Sometimes in hindsight, I look back and wonder: “should I have done this instead of that, gone uphill instead of downhill? The counterargument, which brings solace to the here and now, is given to us by St. Paul: “We know that all things work for good for those who love God (Romans 8:28, NAB). I’ve always understood this to mean that even if I make “a mistake’” for example a wrong choice, God can and will convert that error into something good, if I am in good standing with him; that is, abiding in his love. Complementary to St. Paul’s statement is a quote from St. Teresa of Avila: “Trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be”.
Yet there is a lingering regret as I look back at a teaching job I had and left at a popular Catholic High School some time ago. It was my first Catholic school assignment after I earned my MA Degree in Catholic Doctrine from St. John’s University in New York. It was 1984 and I had just completed my studies and returned to southern California. I spent the summer with my parents and siblings catching up on missed years, socializing, and swimming almost every day in my parents’ pool; it was a great time; of family reunion and relaxation. In August I received a call from one of the Catholic schools previously applied to. My goal was to combine teaching with the ministry, and employment in a Catholic school seemed like a perfect match. I was hired to teach Church History and Religion with a start date in September. I was excited and enthusiastic.
At first, the job went very well; I felt at home with the staff and comfortable with the principal, a young, sincere priest who seemed to have a lot of confidence in me. Within a few weeks, the chairperson for the Religion Department was promoted to Assistant Principal and the vacancy was offered to me. Without hesitation, I accepted.
For the first month or so I got along well enough with the students. Later after many years of teaching, I discovered that often the beginning, or the “honeymoon” period, only lasts for a while, then the students display their true colors. But then, as a new teacher, I was still unaware of this unwritten rule of conduct.
About halfway through the first semester, I started to have trouble. The students came to class, attendance was good, as a group, they turned in their homework, completed assignments, etc. but something was missing, and as time went on the missing element became more pronounced; they just were not interested in learning anything about their religion. It’s as if they turned a deaf ear towards anything to do with their Faith! I didn’t have any discipline problems; they didn’t break any rules; they were not rude, but there was no enthusiasm, no interest, they just didn’t care. Their conduct was not hostile, aggressive, or threatening in any way. It was worse; they treated me with indifference, a grave, serious, determined indifference. It was heart-wrenching., I would have preferred to be disliked, treated with disgust or anger with any type of feeling, but indifference was unbearable.
As a result, my lessons changed. I could no longer talk to them, at least not for long, they just were not listening; when I requested participation, there was none. So, in class they began to do more silent reading and writing, I was there to help them, guide them. But no one asked for my help, no questions were ever asked; they did what they had to do and left calmly talking to each other, but always ignoring me.
I had a couple of years of teaching experience in public education before I took this job. My teaching was far from perfect, but did I deserve to be shunned? I waited out the semester, I wanted to get through the first semester, and I did. But it was the end of my assignment, I quit and returned to teaching in the public school system. My “ministry” was over; the indifference” had accomplished its goal.
In hindsight, I don’t blame the students as much now as I did then. At the time I concluded that I just didn’t have “what was needed” to interest them in learning about their faith, and there wasn’t anything I could do about it, so I just quit trying. But now, I see that I could have done things differently, I could have had more charity.
Also, I should have realized that their indifference invoked anger and disappointment toward them; I’m sure they “picked up” on my feelings, which, in turn, only intensified their indifference. I should have prayed more for them and with them. I should have taken the class into the church for some quiet time in the presence of Jesus in the Tabernacle and allowed them to learn about their religion in silence. I know it sounds farfetched; but I really believe that Jesus profoundly present in the Tabernacle could have taught them more in silence than a thousand words from me, at that time. I should have been more patient and trusting in God.
Whether I could have done better, I’ll never know. Did I fail them, or did they fail me? Where was the light of Christ within them that I should have seen? Where was the torch I needed to light the flame within? Did I arrive too late? Was the light already snuffed out? Was their indifference the only thing left lingering in the dark where the light had been? Was this darkness the result or the cause of many years of “watered-down catechesis? That is, did the teaching authority of the Church, the Magisterium, in some inexplicable manner decide that weak catechesis was more acceptable to young Catholics; and that compromised catechesis accepted was better than orthodox catechesis rejected? Or was I suffering the result of years of corrupt content taught in the classrooms which only resulted in developing “dull” consciences and indifference to God and his teachings?
What I experienced in that classroom happened almost thirty years ago. Now I’m retired from thirty-four years of successful teaching mostly in the public school system. Recently, and during the second semester, I volunteered to assist in teaching RCIA in my parish. It’s been years since I taught the sacred doctrine of our Church, and as stated earlier I had found my niche in secular education. But last week something eventful happened in that RCIA class, I presented my lesson, and I was met with indifference, a dark, ominous indifference; for a moment I stepped back into that other classroom so many years ago.
But I realized that I came to this RCIA class bearing gifts, gifts of doctrine, and truth and that the indifference I encountered was not directed towards me, but towards the gifts, I brought into their lives. So, this time I will not quit, the darkness shall not overtake me; I will pray more, a lot more; I will teach doctrine in the context of charity and hope, and I will teach, and with the grace of God I will teach well. I will greet disappointment with charity, and I shall search for that light within and do what I can to increase its brightness in them and in myself.
St. Paul in his first letter to the Corinthians explains the importance of Charity:
If I speak in human and angelic tongues but do not have love, I am a resounding gong or a clashing cymbal. And if I have the gift of prophecy and comprehend all mysteries and all knowledge; if I have all faith so as to move mountains but do not have love, I am nothing (1 Corinthians 13: 1-3 ).
Now I know that I am the torchbearer, and I must carry it until it is not mine to carry any longer.
12 thoughts on “Crises in Catechesis”
Richard, thank you for such an honest story of what it’s like to pass the faith on to our youth in a classroom. Personally, I think it’s mostly the parents’ job to form their children to be interested in matters of faith. Interesting, you faced this in RCIA. I would not have guessed that. Keep up the good work! Peace
I remember some teachers like you. Learning the material and acing the tests was not enough for them. They had chips on their shoulders that we weren’t more enthusiastic or involved. One of them even dared to send a letter home complaining about that. With my parents’ approval, I took it to the principal and told him that I was taking extra classes and getting A’s in all of them, and really did not care for this teacher’s attitude about my “lack of attitude”. The principal said not to worry, he’d take care of it, and there was never another letter again.
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Dear Mr. Auciello,
Thank God for His gift to you of Catholicism. Had you been born and baptized a Catholic, you would have experienced a different Catholic Church and faith formation in believing about Jesus Christ. Over the past 60 years faith formation of children has been neglected causing generations of adult Catholics who do not have a close relation with Jesus Christ. Sunday Mass attendance has declined from 80% in 1950 to less than 20% today. The laity do not believe disobeying God’s third commandment is a serious sin. Teaching high school students is a good example of how children feel about their Catholic faith and God. This also goes for the facility who teach the children; who were yesterdays children.
Mr. Auciello, because God loves us He did not make getting to Heaven difficult. Teach that the Catholic path to Heaven and eternal life is attending Sunday Mass every week and receiving the Eucharist.
God bless,
Deacon John Lorenzo
John,
“Attending Mass every Sunday (and Holydays of obligation) and receiving Holy communion will most certainly keep those in a “State of Grace” on the right path, which is the only path worth following. If Catholics only knew the true value of receiving Christ in a state of grace, they would “shout it from the rooftops,” and run to the altar of sacrifice every day!
God Bless
and thank you for reading my article.
Richard
Gerard Manley Hopkins: ““The world is charged with the grandeur of God. It will flame out, like shining from shook foil; It gathers to a greatness, like the ooze of oil.”
Richard-Isn’t it interesting how God has been with you all the time, all the time you recount in this fine article and now as you do RCIA? I think you run yourself down too much – In God’s plan you are doing, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done.” Someday you will learn the impact you had on those young people you perceived to be indifferent-and perhaps they were – but someday, if not yet, they will no longer be uncaring, and you had a role in bringing them to a new realization about reality, religion and God. As for now doing RCIA-interesting isn’t it God plans all those years ago for you to experience those students so that today you can be his most excellent imperfect human teacher, the one He has sent, to teach people today about Him? Please let me know the days and time of the RCIA-I will pray for you by name-hope you feel a glow about that time due to prayers from Texas bouncing off heaven and coming down to you. God bless you and keep you and always hold you in the palm of His hand as you proclaim his grandeur and glory. He is using you as the “shook foil” from which His “shining” glory dispels the darkness. Guy, Texas
Thank you, Guy, for your positive response. There are two teachers for this RCIA class; please pray for both of us and for the students, as well. We meet every Wed. at 7 pm, looking forward to your help.
God Bless
richard
I taught engineering in college for many years. In spite of my enthusiasm, most students just wanted to “get through the course.” But every once in a while, one would come along and light up like a candle in the darkness—and that made it worthwhile. Having been a student who so often remained in the dark, I can also attest to the fact that sometimes long after I left a teacher’s class, I would remember some snippet of wisdom from that teacher that I would use in my life.
Thankyou so much for your honesty.As a mother of 5 grown up sons I meet the same indifference as do many of my friends children and yet we have prayed in our prayer group constantly for 25 yrs always consecrating our families to Marys Immaculate heart.The secular culture with all its distractions and the comfort of life seems to separate them from the true joy and peace of Christ.I used to blame the school system but hearing from such a committed evangelist I realise the problem must be a cultural one and prayer is the best option though we don’t as yet see the results.May Gods help us.
You really peaked my curiosity for many reasons, not the least of which is because I just got out of teaching public school due to our faith and because I used to be a catechist who had the same problems (but with the really young kids and especially with the adults).
So, my question is – what are the gifts of the faith that your students were rejecting and did you ever pursue or get any meaningful insight and advice from your fellow catechists, formation director, and/or others on how to address the indifference?
Honestly, other than the one year when I had 1st graders, it was only difficult to get my 7th and 8th graders pumped and involved when I got resistance from the adults for being too honest and Orthodox. Those kids wanted to know and learn, even if they were skeptical about believing, but too many parents didn’t care and didn’t want their kids learning the hard truths that they didn’t like or weren’t living.
So, what’s your experience with all that? Looking forward to knowing.
In Christ,
Andrew
Thank you, Andrew, for reading and responding to my article.
(1) in reference to Public Education: Since I retired 10 years ago, I was able to teach under more conservative guidelines than currently in place. I taught math and science in middle school and was not conflicted in my Faith. Today I believe that it is very difficult for a Christian to teach in Public School.
(2) The Gifts of Faith that I referred to in the article is “the sacred deposit of faith” given to us through public revelation during the time of the Apostles. In short, the doctrine we need to guide us towards salvation.
(3) When I was teaching Church History/Religion in Catholic H.S. I could have consulted with my peers, and I should have, but I didn’t. Now I know that teamwork intervention is beneficial.
(4) Parents helping or hindering: In reference to catechesis, learning our faith begins at home. Without parental support, it is difficult for both teacher and student.
(5) My focus on teaching religion is not to give up, and the more difficulty there is, the more we must pray and trust that God’s grace will show us the way.