January 2009

Catholic identity: Community is key to our faith

Apprentice your learners in the way of faith

Who would have thought of hurricanes as a catechetical tool? Jan Vallero, who lives in the heart of hurricane country, that’s who. Take a look at the ideas she starts swirling in this powerful article. —NW
Apprenticeships for children in the parish

  1. Prepare the children by asking them to interview their parents and godparents about their own baptism, especially the origin of their name. Gather them in the church at the baptismal font and bless them with holy water.

  2. Ask parishioners to sponsor children preparing for sacraments and to write letters, like Saint Paul, to each other.

  3. Provide opportunities for children to be in service to each other, to parish initiatives (missions, food drives, etc.) or to civic activities (crop walk, gleaning, etc.).

  4. Connect home life to the liturgical life of the parish by providing at-home resources.

  5. Enlist children to lead prayer or song at gatherings.

  6. Give children Catholic jewelry, art, holy cards, icons, and sacramentals to reinforce Catholic identity.

  7. Explore the depths of Catholic social teaching. Even the very young experience what is "fair" and "unfair."

  8. Post photos (with permission) of families in sacramental preparation activities like retreats and prayer on the parish Web site.

  9. Encourage liturgical ministers and pastoral staff to call children by name as well as encourage children to learn the names of their parish community ministers.

  10. Allow time for the tender care and feeding of maturing souls. Apprenticeship is just that-apprenticeship. Trust the Holy Spirit.


Hurricanes are an inevitable part of life in my home of North Carolina. Everyone recognizes the significance of the black and red hurricane flag and the evacuation route signs. Every household keeps an emergency kit. No single person can properly weather a hurricane. It takes a unified community effort. Experience of hurricanes may serve as a metaphor for catechists and teachers who “prepare the Christian to live in community and to participate actively in the life and mission of the church” (General Directory for Catechesis, 86).

To ensure our ways of Catholic knowing and spiritual preparedness, the Hurricanes are an inevitable part of life in my home of North Carolina. Everyone recognizes the significance of the black and red hurricane flag and the evacuation route signs. Every household keeps an emergency kit. No single person can properly weather a hurricane. It takes a unified community effort. Experience of hurricanes may serve as a metaphor for catechists and teachers who “prepare the Christian to live in community and to participate actively in the life and mission of the church” (General Directory for Catechesis, 86).

To ensure our ways of Catholic knowing and spiritual preparedness, the General Directory for Catechesis describes the course of “education for community life,” which is achieved through "apprenticeship, the teaching of Christ on community life… and fraternal love" (86a). The Directory clearly articulates our Catholic way of knowing, loving, and serving God and so articulates our Catholic identity.

Apprenticeship in Catholic identity


Our apprenticeship in the Catholic community begins when we are initiated into the community of faith. Baptism is not solely about the one to be baptized; it is also about the entire church, which makes a profession of faith and renews baptismal promises. The Catholic community of faith proclaims a lifelong commitment to apprentice the newly baptized in faith. Together, as a community, we grow into a mature faith.

Ronald Rolheiser, OMI, reminds us that "baptism consecrates us, and consecration is a conscriptive rope that takes us to where we would rather not go, namely, into that suffering that produces maturity" (The Holy Longing, p. 122). Catholic identity is not lived in isolation, and it deepens and matures as we participate in the life of the church.

Reflection In what specific way do I live out my baptismal call to be "priest, prophet, and servant leader (king)"? Do I encourage others to do so?

Identify with the Master Catechist


An apprentice is dependent upon a master. Christ, the Master Teacher, calls each of us to evangelize and catechize by more than just prayers and words. If "the rule of prayer is the rule of faith-lex orandi, lex credendi" (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1124), we are to pray and imitate Christ in our daily lives. If we are growing in maturity, "the love of Christ urges us on" (2 Cor 5:14) to provide for the poor and marginalized. Apprenticeship translates into living the "fraternal love" of the Master. Catholic social teaching holds up a mirror to the way in which our community of faith lives in imitation of Christ and is a profound reflection of our Catholic identity.

Reflection What are two ways in which I claim my Catholic identity in my words or my actions? How does the love of Christ urge me to evangelize, catechize, and teach others?

Paul, the pray-er


It is timely, in this Year of Paul, to pay close attention to his story. Paul understood community, and his letters show how important prayer is for the community. "Prayer is the raising of one's mind and heart to God or the requesting of good things from God" (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2559). As you listen to Paul's letters proclaimed at Mass, notice his teaching journey. His story begins with his apprenticeship into the life of Christ and the community of faith. His experience parallels our experience as teachers. His conversion led to initiation which, in turn, led to his vocation and ministry. All teachers follow a similar path with a decisive moment to teach. Paul's conversion, teaching, and lifelong growth in faith are echoed in the National Directory for Catechesis: "Like all Christians, catechists are called to continual conversion and growth in their faith and, for this reason, are called to ongoing spiritual formation" (236).

Reflection What am I doing for my own ongoing spiritual formation? What opportunities do I provide for others to continue growing in faith?

Hurricanes and children are vivid forces of nature. Knowledge and preparation are vital to responding to both. The church has called our catechists and teachers to echo the faith and our communities to foster Catholic identity. Through apprenticeship in the life of the faith community, Scripture, and tradition, we are able to boldly face any force of nature. RTJ