The Catechetical Review - Communicating Christ for a New Evangelization

Articles Under: Marriage and Family

Children's Catechesis: The Four Pillars of Formation for Children and Families
The human, spiritual, intellectual, and pastoral pillars of formation are used to guide the formation of Catholic priests and deacons throughout the world. The United States Bishops’ document Coworkers in the Vineyard [i] applies these four principles to lay ecclesial ministers, including catechists. In this article, we extend the application to children and families. The terms “religious education,” “catechesis,” and “faith formation” are practically interchangeable in the way parishes use them today. No matter what terms we prefer, it makes sense to concern ourselves with the whole person, who is, by nature, in relationship with other persons. Human Formation When... Read more
The Home: A Catholic Subculture That Makes a Difference Free
Is there such a thing as Catholic culture in America anymore? And if there is, is it capable of producing religiously committed Catholics across generations? Or would we have to consider it simply a fading vestige of ethnic or familial identity? From John Paul II to Benedict XVI to Francis, the renewal of Catholic culture in Western societies has been considered an intrinsic dimension of the New Evangelization. With regard to a so-called “Catholic culture,” however, the movement from ideal to real — from exhortations to concrete renewal — is sobering and presents many practical questions. Are there any social... Read more
To Ritualize a Marriage: Introducing the Second Edition of the Order of Celebrating Matrimony
One evening when I came home from the office, my 12-year-old daughter was busily attending to her homework. Working on a lesson in suffixes, she asked me about the word “revitalize.” I don’t claim to know much about grammar, but I do remember an insight on the suffix “-ize” from Dr. David Fagerberg, then a professor of liturgical theology at Mundelein’s Liturgical Institute. His lesson was short and to the point: “Whenever you see ‘ize’ at the end of a word,” he suggested, “it means ‘to make.’” For example, “trivialize” means “to make trivial.” “Familiarize” means “to make familiar.” “Minimize”... Read more
Divorce: Helping the Children Heal Free
The Church, while appreciating the situations of conflict that are part of marriage, cannot fail to speak out on behalf of those who are most vulnerable: the children who often suffer in silence. (Amoris Laetitia) In his new apostolic exhortation on The Joy of Love , Pope Francis has called the world’s parishes to reach out and minister to families going through divorce. [i] While this support is long overdue, there’s a danger in running groups specifically for the children. The Catechism of the Catholic Church reminds us that “Parents have the first responsibility for the education of the children…”... Read more
Six Keys to Engaging Parents and Families in Parish Faith Formation
The family has a privileged place in catechesis. The Catechism states that “parents receive the responsibility of evangelizing theirchildren”and calls them the “first heralds” of the faith. [i] The family is also called “domestic church”—the church of the home. [ii] Catechesis in the parish can give structure and support to faith formation in the home. Parish catechesis is systematic and comprehensive, while the formation that parents provide is more organic and focused on particular occasions in the life of the family. Parents play an indispensable role in helping the faith come alive for their children. The family is the first... Read more
The Family: The Church in Miniature Free
John Paul II was convinced that the wellbeing of both society and the Church depends on the health and strength of the family. Anticipating the coming crisis, he wrote, “The future of humanity passes by way of the family .” [i] By 1981, John Paul II could see that “the family is the object of numerous forces that seek to destroy it or in some way to deform it.” [ii] Thirty-five years later, the attacks on the family have dramatically intensified to the point where its nature (the complimentary unity of man and woman) and its purpose (indissoluble union and... Read more
Marriage Preparation as Evangelization
The true essence of marriage lies in the marital bond. Since the sacramentality of marriage consists principally in the indissoluble bond, the indissolubility does not come into being exclusively or principally by the mutual obligation that is undertaken with the consent of the two, but by the action of God …That which God gives remains forever; he does not repent of his gifts …The matrimony of two of the baptized…is in real , essential and intrinsic relationship with the mystery of the union of Christ wit h the Church…and therefore it participates in its nature… [i] These words from Italian... Read more
From the Shepherds: Marriage—the Starting Point of the “New Human Ecology” Free
A couple of years ago, when I celebrated Confirmation at a large, working-class Hispanic parish in our Archdiocese, I was quite edified by two of the young confirmandi, who shared reflections on what their Confirmation meant to them. They said that their Confirmation gave them the grace to go forth and “build a civilization of truth and love.” I could not have said it better myself! Truth in love: the foundation of civilization. Both are necessary, both together, if we wish to have a flourishing society: truth and love. In “ Truth in Love ,” Pope Benedict XVI’s encyclical on... Read more
Editor's Reflections: Missionary Creativity in Support of the Family Free
We need to find the right language, arguments and forms of witness that can help us r each the hearts of young people, appealing t o their capacity for generosity, commitment, love and even heroism, and in this way inviting them to take up the challenge of marria ge with enthusiasm and courage. (Pope Francis, Amoris Laetitia , art. 40) God is present in the ordinary humanity of family life: in the crises and in the joys. As catechists, we have the privilege of helpingpeoplebecome more attuned and responsive to this God who is present through matrimonial grace. What difference... Read more
El empoderamiento de los padres de familia para encauzar el discipulado de sus propios hijos, 2ª Parte
El empoderamiento de los padres de familia para encauzar el discipulado de sus propios hijos, 2ª Parte Escrito por Jim Beckman en The Catechetical Review, número 1.2 Algunas consideraciones para los padres de familia En el último número, Jim Beckman describió como los ministros juveniles puedan trabajar con una mentalidad que respeta y habilita a los padres a familia para ser los catequistas principales de sus hijos adolescentes. Jim concluye esta serie que consta de dos partes, dirigiéndose a los padres de familia en cuanto a los puntos fundamentales para encaminar sus propios hijos hacia una vida en Cristo. El... Read more