New Catechesis Curriculum from Augustine Institute and Ignatius

If you are a Catholic parish or school religious education director looking for a new catechesis program, a new curriculum from Augustine Institute and Ignatius Press may be just the ticket.

According to Aleteia, more than “500 parishes and schools” are already using the Augustine Institute / Ignatius Press curriculum, Word of Life.  Newly added middle school materials complete and complement the earlier grades by maturing the presentation of the faith as students grow.

Why Word of Life?

With a number of catechesis programs available today, a logical question is ‘why chose Word of Life?’

According to Erik Hesla, Director of Curriculum at the Augustine Institute and lead writer for Word of Life’s junior high curriculum, the answer is “Jesus.”

“Word of Life is the best choice because of its focus on the heart of our faith: Jesus Christ. Our curriculum equips catechists and teachers to bring students into a life-giving encounter with Jesus, the Word of life.

“Students come to know who Jesus is and who they are as Christians through robust, biblically grounded content. Interwoven throughout the curriculum are what we call the “four golden threads”: salvation history, Christian anthropology, heroic virtue and character formation, and learning through discipleship. These four key themes of our curriculum help catechists and teachers educate students in a comprehensive, Christian worldview.

“Word of Life provides clear, easy-to-use lesson plans that engage students through a conversational style of instruction. We supply many activities and digital resources to facilitate discussion, deeper understanding, and prayer. Our curriculum also provides resources to form parents in the faith, helping them to fulfill their sacred calling as the “principal and first educators of their children” (CCC 1653).”

What About Faith and Life?

But a second question is ‘why chose Word of Life over the older Ignatius Press Faith and Life curriculum?’

Mark Brumley, President of Ignatius Press, succinctly answers that question.

“Faith and Life print and online editions are an Ignatius Press program. The Word of Life is an Augustine Institute-Ignatius Press collaboration. Word of Life is a separate catechetical initiative, with a different approach.

“With so many different parishes and schools, with different needs and perspectives on how to engage in evangelizing catechesis, it’s important that we have theologically solid and yet varied options.  Faith and Life takes a more traditional approach, which some people prefer, while Word of Life is a more contemporary, Bible-oriented form of evangelical catechesis, with support teaching elements aimed at parents and teachers, as well as students.”

Two Different Approaches

Brumley went on to say, “Faith and Life is a particular traditional approach to catechesis. It continues to be used by many catechists and teachers.

“Word of Life is not a “re-do” of Faith and Life but a completely different catechetical program, with its own approaches and resources. There’s room for different approaches – in fact, they are unavoidable.

“While both programs reflect Scripture and the Catechism, Word of Life is a more biblically focused catechesis, taking advantage of the surge of renewed interest in Scripture among Catholics. It is also aimed more at helping parishes and schools evangelize and catechize “the mushy middle,” using an array of digital resources to engage students, teachers, and parents.”

According to a press release on the new program, “The two apostolates, [Augustine Institute and Ignatius Press] combined their expertise to craft a curriculum in which students, parents, and teachers learn the truths of the faith alongside each other while deepening their relationships with Christ. Emphasizing dialogue between teachers and students, Word of Life creates a shared experience rather than a download of information.

“Word of Life gets to the heart of the Christian experience. It highlights four key themes, or “golden threads,” that run through the curriculum.

“The first thread, Salvation History, reveals God’s presence and plan throughout history and man’s place in that plan. The second thread is Christian Anthropology, which answers questions about the true identity of the human person. Third is Heroic Virtue and Character Formation, which encourages cooperation with God’s grace to live the virtues and moral teachings of the Church with conviction, as best attested in the lives of the saints.

“Lastly, the fourth golden thread is Learning Through Discipleship, a theme that emphasizes the witness of the saints and integrating the Catholic faith into daily life.

Two Formats

“Word of Life is available in two primary formats: school and parish. The school edition includes daily lessons, review days, and other resources to enliven the classroom teacher’s presentation of the material. The parish edition presents weekly lessons that ensure volunteer catechists have a firm grasp of the subject matter before instructing.

“The complete K–8 curriculum includes a generous assortment of digital learning resources from the Augustine Institute, Ignatius Press, and other materials that support continued faith formation.”

“Word of Life builds students, parents, and teachers into strong Catholics who not only know what the Church teaches but who also truly live it,” says Dr. Ben Akers, chief content officer at the Augustine Institute. “The curriculum models an ‘evangelizing catechesis,’ in which the truths of the faith are taught in a fresh way in order to invite a deeper following of Christ.”

For more information on the curriculum, visit the Word of Life program at https://www.wordoflifeseries.org/.