As the new school year begins, parents are busy making sure their children have what they need to succeed as they return to the classroom.
Catholic parents, however, are asked to provide more than just the items on a standard list of needed school supplies, new clothes and backpacks. Catholic parents also provide an opportunity to pass on their Catholic faith, an opportunity that is year-round and is considered an essential part of the Church’s mission to share the Good News.
Whether children in a Catholic home attend the parish school, the regional school, home school or the parish religious education program, parents are the primary teachers of the faith for their children.
According to the 2020 edition of the “Directory for Catechesis,” “the Church is called to cooperate with parents … assisting them in their fulfillment of their educational mission to become above all the first catechists of their own children.”
The word “catechist” comes from the Greek “katekhein,” which means to resound or echo. The catechist, therefore, shares the Gospel of Jesus Christ through personal witness and by passing on church teaching. The directory, however, also warns against what is called the “mentality of delegation” that occurs when parents surrender their roles as formators of their children and completely pass on that responsibility to the Church.
Why do some parents choose to delegate responsibility? Many parents express that they feel inadequate when it comes to taking part in the spiritual formation of their children.
Perhaps they don’t believe everything the church teaches or they struggle with their own Catholic identity. Perhaps it’s a lack of knowledge about the faith or little or no connection to a parish community. Whatever the reason, parents who believe — even just a little bit — can be effective in modeling some aspect of the faith with daily examples.
It is possible for parents to intentionally plant the seeds of faith by living the basics found in the Gospel. The golden rule, for example, and other foundational teachings of Jesus include his invitation to unconditional love, his call to forgiveness and his command to care for the least.
Parents can create a sense of the sacred in their home when they do simple things: prayers before meals (at home, in the car or the restaurant); bedtime Bible stories along with nighttime prayers; religious symbols in the home, especially in the children’s bedroom. Parents can engage their children with conversations about God’s ongoing creative activity in the world during nature walks, fishing trips or camping.
Every school year has a beginning and an end. The role of the parent as catechist, however, is ongoing and never really ends. In catechesis there is an expression that the faith is “caught not taught,” and even the smallest example of living faith can have a lifelong impact on children. In turn, these children may share what they have learned with their children, allowing the faith to echo into the future.
Art Turner is the director of the Office of Faith Formation.
