Religious Education Supplement

Families pray, learn together in parish catechetical program

Father Shaun Whittington, pastor of St. John the Baptist Parish in Osgood, prays on July 16 in adoration of the Blessed Sacrament with children during a children’s holy hour. The prayer service is part of the Apostolate for Family Consecration’s “Consecration in Truth” catechetical program. (Photo by Jennifer Lindberg)

By Jennifer Lindberg (Special to The Criterion)

OSGOOD—A catechetical program that St. John the Baptist Parish in Osgood in the Batesville Deanery recently began using has shown some surprising results.

Like the Protestant baby sitter hired for the nursery, who started overhearing what was being taught about the Catholic faith and decided to participate in the parish’s Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults process.

Or the parents who were hearing so much excitement from their children about what they were learning that they decided to stop dropping their children off at the door and attend the classes offered for adults.

Father Shaun Whittington, pastor of St. John Parish, said the Apostolate for Family Consecration’s “Consecration in Truth” program helps bring the entire parish together to learn about their faith in a meaningful way.

“The apostolate’s catechetical materials are prayer-based,” he said. “It’s Catholic, and it has substance.”

The parish provides child care for young children so parents can learn about their faith. Staffing the nursery was the biggest challenge as the volunteers wanted to learn what was being taught, said Father Whittington.

A solution was found when a parishioner said her Protestant mother would staff the nursery. That solution led to her deeper inquiry about the Church, he said.

As for the parents who used to drop their kids off at the door and run errands, Father Whittington said they have found that they can grocery shop on another night because the apostolate’s materials are so engaging.

The evening starts with a dinner, leads into prayer then has the group separate with adults and children going to age-appropriate classes. The program incorporates doctrinal materials that are centered on Scripture, the documents of the Second Vatican Council, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and teachings from the saints and fathers of the Church.

It uses videos that feature Cardinal Francis Arinze, prefect of the Holy See’s Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, and a book to help families learn about their faith.

The materials also easily streamline into other areas to bring families together in their faith.

For the prayer portion of the program, Father Whittington often uses a children’s holy hour that is based on the Children of Hope program started by the Community of St. John in Princeville, Ill.

“The adults don’t mind it being on the children’s level,” said Father Whittington. “And the children tell me how praying before the Blessed Sacrament makes Mass more meaningful for them. They tell me it’s the highlight of their week.”

The children sit around the foot of the altar on carpet squares as Father Whittington takes them through Benediction and an examination of conscience. He also gives the children a short lesson each time, such as what the Church teaches about guardian angels.

Corey West, 24, a member of St. John Parish, has been coming to the Children’s Adoration since last September.

“It makes me want to find out more and help people,” West said. “I feel very spiritual after the holy hour.”

Bernadette Gorman, 19, likes seeing the priest interact with the youth.

“I like seeing the priest involved,” she said. “It doesn’t ever feel like an hour to me. It’s great to come and sing and be with family.”

And Samuel Douglas, 7, said he liked learning that he could pray to his guardian angel.

“They are our friends,” he said.

Trying to help families learn together along with the entire parish community has been an emphasis of the Church’s magisterium for some time, said Ken Ogorek, director of catechesis for the Archdiocese of Indianapolis.

“Happily, several factors are converging right now in ways that make authentic catechesis more accessible for larger numbers of adults,” he said.

Ogorek is familiar with the apostolate’s materials, which are approved by his office for use in the archdiocese.

“When families have access to solid content communicated in engaging ways and when they have opportunities to reflect on and apply the truths of our faith together as a family, then they see that faith isn’t a compartment of life that applies only to certain age levels, but a lifelong experience that permeates our homes and energizes us for witness and service in the broader community,” Ogorek said. †