Passing on the Faith

On 11th December 2009, the Celebrating Family Project of Bishops Conference of England and Wales invited three people from each Diocese (representing Parish Catechesis, Schools, and Marriage & Family Life) to begin to tease out what ‘passing on the faith‘ means, how it is currently resourced, and what the Project might offer.

The project aims to support parents and grandparents in their role as first teachers of their children in faith.

You might like to get together in a parish or other group, and discuss the following questions:

• How do you think faith is ‘caught’? and ‘taught’?
• What are the ways we/parents/grandparents can help children grow in faith at home?
• What are the ways we (teachers/others) can help children grow in faith at school?
• What are the ways we (community/clergy/ministers) can help children grow in faith in the parish?

The first two phases of Celebrating Family Project (Everybody’s Welcome and Home is a Holy Place) will be foundational in support of Passing on the Faith.

How about some of the following simple but effective ideas – try one or two or more!

Home

• Living out family relationships in love (Home is a Holy Place) – that is, by your own witness, helping children to recognise and practice Christian values (love and forgiveness acceptance, respectful communication, peacemaking, honesty, trust, patience, kindness, good humour, courage and encouragement, self-discipline etc). Children will know they are loved, and learn to practice these values themselves, following your example
• Welcome and hospitality – make your home a welcome place, for your children and when possible, their friends and friends parents. ‘Let hospitality be your special care’ says St Paul. God gives us unconditional welcome, and asks us to be welcoming in our turn.
• Learning parenting skills – ask for a course for a group of parents/friends (Family Caring Trust parenting programmes). This can make all the difference to your enjoyment of family life – and to your children too!
• Learning to Listen – ask for a course that will help you to listen better to yourself, to God, to others (‘Learning to Listen’) – listening is a real gift for others! (family members, relations, friends, colleagues…)
• Using the Sunday Gospel at home – read it again at Sunday lunch time – ask one another what we heard and how it might connect to our lives (use a resource if it helps, eg www.wednesdayword.org.uk) And ask the family: what might we do to try and ‘live out’ this Gospel this week?
• Read your children Bible Stories – let them get to know and love our Christian story.
• Teach them basic prayers – ‘thank you’ and ‘sorry’ – you might like to light a candle, and make this a special time together, just before bed for example. There are some simple children’s prayer books available to give you some ideas.
• Teach them to say Grace before and after meals – you can make up a very simple prayer to thank God for the food, those who have prepared it, and for friends/family to share it with –and to remember those who do not have food or friends today.
• Get involved with the sacramental preparation of your children – if there aren’t any sessions for parents, ask your parish priest or catechist if they can help – go through the Children’s Book as parents together, and see what you think. Share together.
• Go to Church! Become part of the parish family – tell them what you need as families in the way of support in passing on faith. Ask for support.
• Enjoy taking part in the Mass. Be relaxed yourself, this will help your children to feel ‘at home’ in the parish, particularly at Mass. Being present and taking part, in the gestures and the singing even as very young children, are all part of the learning about how we live out our faith in God. Show them round the church – ask the priest or someone else to explain what the various signs and symbols mean if you are not sure yourself.
• Liturgy of the Word with children is a wonderful way for them to grown in faith – they will hear God speak and respond at their own level. It is a vital part of passing on the faith! If you don’t have it in your parish, try asking if it would be possible to start it. There is plenty of help available from the Adult Formation Department, giving guidance on how to lead the liturgy prayerfully.
• Doing things to help other people – random acts of kindness, or planned, for your neighbours, family, friends, or passing strangers, and for global needs. Getting involved in active service of others in a variety of ways is another important way of living out and passing on our faith to our children – it is something alive and active which they will learn by doing with you!

What about School and Passing on the Faith

How do schools support parents and families in passing on the faith? How do they support the faith development of children?

• Relationships amongst all staff/children/parents that reflect Gospel values (see Home section, first bullet point)
• Liturgy in School – Liturgies of the Word, Mass – to give a thoroughly participative, positive, prayerful experience of Liturgy
• Prayer – in assemblies and classroom, simple and meaningful, connecting with their lives
• Scripture – teaching and reflecting on bible stories, using resources such as ‘The Wednesday Word’ (www.wednesdayword.org.uk)
• Celebrating Catholic Traditions – eg… organising opportunities for variety of ‘pilgrimage’ experiences, celebrating Saints Days, in particular Mary Mother of God,
• Teaching Catholic Doctrine – RE curriculum, with opportunities for reflection on how this is lived out (eg Catholic Social Teaching: in practice, variety of projects to support people in need, locally and globally. Chaplaincy could spearhead a Youth SVP)
• Offering ‘Sanctuary’ space – encourage use of a quiet space for reflection and personal prayer, with posters and display each week, perhaps based on the Sunday Gospel – if no room use of a corridor or corner somewhere, with simple ‘hands on’ activities (eg cutting out a paper hand to stick on a display supporting ‘love and serve one another’, unknotting pieces of string and reflecting and praying for people to be set free from difficult situations, etc)
• Listening ear – simple effective training for any interested adults or older children in listening skills. Then able to offer opportunities at break times for little 5-10-minute listening for children. (see Caroline or Jane Cook for training of adults or children. There is an excellent programme for ‘peer ministry’ child-to-child listening suitable for older children to be formed in this valuable ‘ministry’)
• Schools Policies that encourage total respect, reflecting Christian values/Church teaching
• Safeguarding
• Relationships/Sexuality – INSED on Catholic teaching on sex and relationships available (Celebrating Family Project Worker)
• Listening and Sharing with parents and parish priests and catechists: making collaborative decisions about how best to meet the needs of parents and children in development of their faith. Schools support the parents in every way possible through provision of many of the above.

There are many more ways the School supports ‘Passing on the Faith’! What is your experience? Contact Caroline on 01347 868340 or email carolinedollard@dioceseofmiddlesbrough.co.uk

Parish

How is the parish a welcoming community for parents and children, affirming them, and giving them a sense of belonging, as well as offering faith development and support in passing on the faith?

• Warm welcome! Genuine and sincere. Always room for new ideas. Explore www.everybodyswelcome.org.uk and see what you might find useful in looking at how friendly and family-sensitive the parish is, including environment – warm, light, space that ‘opens up’ rather than ‘closes down’!
• Ask parents what life is like, and what they need – and then respond: How can we welcome and accept them where they are? How do we respect and respond to their own needs for faith development?
• Model relationships that reflect Gospel: how we work together as clergy and lay in our parish community reflects who we say we are! (‘The Sign We Give’)
• Good Liturgy Offer experience of good liturgy, welcoming, inclusive, participative, prayerful, with nourishing homily that breaks open God’s Word and enables connection with people’s lives – is one of the key ways of passing on the faith.
• Parish Community life – invite/include parents and children in the ordinary parish social life, coffee after Mass, as well as the parish celebrations. This is who we are, this is how we ‘love one another’.
• Good Communication – Newsletters, material for newcomers and enquirers, Parish Directory, helplines, up-coming events. Up-to-date Website.
• Resources for home reflection/family prayer: provide material for reflection on Sunday Gospel, daily readings, etc (eg www.wednesdayword.org.uk)
• Parenting support: parenting programmes, in collaboration with the school if you have one. Training available for Programme leaders (next training session 14th and 21st April 2010 all day. Enquiries: Caroline 01347 868340 caro@ccrcharity.org.uk)
• Listening service: trained parishioners as ‘listeners’ – for example on a Saturday morning, or on a school morning when children have been dropped off. Listening to parents and their needs will in turn help them listen to their children. This is all part of formation in a ‘living’ faith.
• Support for parents through Sacramental Preparation: Sessions for parents for all sacramental preparation (Baptism, 1st Holy Communion, Reconciliation, Confirmation), supporting parents in their role.
• Altar Servers: training and sustained encouragement for boys and girls – learning the habits of a lifetime.
• Involve families in Parish Outreach and Service of Others: Gathering the enthusiasm of families in parish projects (eg..events for elderly people, fund-raising for local and global needs, visiting/shopping for the housebound)

The Bishops Conference of England and Wales’ Celebrating Family: Blessed, Broken, Living Love is now entering its third phase, Passing on the Faith.

Please feel free to contribute your own ideas and ways that you have experienced ‘Passing on the Faith’ in your own family!