Catechists across the diocese congregated for community, encouragement and education at the annual Diocesan Catechetical Conference at the Sheraton Hotel in Reston Nov. 16.
The day began with Mass celebrated by Bishop Michael F. Burbidge. In his homily, Bishop Burbidge told the catechists that he had just returned from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ annual fall plenary assembly, where they discussed the state of Catholic religious education in the U.S.
“Fortunately, we produced all the answers,” he joked, drawing laughs from the catechists, before adding, “but there was one conviction that met universal agreement: We cannot do it without you, all of you who devote yourselves so generously to the ministries of Catholic education, faith formation, catechesis and evangelization.”
Bishop Burbidge encouraged the catechists to remain “lifelong learners” and to prioritize their personal relationship with God above work. “Do not go to the Lord once you have catechized, taught and evangelized — do so beforehand, so you assure it is the Lord speaking and acting in and through you,” he said.
Catechists should strive to love their students as Christ loves us, Bishop Burbidge said. “Others will be inspired when they encounter catechists, teachers, and evangelists who imitate Jesus and reflect that nothing has priority over their relationship with him,” he said.
Msgr. William P. Saunders, episcopal vicar of faith formation and pastor of St. Agnes Church in Arlington, welcomed the catechists at the end of Mass and thanked Bishop Burbidge for his leadership as the diocese’s “good shepherd.”
“I’m very grateful for all of our speakers and especially for my brother priests,” he said.
Catechists had the option to attend four out of 14 talks during the day. The talks ranged from family faith formation to burnout to liturgical art and music to classroom management.
One such talk on the “Method of ‘Looping’ ” by Delores Nelson addressed the need to repeat or “loop” religious education material from grade to grade.
According to Nelson, many children and teens today are sent out into the secular world with only an eighth-grade understanding of the faith, when most young teens end their religious education. Nelson encouraged catechists to repeat content from year to year and address “hard questions” about the faith that seventh and eighth graders often wonder about but are hesitant to ask.
Nelson also encouraged catechists to test or quiz students more often on old material. Many kids tend to study and memorize material more fervently if they know a quiz or test is coming, she said. “Young people do want structure, and they do want to know about God. It’s only natural,” she said.
The catechists were anything but passive to the messages they received. They frequently asked questions throughout the talks or shared their own classroom experiences.
In Nelson’s talk, one catechist from St. Leo the Great Church in Fairfax volunteered that her parish’s religious education program engages students’ parents through family catechesis. Parents of children about to receive the sacraments of first Communion or confirmation are required to attend a certain number of classes per year, learning along with their children about the importance of the sacraments.
Spanish-speaking catechists attending Carmen Briceño’s talk “Santos y la Eucaristia!” — or “Saints and the Eucharist” — completed an exercise of giving a thumbs-up or down sign to truths or falsehoods about Catholic teaching on the Eucharist.
Other catechists attending “Easy Ways to Incorporate Music into Catechesis” by Father Vincent F. Bagan, director of music at the Cathedral of St. Thomas More in Arlington, wrote their favorite hymn or piece of liturgical music on a sticky note and stuck it to the wall as an icebreaker prior to the talk.
Catechists even had the opportunity to freshen up on Catholicism’s local history in pre-colonial and colonial Virginia from talks by Msgr. Saunders and Father Andrew J. Fisher, pastor of St. Ambrose Church in Annandale.
The day brought a fresh perspective and renewed energy to catechists.
For Crystal Wible, a catechist from All Saints Catholic Church in Manassas, being a catechist is more than simply teaching from a textbook. “It’s important to share what God has done for us with others, and especially with the youth and children,” she said.
Michelle Chong has been a catechist at Our Lady of Hope Church in Potomac Falls for 12 years. She said she plans to bring the day’s content back to the classroom in more ways than one. “I just want to bring more resources into the classroom to reach more students in different ways,” she said. “So bringing music and bringing art and then bringing history, I think it’s an inspiration to the teachers, and then if you’re inspired, you pass that on.”
