For most Maltese children, attending catechism classes is as natural a part of childhood as going to school. Generations of children have attended catechism from the time they start preparing for their first Holy Communion until the year they confirm their faith in the Catholic Church.
Times have changed however and some have started questioning the validity of catechism classes, especially since Confirmation was postponed until children are 12 years old instead of the traditional 10 years. With so many demands on children’s time, parents wonder whether they should continue taking up two evenings a week for children to learn chunks of doctrine off by heart.
Fr René Camilleri, head of the Secretariat for Catechism within the Archbishop’s Curia, is acutely aware of the challenges facing catechism and together with his team is working on bringing the teaching into the 21st century. Duttrina is no longer just a matter of learning prayers and texts off by heart to be repeated parrot fashion when requested; today’s catechism teachings are designed to mould children into the mature Christians they will one day become.
“Faith is not an academic subject that can be taught in the same way as maths or a foreign language. One’s faith should form an integral part of his character,” says Fr Camilleri.
He goes on to draw a parallel with the methods used to teach languages. In the past, the emphasis on learning a language was placed firmly on grammatical rules, leaving many students who had studied a language for five years unable to string a coherent sentence in that language. Nowadays, the emphasis is on the use of the language with grammar still being given the importance it deserves.
Similarly, it is not enough to learn doctrine by rote. Although some things such as the Commandments must still be learnt off by heart, faith must be understood and internalised if one is to practise that faith in daily life. So how do you go about teaching children about faith?
The Secretariat is in the process of overhauling the entire curriculum, publishing new child-oriented textbooks. The message is presented in a positive manner; children should draw comfort from their faith rather than live in fear of divine retribution for wrongdoing. So it’s out with the hellfire and brimstone lessons and in with the more reasoned approach where children are encouraged to think about the consequences of their actions and guided to making choices in line with their faith.
Religious educators are expected to attend refresher courses and update their teaching to match the curriculum established by the Episcopal authorities. Unfortunately, not all educators have embraced the new curriculum and some continue teaching along the same old lines. Although this is perhaps inevitable as the process of changes takes time, the Secretariat is working to bring all teaching in line to ensure that every child is taught correctly.
The structure of lessons is also being overhauled with older children possibly being taken on “educational outings” to help out in the community. The textbooks currently in use also include some exercises which are designed to liven up the lessons, thus further engaging the children’s attention. They are not intended to be given out as homework as, in Fr Camilleri’s words “children get enough homework from school”.
The process of putting the child at the centre of Church activities is not solely confined to catechism either. Last week, the Secretariat for Pastoral Services inaugurated the Children’s Commission within the Diocese with the participation of around 120 children from every corner of the Maltese Islands.
The Commission’s principal aim is to empower children to make their voices heard so a council of 12 members was elected by the children present. The council, which will serve for two years, is expected to meet on a monthly basis to discuss, and take a stand on, matters which happen to be at the forefront of public debate.
Fr Charles Cordina, who heads the Secretariat for Pastoral Services, is also working to publish Church literature in a child-friendly format, thus making it easier for children to feel included in the Church.
As the Church works to make religion more attractive to our children, we as parents also have an important role to play. A priest recently told me that children have an inherent spirituality even before they are taught about religion. He also told me that by the time children reach their eighth birthday, their innocent trust in God has often been tainted by adult influence.
There are times when, faced with an obdurate child seemingly determined to wreak havoc, adults will admonish him or her saying something like “Jesus doesn’t like children who misbehave”. This will put Jesus in the same light as parents and teachers who dole out punishments and rather diminishes the message that “God loves you no matter what”.
As all parents will testify, children have an innate ability to pick up anything we say or do, especially if it is in a “grown up” conversation or situation. And as in all things with children, it’s a case of “Monkey see, monkey do”. So every time we blame the Lord for our misfortunes, children take note and start blaming Him for all that goes wrong as well.
Fr Camilleri also counsels parents to be aware of their children’s psychological development and listen very carefully to their concerns. He also suggests that in order to be able to answer children’s questions fully and accurately, parents too must continue learning about their faith.
For this scenario to come to pass, catechism must no longer be considered
a process that starts with the Holy Communion and ends with the Confirmation, but rather a lifelong journey of discovery. And the only way this will ever happen is if children are encouraged to continue viewing their faith as a comfort rather than a deterrent.
Source: Child Magazine, December 2008