Fads, by definition, come and go. Whole Community Catechesis, says the man who has effectively summarized this process for parish evangelization and lifelong faith formation, is not a fad.
"This isn't a pedagogy, or methodology, or even a suggested program," says Bill Huebsch. "Those things come and go as fads. This is deeper. It's the idea that all the baptized are called to live their faith in community, to follow the Gospel, to know Christ. That's no more a fad than the Gospel is a fad."
A former DRE and diocesan administrator in Crookston and New Ulm, Minnesota, Huebsch has become most popularly known in recent years for his book "Whole Community Catechesis in Plain English" (Twenty-Third Publications), which outlines a framework for a process of parish faith formation. The process moves beyond the school-house, "teaching about the faith" approach most associated with religious education to embrace all avenues of faith formation, particularly liturgy and the family.
In the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, Huebsch has spoken regularly to parishes which have shown an increasing interest and involvement in implementing Whole Community Catechesis (or, as Huebsch prefers, "lifelong catechesis"). The response from parish leaders here and elsewhere, he says, is encouraging.
"Change takes a long time, and in the United States we have been quite committed to an approach to catechesis which does not embrace the whole community, which is not linked directly to liturgy, and which aims mainly at instructing children," he notes. "While that instruction is vital and an important part of whole community catechesis, it certainly is not all that we're talking about.
"But there are signs everywhere that people see the deficiencies and want to change. One sign is the sheer number of people who come to diocesan sponsored events on this topic. These are leaders in their own communities. They know we need this shift in focus, and they are the real heroes here. They're underpaid, overworked, under appreciated, and yet they're willing to take on this reform and move it forward. They are the real sign, the real ministers of reform."
With a Masters in Theological Studies from the Catholic Theological Union of Chicago, Huebsch has worked in Catholic publishing since 1995, first as vice president and director of marketing for RCL in Dallas, and presently as senior advisor on whole community catechesis to Harcourt Religion Publishers.
He also serves as an advisor to dioceses and parishes across the United States and other nations to implement reforms of catechesis called for in the General Directory for Catechesis. A frequent speaker at the Religious Education Congress, he spoke with The Tidings prior to presenting workshops at this weekend's event in Anaheim.
Q: What, overall, has been the response to Whole Community Catechesis? Has the response varied from DREs, pastors or others?
A: Around the world, and especially in the United States, the need for reform in our catechetical work has been clear to many people for a long time. We recognize the fact that unless those whom we catechize actually come to know and love Christ and the church, our work is in vain. And we also realize that no matter how excellent our classrooms are, if the child or adult being catechized returns to a home where the faith is not cherished or understood, the results are weakened significantly.
So given this, and the range of possible solutions offered in Whole Community Catechesis, the response has been mainly positive. A few worry that somehow by broadening our reach to the whole community, the children's education will suffer. But in fact, when they look closer, they see the opposite it actually true. When we bring the adults of the parish into the learning circle, and center what we do in Christ, the faith of the entire community is increased and deepened.
Q: What is WCC rightfully called --- a process, a program, a concept? And is "Whole Community Catechesis" the most favored term?
A: Good question. I think a better term than "whole community catechesis" might be "lifelong catechesis." In their pastoral plan regarding this, entitled "Our Hearts Were Burning Within Us," the U.S. Bishops call it the "central task" in the entire catechetical enterprise. You can't get more focused than that!
But it is very important to note that we aren't talking about some new program which parishes adopt. We're talking about a change in thinking. From what to what? From a focus only on children to one that includes everyone in the parish. From a separation between catechetical classes and Sunday liturgy to a strong, unbreakable connection between the two. From being satisfied with studying about the church, to a profound encounter with Christ which leads to a response of faith, on the affective level as well as the cognitive.
This is a process into which parishes enter in all aspects of parish life, at every meeting and gathering, in every moment and every program. We become a catechizing community of faith.
Q: In Los Angeles, the recent Synod process established a series of pastoral priorities for the local church --- among them, evangelization, structures for participation, ministry and leadership, sacramental living, social justice, and the ongoing education and formation of adults, young adults and youth. In that context, what in Los Angeles has struck you (impressed you) in the way parishes have developed WCC?
A: I think the Synod in the Archdiocese of L.A. was absolutely prophetic. The goals and outcomes of the synod are precisely the same as those of whole community catechesis. As I worked with Sister Edith Prendergast (director), Father David Loftus (adult education coordinator) and the rest of the archdiocesan Office of Religious Education staff to plan how we should proceed with Whole Community Catechesis, we found tremendous synergy.
As the parishes go forward, implementing the Synod, what they most need is a practical framework on which to hang their work. It has to be doable and it has to fit into the culture of each parish. Whole Community Catechesis, with its focus on lifelong learning, does this beautifully. As I've met parish after parish and pastor after pastor around L.A. in the past couple of years, I see them taking bold steps, moving in the direction of the Synod, and actually taking the steps needed to live this great new vision of being church.
Q: What do parishes/pastors/DREs say are the main stumbling blocks to implementing WCC?
A: Honestly, the main stumbling block is the lack of focus on conversion, on bringing folks to know and love Christ. Being in Christ, entering into the death of the Lord, is the direct call of baptism, and yet so few Catholics today have had this experience. The encounter with Christ is the first step. So no matter how much a parish remodels its programs or buildings or staff, if they don't bring to life a parish based process to help folks make this conversion, everything we do is lost.
I see this is our biggest challenge. I'm sure it's precisely why "evangelization," as the Synod calls this process of turning our hearts to Christ, was the first outcome of the Synod. It is the first step.
Q: Is a whole new model/mindset necessary in religious education/faith formation? And what sort of resistance is there?
A: I don't think we need a new model as such. What we need is to bring the adults into the learning circle of the parish. If the present model can do that, hooray! If not, then we need to make change. What is clear --- both based on the L.A. Synod and the goals of whole community catechesis --- is this: Whatever else we do with the kids, we must find a way to bring the adults into the learning circles of the parish. Period.
Q: The connection between liturgy and religious education at the parish level is essential in WCC, but in the past that connection has not always happened smoothly, or at all, especially where the RCIA is involved. Many still see RCIA as a program of education, rather than a Lectionary-based faith formation process. As WCC is implemented, what have you seen that other parishes who are in the beginning stages can or should learn from?
A: Wow! This is huge. For us Catholics, liturgy isn't merely something we do. It's who we are. We are the Body of Christ. We become what we celebrate and receive. I always hate to remind catechists and religious ed folks about this, but catechesis is not the source and summit of the Christian life. Eucharist is. Liturgy is our lifeblood. Catechesis helps us unpack and elaborate the experience of Christ and the Word and the Community which liturgy brings us. Liturgy precedes catechesis.
But you're right. Many parents and even staff people have come to believe that if the children get some religious education, that is sufficient. They've met the church. They've "gotten a little religion." This is simply ineffective and untrue. So as parishes go forward in whole community catechesis, they are doing things that can teach us all.
For example, many now extend the process of "breaking open the Word" of the Sunday readings throughout the following week. Many are offering a larger welcome, even to those normally excluded from liturgy. Many are holding parish-based retreats (the most powerful way to provide opportunities within the parish which give rise to the possibility of conversion). These are excellent examples for other parishes to follow.
Q: Ultimately, how does WCC serve the parish community --- and, by extension, the Church?
A: I mentioned above that parish workers --- pastors, staff, key volunteers --- need practical, concrete frameworks on which to hang reforms like these. They need powerful suggestions, doable plans and clear, well-articulated vision. This is the real gift of whole community catechesis. It gives us a process to follow. The beauty of it is that every parish does this differently. Every parish has its own culture, language groups and pastoral style.
I want to say again, though, that the most profound gift of whole community catechesis is the practical plan it offers for achieving what we call "evangelization," which is a terribly difficult word for most Catholics. Whole community catechesis helps us lead people to Christ, which means that by grace, they become persons of justice, persons working endlessly for peace, persons taking the part of the powerless, persons with a heart for the poor, persons eager to be forgiving, generous and hospitable.
To be in Christ is to live as Christ taught his disciples to live. It's to enter into the death of the Lord in all the ways I just listed --- and more! And then it's to invite others to do this, too. Very, very powerful. Powerful enough to change and save the world. |