Family Catechesis

[Archaeology cat]

Does anyone have resources/programs for this type of catechesis? I've been thinking about it a lot, and I'd love to talk to my parish's catechist, but I'd like to know what's available first. 

OK, so while I was writing this I found this on the website for the NY archdiocese, and it does have resources, but I'd still love more info, or personal experiences with it. 

[tinytherese]

1. The Joyful Mysteries of Life by Catherine Scherrer

2.  Speaking to the Heart: A Father’s Guide to Growth in Virtue by Stephen Gabriel

3.   Letters to Mary from a Young Mother by Patrice Fagnant-MacArthur

4.   Youth Mentoring: Sharing Your Gifts With the Future by Patricia L. Fry

5.  Raising Kids in the Media Age by Jay Dunlap

6.  Preparing for Peer Pressure: A Guide for Parents of Young Children by James B. Stenson

7.  Your Vocation of Love: A Spiritual Companion for Catholic Mothers by Agnes M. Penny

8.  How to Raise Good Catholic Children by Mary Reed Newland

9.  The Three Marks of Manhood: How to be Prophet, Priest and King of Your Family by Dr. G.C. Dilsaver

10.  Raising Faith-Filled Kids: Ordinary Opportunities to Nurture Spirituality at Home by Tom McGrath

11.  Girls’ Night Out: Having Fun With Your Daughter While Raising a Woman of God by Michaelann Martin with MariAnn Martin

12.  Raising Catholic Children by Mary Ann Kuharski

13.  Christ in the Home by Raoul Plus

14.  Parenting With Grace by Gregory Popcak

15. https://www.osv.com/Shop/Product?ProductCode=T1651

16. http://www.familyformation.net

 

17. Image of God Series

 

It's been a subject that I've been preparing for.

 

[Archaeology cat]

 

 

It's been a subject that I've been preparing for.

 

Obviously!  Thanks! Have you worked with any programs with it or used any of these materials in a program? 

[Basilisa Marie]

My work parish used Family Formation until I got there. Another parish in my deanery uses it with great success, but my parish it basically imploded. 

At my work parish no one was learning much because the parents weren't forced to hand in homework and the monthly meetings were basically just a normal catechesis session. I also wasn't super impressed with the curriculum. These people who run the program self-publish it out of a parish, and the content is okay but not better than a regular curriculum. You'd need to supplement it. It follows a three year liturgical cycle, but I was kind of skeptical with some of the things they chose to highlight for the big monthly gatherings. For example, one of the monthly sessions was only focused on teaching everyone about Adoration as a thing that happens and having an opportunity to go to adoration. Another was on Anointing of the Sick. There's nothing wrong with that, it just seemed a little haphazard in what they chose. The sacramental prep curriculum they offer spends most of its time teaching about eucharistic miracles, so I'd stay away from that.

The parish that makes it work seems like they often supplement it with outside stuff, make a big production out of the monthly meetings (potlucks, etc), they have to turn in homework and have some small groups that meet weekly as families to work on the homework together at the parish, and they use a different sac prep program. They seem to really, really like it because they've been able to really get parents to be the primary catechists of their children, it offers flexibility to families that need it, and it gets different ages working together. But I know they supplement it with some of their own stuff, too. You seem to need the parent buy-in to make it work, which my work parish didn't have, so I switched them to a traditional program that meets every week. 

I've heard really bad things about intergenerational catechesis, where basically no one learns anything of any depth and it's all crafts and glitter. With Family Formation at least the k-3 have a different lesson than the 4-5 (and 6). Same topic, just a different approach. But I know it can be done, and done relatively well. It seems like a lot depends on the kind of staff you have, the kind of volunteers you have, and the personality of the parish. I don't think a weekly program is inherently better, but my parish needed structure and consistency and that was the easiest way to give it to them. We are desperately in need of more adult catechesis (specifically, parents don't really know their faith and are coming back to the Church when their kids hit first communion age), too. 

So TLDR: Family Formation can work, but you have to make sure the program doesn't become a crutch for staff and volunteers and parents to get lazy in their duty to form the kiddos. If I had more parents who were confident teaching the faith, we might still be using Family Formation. Maybe. 

[Archaeology cat]

@Basilisa Marie - I knew you'd have good info! I figured a lot had to be supplemented when I glanced at things. I agree that you'd need to make a big deal about the monthly meetings. And it would have to be better than the way our sacramental prep is done (with that, the kids go off to classes whilst the parents have a class of their own, only the class isn't good, IMO; seems like they're doing triage by then, to be honest)

[Basilisa Marie]

@Basilisa Marie - I knew you'd have good info! I figured a lot had to be supplemented when I glanced at things. I agree that you'd need to make a big deal about the monthly meetings. And it would have to be better than the way our sacramental prep is done (with that, the kids go off to classes whilst the parents have a class of their own, only the class isn't good, IMO; seems like they're doing triage by then, to be honest)

Hahaha thanks. Like I said, the parish across town from me has done it well for years. But I suspect that my predecessor adopted Family Formation so she'd have to do less work. Thing is, it requires a bit more work than a traditional program. Catechesis of the Good Shepherd is a GOLD MINE for sacramental prep stuff, if you can find someone who's been trained in the program. They have GREAT hands on lessons and meditations for the kids. It's sort of like Montessori stuff, if you're familiar with that. I'm using some of their stuff for my First Communion Retreat. 

[tinytherese]

Obviously!  Thanks! Have you worked with any programs with it or used any of these materials in a program? 

No, but I do have experience with the Faith and Life Series. I taught 7th and 8th graders. The students and I struggled with answering the workbook questions and explaining the material. 

[Archaeology cat]

Hahaha thanks. Like I said, the parish across town from me has done it well for years. But I suspect that my predecessor adopted Family Formation so she'd have to do less work. Thing is, it requires a bit more work than a traditional program. Catechesis of the Good Shepherd is a GOLD MINE for sacramental prep stuff, if you can find someone who's been trained in the program. They have GREAT hands on lessons and meditations for the kids. It's sort of like Montessori stuff, if you're familiar with that. I'm using some of their stuff for my First Communion Retreat. 

I'd love for there to be CGS here, but no one is trained in it. I'd been hoping that the Sisters of the Home of the Mother would do it, but no such luck yet.

No, but I do have experience with the Faith and Life Series. I taught 7th and 8th graders. The students and I struggled with answering the workbook questions and explaining the material. 

We have the Kindergarten material from Faith & Life. Our pastor has used the Didache series for his adult ed, but it's really a high school curriculum.