The answer is simple – all of ours. That means that the domestic church and those who support it (the parish, diocese, and universal church) have a big job. So what’s new to help us all?
The Growing Faith Project by Bill Huebsch (this Journal’s lead author) will get you started and his most recent work, Into the Fields: Forming Capable Catechists and Teachers for the Whole Community, will keep you going. See www.growingfaithproject.com for related resources. This new emphasis in catechesis is something we cannot ignore. Enjoy!
The Center for Ministry Development provides a number of resources committed to intergenerational faith formation at www.generationsoffaith.org. Check out Volume II of Generations of Faith which focuses on celebrating the sacraments and John Roberto’s most recent book, Becoming a Church of Lifelong Learners, 23rd Publications, 2006.
I would be remiss not to mention the series from Harcourt Religion Publishers: People of Faith: Generations Learning Together. The series includes six-session intergenerational program manuals and household magazines to accompany each session. Titles for the manuals include: Acting for Justice, Following Jesus, Professing Our Faith, Celebrating the Sacraments, Responding in Prayer, and Living the Moral Life. Check it out at www.harcourtreligion.com.
Catholic Traditions in the Home and Classroom: 365 Days to Celebrate a Catholic Year (Our Sunday Visitor, Huntington, IN, 2006, www.osv.com) by Ann Ball offers ways that you and the children in your home or classroom can discover the rich heritage of the Catholic faith.
On the Job Prayers: 101 Reflections and Prayers for Christians In Every Occupation (Acta Publications, Skokie, Ill. 2006: www.actapublications.com) is an engaging contribution to the growing literature on the spirituality of work. Thompson provides brief passages on the spirituality of work, scripture, and a short prayer for each day. I have already used one of the quotes for a recent talk and found it a good way to help others see the relationship between work and God.
Fr. Jim Martin SJ, of America magazine, has produced a wonderful volume entitled My Life With The Saints (Loyola Press, 2006, www.loyolapress.org). Martin walks us through his own spiritual journey using the saints – those officially proclaimed and those who have been recognized by the community of the faithful (Merton, Dorothy Day, John XXIII). Great spiritual reading.
One very popular and thoughtful author I suggest for your consideration is Fr. Ron Rolheiser, OMI. Over the years he has produced some great volumes. One classic is The Holy Longing. A volume I recently found very helpful is Forgotten Among The Lilies: Learning to Love Beyond Our Fears. Check his website www.ronrolheiser.com. Rolheiser also makes his weekly syndicated Catholic newspaper column available on his site. I read it faithfully. While I don’t always totally agree with him, he is very insightful and challenging for us on the journey.
Because we care about our children and want what’s best for them, consider the following resource: Bedtime Prayers by Jean-Yves Garneau (Collegeville, Minn.: Liturgical Press, 2004, www.litpress.org) It offers two collections of prayers – one section for you as the parent to pray with your baby or toddler and the other for children themselves to pray at bedtime.
Liguori Press offers us Catie the Caterpillar – a story to help break the silence of sexual abuse (2006, www.Liguori.org). This is a child’s tale created by Tracy M. Schamburg, a licensed, professional counselor and beautifully illustrated by Melanie Ellis Riley. Consider putting it in your resource library and recommend it to parents and staff as a tool to assist in the healing. It is a straightforward presentation that realistically portrays the scenario of child abuse and healing for a child. Hard stuff to tackle, but worthwhile.
Lest I forget—Take a look at the Pope Benedict XVI’s new encyclical God is Love. It will take some time to get through, but persevere. It is a very worthwhile meditation. It can be found at www.usccb.org/pope/CARITAS-06-eng.pdf. Yes, God is Love, and we who share this love freely with our family/parish/neighborhood/world truly abide in Him.
This is your column. Let me know what you read and find helpful. I can be reached at wurbine@allentowndiocese.org. As always, you pray for my family, and I’ll pray for yours.
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This column originally appeared in the Spring 2006 issue of Family Perspectives, the National Association of Catholic Family Life Minister’s (NACFLM) Journal. For more information about NACFLM or permission to reprint contact the Journal chair, Lauri Przybysz (410) 547-5420, lprzybysz@archbalt.org .