, gestures and ritual actions all relate to the formal catechesis that follows. It is the way each sacramental catechetical session begins. Through this prayer the faithful receive formation that is intimately connected with the catechesis that follows. Following this all are dismissed to their age appropriate catechesis. In this manner the sacramental catechesis is "solidly supported by celebrations of the word." The faithful are first formed through the proclamation of the living Word of God and this Word in turn constitutes a significant role in the formal catechesis which follows. Content of Sacramental Catechesis Another principle
of the RCIA is that the 'curriculum' or content
of the catechesis is dictated by the liturgical
year. In the Introduction to the Lectionary
for Mass [LMC] it states: If sacramental catechesis is understood as distinct from religious education, then the focus of the content of our sacramental preparation changes. It means a shift in our vision that sees sacramental moments as times when we try to teach everything about the faith because we may not see them again until the next sacramental moment. Concerns about this approach to sacramental catechesis are not new. In 1957 a Dutch catechist noted the following: "Let those who have faith not be hasty lest the spiritual impulses of the child be satiated before they are unlocked. Our education suffers from 'too early and too much'. We anticipate constantly. We drag children towards God instead of letting them come . . . and do not hinder them as the Gospel teaches us. We say 'learn it now and do it now even if you do not desire it.' Meanwhile we think that we risk nothing because we have done everything." As conversion catechesis, sacramental preparation leads people on a journey into the sacramental mystery they are preparing to celebrate. How is this done? The Catechism of the Catholic Church [CCC] gives us a clue to the proper methodology: "Liturgical catechesis aims to initiate people into the mystery of Christ by proceeding from the visible to the invisible, from the sign to the things signified, from the sacraments to the mysteries" [CCC, 1075]. In other words the content for sacramental catechesis is primarily rooted in the rite and the rite sets the agenda for our catechesis. Practically speaking, this means that the ritual prayers, scriptural repertoire, dominant symbols and gestures, ritual structure, the Introduction etc. of the rite wonderfully set forth the meaning of the sacramental mystery into which people are being formed and led. They reveal the very reality and nature of the sacrament. Take, for example, a sacramental catechesis for First Reconciliation. The Introduction to the Rite of Penance [RP] provides us with a deep and rich understanding of the meaning of the mystery of reconciliation in the history of salvation. The rich selection of scriptural readings combine to unfold the fullness of the mystery of reconciliation. The various ritual prayers reveal and clearly express the nature and purpose of the sacrament. And the dominant symbol of the laying on of hands with the prayer of absolution manifest how "in God's design the humanity and loving kindness of our Saviour have visibly appeared to us and so God uses visible signs to give salvation and to renew the broken covenant" [RP, 6.d]. It is this powerful understanding of the mystery of reconciliation that we are called to lead people into on their journey towards the first reception of the sacrament. And at the same time our sacramental catechesis should also empower them to live as a reconciling people. Variety of Ministries The RCIA stresses that leading people to sacraments is a "vital concern to God's people, the Church, which hands on and nourishes the faith received from the apostles" [RCIA, General Introduction, 7]. And the GDC emphasizes that that “catechesis is an essentially ecclesial act" [GDC, 78]. When our children, youth and adults are prepared for a sacrament within the context of the variety of ministries that make up the Church, they begin to see that participation in the sacramental life is not an isolated and/or individual event but a time when we share in and celebrate our common faith. They benefit significantly from the gifts that different members bring to their preparation: the gifts of the assembly, liturgists, musicians, clergy, sponsors, greeters, altar servers, catechists, etc. Conclusion Those who have experienced the proper implementation of the RCIA know how it can revitalize and renew the parish community as well as lead the unbaptized to true conversion to Jesus Christ as realized in the spirit-filled eucharistic community. It is no wonder that the GDC directs that the objectives and dynamism of the catechumenate inspire other forms of catechesis. In our parishes that have implemented this new model for sacramental catechesis, especially for confirmation, first communion, and first reconciliation of all age groups, we have seen a revitalization of the sacramental life of the parish. It also promotes one unified vision of sacraments both in terms of the meaning of the sacrament and preparation for a sacrament. Because it focuses on conversion catechesis those children, youth and their families who have been little involved in parish life or any aspect of religious education, begin to participate in parish activities. Our religious education programs have been strengthened as a result of this. Furthermore, religious education fulfills its 'mystagogical' identity by forever seeking to deepen and enrich our sacramental identity through ongoing formation on sacraments. It is here that we see the intimate union between sacramental catechesis and religious education. Sacramental catechesis leads one to celebrate the fullness of the sacramental mystery through conversion and transformation; religious education is the process of leading one to forever know and continually live out our sacramental identity as Catholic Christians. Linda L. Gaupin, CDP, Ph.D. Reprinted with permission from Catechetical Update, No. 21, Fall 2002, National Conference of Catechetical Leadership: Washington, DC. |
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