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A little book, popular some years ago, has the evocative title: Wood of the Cradle, Wood of the Cross. The title reminds us that this tiny Baby in the manger is God, Who loves us enough to be one of us. He walked among us and showed us how to live, pray, and serve others. He died for us. He redeemed us. Soon we will be in Lent living the Paschal Mystery – the promise of life for Christians. There are good resources available on the web that can deepen our Lenten experience and there are some good videos, VHS and DVD, at the ORE. Holy Childhood Association through our Propagation of the Faith Office, has wonderful material for youngsters. (Contact Maureen Heil at 617-779-3871 for HCA information.)

As in other parishes a number of our parishioners have lost their jobs. Some of the parishioners who have lost their jobs are also parents of the children and teens in our Religious Education program. In some instances both parents have lost their jobs putting some families into a situation where they need to seek help from the local food pantry or our parish St. Vincent DePaul society. For many, this is the first time in their lives that they have had to ask for help. It is devastating and some people who have always helped others find it uncomfortable to accept the help of others for themselves.

Some parents who are unable to pay the tuition fees for our Religious Education program worry that we will not accept their children into the program so they are reluctant to register their children for classes. We tell families that their children are more important than the tuition fees and that if needed we will work with each family on an individual basis regarding the fees.

Our yearly search for catechists, especially for our weekday classes which take place in the afternoon after school, has become more of a challenge. In some instances mothers who were stay at home moms or had worked part time and taught an afternoon class have gone to work full time and can no longer teach. In some cases both parents are now working full time or longer hours because of down sizing or a pay cut which means very little time for family or parish activities. Grandparents have stepped in to bring their grandchildren to Religious Education classes or other activities. Many grandparents now take care of their grandchildren so that both parents are able to work Along with our weekday after school classes, we also offer classes on Sunday mornings for Grades 1-6 and have found that enrollment for Sunday classes has increased. On the plus side some parents seem more able and willing to teach class on Sunday morning. We feel this trend may continue.

Single parent families with either a father or a mother caring for their children have experienced a great deal of difficulty trying to make ends meet. In the majority of instances they are loving, caring parents who are doing their best to provide for their children. To obtain a job that coincides with the schedules for their children is, to say the least, difficult. They too feel pulled in so many directions and on occasion have had to accept help from different agencies.

In the last few years we have had a number of mothers widowed at an early age with young children to raise and support. There have been a number of mothers with children in our First Communion program at the time of the sudden death of their husbands. Some of the mothers were set financially but others are struggling especially in this hard economic time. It is also emotionally difficult for both the mothers and their children to have their lives altered in such a drastic way.

Some parents have asked the parish to assist them by letting them know if we hear of any available jobs. This has had a good impact with people in the parish networking with one another. Our Parish Pastoral Council has compiled a list of contacts and services available in our town as well as surrounding towns to assist families. Our hope is that this will help give the families a sense of direction and let them know that help is available.

Reverend William F. Salmon is the Pastor of Immaculate Conception Parish, Weymouth. Parish Religious Education Director Ruthann Sinibaldi contributed to this article.

Catechetical Excellence: Congratulations to Our Sister Marion O’Connor Award Recipients

Sister Marion O’Connor, a Religious of the Cenacle, whose name is legendary among religious educators regionally and internationally, died in 1997 after serving for many years as a highly valued member of the Office of Religious Education in the Archdiocese of Boston. She is perhaps best known for her design and direction of The Master Teacher Program here in the Archdiocese of Boston. The Master Teacher Program helped form and educate thousands of catechists and became a model for other dioceses across the country for catechist education.

In 1998 the Office of Religious Education instituted the Sister Marion O’Connor Excellence in Religious Education Leadership Award. The Archbishop of Boston presents two awards at the annual Religious Education Congress, one to a full time, certified parish catechetical leader and one to a catechetical leader from an ethnic, parish affiliated catechetical program. The recipients must meet the criteria:

        ·         nominated by her/his pastor
·         creative initiative in catechetical ministry
·         commitment to her/his own ongoing faith formation and education.

The 2009 recipients are:

Sister Elisete Signor, MSCS, Saint Anthony Parish, Allston serves the Brazilian community with great joy. She offers a beacon of hope and light, a ministry of hospitality and of love. Love of God, the Church and of the people who have come to this country as strangers in a strange land, impel her to offer her faith and expertise. Her leadership is one of strength and companionship

Frances Taylor, serves as Director of Religious Education at Sacred Heart Parish, Lynn. Father Mark Derrane, her pastor, writes, “Fran, an asset to the parish, brings a wealth of experience, a dedicated work ethic...while working with children and adults. She oversees the “Protecting God’s Children” program, assists with fundraising and at the same time continues her own education and formation. She works closely with the Archdiocesan Office of Religious Education and the local religious education cluster group. Fran collaborates with other local parishes and represents the parish with ecumenical groups. I know her fidelity to the mission and that she, along with Saint Paul, is running the race so as to win.” Congratulations to each of them. How blessed the Archdiocese is by their work!

NB: Catechesis, Evangelization and the Culture – The Tapestry of Our Lives was the title of the 2009 New England Diocesan Directors of Religious Education/National Parish Catechetical Directors –New England Region biennial Leadership Convocation. All of the dioceses of New England participated. From August 10 through 13 over 200 Religious Education Leaders met at the Springfield Marriott to learn with and from one another. The major presenters were: Msgr. Michael Clay, Tom Kendzia, ValLimar Jansen, Sr. Sandra Demasi, SSJ, Dr. Wendy Wright, Br. Michael O’Neill McGrath, OSFS. Two sets of workshops were offered in Spanish and English, prayer and Mass (presided at by Bishops of the New England Region) were in a bilingual setting and the banquet and concert: delicious, delightful. The following is a reflection from one of the participants on her experience of those days.

Susan Kay- Assistant Director of Religious Education for Catechetical Leadership/Chair, NECDDRE Convocation

“The People of God finds its unity first of all through the Word of the living God, which is quite properly sought from the lips of priests. Since no one can be saved who has not first believed, priests, as co-workers with their bishops, have as their primary duty the proclamation of the gospel of God to all. In this way, they fulfill the Lord’s command: ‘Go into the whole world and preach the gospel to every creature’ (Mark 16:15). Thus they establish and build up the People of God.” (Vatican II Decree on the Ministry and Life of Priests, 4)

The “primary duty” of priests to proclaim the gospel to all is, of course, an integral part of the entire Church’s commission to do the same. As I remind the religious educators in my parish, they, too, are part of the Church’s ministry of the word. Nevertheless, these reflections concern the specific task of proclamation through preaching, which occurs within the Church’s liturgy.

Priests are called to proclaim the gospel, to announce what God has done - and is doing even now - for all humanity, indeed for all creation, through the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ. With St. Paul, we are called to “preach Christ crucified, the power of God and the wisdom of God.” (1 Cor 1:22-24)

Preaching is proclamation. But, what is “the word” to be proclaimed? The Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us, “The Word of God is the entire content of revelation as contained in the Holy Bible and proclaimed in the Church.” The Word of God, then, is more than the words written down in sacred scripture. The Word of God is sacred scripture as interpreted and proclaimed in the living tradition of the Church, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

The word is alive. It is an encounter with the living God, for Christ Himself is the Word, the Son who reveals the Father. Thus, the word is not mere information; it is transformation in Christ. St. Mark tells us that, on beginning his public ministry, Jesus proclaimed this message: “The time is fulfilled. The Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the gospel.”

In a real sense, this is always the message. It is always the time to enter the Kingdom through faith. I am reminded of the married man who told me, “Every day I decide to be married again.” He meant, of course, that he made a conscious, intentional choice to be what he was called to be. I was struck by this as an image of discipleship. Baptized into the life of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and living our faith in charity, we are citizens of the Kingdom. Yet, every day, we must also decide again to be citizens of the Kingdom.

Preaching is a living proclamation when it calls us to open our eyes to see what God is doing in the world in Jesus Christ. Preaching is proclamation when it calls us to respond in faith, again, to Christ’s invitation to enter the Kingdom and to leave behind anything that would or could keep us from entering it. This is the meaning of “repentance” - turning our lives around, accepting God’s merciful love in Christ, leaving sin behind, and orienting our entire lives so that we live as Kingdom people. (Read Luke 3:10-14, where John the Baptist describes the fruits of repentance.)

There are two questions I ask myself whenever I am studying the scriptures to prepare a homily. First, “What is ‘the word’ God was speaking in the life of His people in this scripture?” Second, because the word is always alive, “How is God speaking this word today?” A preacher’s responsibility is to open up the meaning of the word, to interpret it as a living, active, vital proclamation of Christ, the Word, claiming us as His own for the Kingdom.

At the beginning of each meeting last year, I invited the members of our Parish Pastoral Council to reflect on the text of Ephesians 4:1-7, 11-16. In light of the pain and loss in our Church in recent years, Paul’s image of building up the Body of Christ seems so powerful, so full of hope. Through baptism, we have all been commissioned to build up Christ’s Body, the Church. Preaching is one, essential part of that commission. Indeed, preaching exists precisely for that commission.

And, thus, the wisdom of this word of the Church: “In the hearing of God’s word the Church is built up and grows, and in the signs of the liturgical celebration God’s many wonderful, past works in the history of salvation are symbolically presented anew. God, in turn, makes use of the assembly of the faithful … that his word may speed on in triumph and his name be exalted among all peoples.” (Lectionary for Mass, #7)

Fr. David C. Michael, Pastor, St. John Chrysostom Parish, West Roxbury; Associate Director, Archdiocesan Office for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs

Proclamando la Palabra: Un diálogo en verdad y en amor
by Janet P. Benestad, Secretary for Faith Formation and Evangelization
    Translated by Maria Pilar Latorre, Assistant Director for Hispanic Catechesis

El Obispo Nguyen Van Thuan fue nombrado Arzobispo Cuajutor de Saigón poco antes de que la ciudad cayera en poder del Comunismo en 1975. Estuvo preso 13 años, nueve de ellos en confinamiento solitario. Durante su tiempo de prisión, Van Thuan, elaboró un índice de palabras religiosas para uno de sus guardianes comunistas que incluían definiciones como las que siguen:” abad… vida monástica, silencio, pobreza, obediencia, castidad, ayuno, trabajo manual, trabajo pastoral e intelectual, etc” “Muy lentamente - dice Van Thuan- fui explicándole el índice, una especie de intenso catecismo para   comunistas acendrados. Este sistema fue un camino para el diálogar en verdad y en amor en vez de discutir y criticar”
Cuando empecé a trabajar en catequesis a nivel diocesano un Obispo me dijo: “Enséñales el vocabulario, Janet, enséñales el sentido de las palabras” El tema para este año catequético, Proclamación y la Palabra de Dios, nos urge a hacer precisamente ésto. Cuando se proclama el Evangelio, oímos las palabras de Jesús, no solo lo que significaban para los contemporáneos de Jesús, sino lo que significan para las gentes de todos los tiempos. Cuando enseñamos a cerca de Jesús usamos palabras como “sacramento”, “Encarnación” y “Redención” . Estas palabras apuntan a realidades misteriosas y nos ayudan a presentir un poco el significado de esas realidades aquí en la tierra. Este es el valor del Catecismo. Como en el caso del Cardenal Van Thuan y el guardia comunista, el maestro y el alumno, que enfocados en realidades catequéticas entablan un diálogo que es productivo e inspirador porque es siempre sobre Jesucristo. La catequesis nunca puede ser simple transmisión de información, no es mera instrucción. La catequesis es el medio por el cual las preguntas más profundas del corazón humano encuentran respuesta. San Agustín habla de que “un corazón ardiendo hace arder a otro corazón”.
Ciertamente es Jesucristo mismo quien es la respuesta a todas nuestras preguntas religiosas y morales. (Veritatis splendor, 2). El Catecismo de la Iglesia Católica se hace eco de las palabras de San Agustín cuando dice: “a través de todas las palabras de la Sagrada Escritura, Dios dice una sola palabra, su Verbo único, en quien Él se dice en plenitud” (102). Y ciertamente, es a través de todas las palabras del Catecismo como la Iglesia nos da a conocer la Palabra de Dios, Jesucristo.
Orígenes explica el poder de la Palabra cuando escribiendo en contra de una de las primeras herejias dice: “El Verbo cambia las multitudes de ser licenciosas a vivir vidas más pacíficas y de no ser rectos a ser nobles de carácter y de ser cobardes o afeminados a tal valor que incluso desprecian la muerte a causa de la piedad que creen justa. El Verbo de Dios obró a través de…(los apóstoles) para transformar a muchos que pecan por naturaleza y hábito. El Verbo transformó incluso a los que no se podían cambiar mediante castigos, formándolos y moldeándolos según Su voluntad”. (Contra Celsum, III, 69). Por la gracias de Dios, la catequesis es transformadora Quienes de verdad escuchan la Palabra de Dios, la asimilan y esta Palabra les transforma para siempre.
Ante el secularismo de nuestros días y la desenfrenada desafección por la Iglesia, es fácil olvidarnos del poder de la Palabra y de la capacidad humana que tenemos para comunicarla con nuestras palabras y nuestras obras. Ya sea en la Liturgia Sagrada, en un servicio de oración, en una clase de educación religiosa en una parroquia, en la escuela católica, en una actividad con jóvenes, en una vigilia, al lado de la cama de un hospital, en la celda de una prisión, en un comedor de caridad, en un centro para ancianos, en una boda o en un funeral, o incluso en la presencia silenciosa ante una persona sorda o en el cuidado de un enfermo o de un pobre,- la enseñanza de Jesucristo, viva en nuestras palabras y en nuestras acciones, tiene el poder de convertir los corazones y las mentes.
Estoy muy agradecida a Su Eminencia el Cardenal O’Malley por la oportunidad que me brinda de servir a los fieles de la Arquidiócesis de Boston en el Departamento de Formación en la Fe y Evangelización. Susan Abbott, Susan Kay y Pilar Latorre Directora y Directoras Asistentes, respectivamente, en la Oficina de Educación Religiosa, han organizado una serie de visitas en este otoño para que pueda reunirme con los líderes de las catequesis parroquiales. Este mes, catequistas procedentes de muchas parroquias de la Arquidiócesis se reunirán el 24 de octubre en Randolph para celebrar el Congreso Catequético. Que a lo largo de este año proclamemos la Palabra con el debido respeto a su poder transformante, y como el Cardenal Van Thuan aprovechemos cualquier oportunidad para catequizar dialogando en verdad y en amor.

Cardinal O'Malley with Mrs. Janet Benestad, Cabinet Secretary for Faith Formation and Evangelization and the Staff of the Religious Education Office
l to r: Susan Kay, Susan Abbott, Cardinal O'Malley, Janet Benestad, Pilar Latorre

The Religious Education Leadership Advisory Board wanted a way to honor the Cardinal in this 25th Anniversary year. We thought that perhaps the best way to honor him would be by asking our parishes and parish affiliated catechetical communities to contribute to a “Spiritual Bouquet”, offering acts of charity and prayer, to honor his leadership.

Cardinal Seán’s Episcopal motto: Do whatever he tells you, is from John’s Gospel, the Wedding at Cana where Mary, Jesus’ beloved mother, knowing that her son will act with generosity and compassion, directs others to heed him. In that spirit of the Gospel the Cardinal has asked us, most recently, to turn hearts to Christ by acting in charity toward one another, to strangers and to loved ones, to friend and to those who do not want to be our friends. Cardinal Seán has urged us to be the first to forgive, to be, as the Letter of James says, doers of the WORD, not just hearers, to do all that we do with love, kindness and compassion, in the name of Jesus Christ.

In honoring Cardinal Seán’s Gospel vision, we ask you to think of ways that parishes/religious education communities, can honor Christ’s command while consciously remembering the Cardinal’s anniversary. We presented Cardinal Seán with a certificate at the Catechetical Congress that tells him that we are offering prayer and action in gratitude to God for his being among us, for his leadership, for his love of us. Before the catechetical year ends we will ask parishes/catechetical communities to, in one page, say what the parish/community has done so that we can archive these spiritual gifts for the Cardinal. Your parish/community will know best what to do.

Please call or email Susan Kay (617-746-5861; Susan_Kay@rcab.org) if you have questions, concerns or ideas that you would like to share about this effort.

January	22	Friday	Leadership Institute for New Catechetical Leaders *	9:30AM to 3:00 PM
February	26	Friday (Snow date: Friday, 3/5)	Enrichment Day: Autism: "Forming faith through a community of inclusion" –Sue Swanson (Grant from Boston College/WSTM) Register at http://www.bc.edu/stmce	9:30 to 3:00 –Lunch included (no fee)
March	12	Friday	Catholic Families and the Bible A Workshop for Parish Leaders Center for Ministry Development	9AM to 2:00 PM (minimal fee for lunch and materials)
These events will be held at the Pastoral Center in Braintree. * Please register by contacting the ORE 617-779-3625 or e-mail Susan_Kay@rcab.org

January, 2010
	In this issue: Winter Calendar Economic Times & Religious Education Catechetical Excellence Proclamation of the Word! Proclamando la Palabra: Un diálogo en verdad y en armor Reflections on Leadership Enrichment Honoring Cardinal O’Malley