CCD or Religious Education?

Toe-may-toe...or toe-mah-toe?
Eee-ther...or Eye-ther?
CCD or Religious Education?

You've heard them both, and you'll always find proponents of one or the other. Here's Rosie Bartel, Religious Education Director for the Diocese of Green Bay, providing a quick lesson on some definitions and history for this valuable ministry in today's church:

In any given week, I will hear someone refer to Religious Education as CCD. This someone can be a parent, priest, teacher, catechetical leader, catechist or even a diocesan employee. Acronyms die hard. Thousands of parents, children, youth and even teachers use the term CCD. They know it refers to the regular religious education programs sponsored by their parishes. But do they know what the acronym stands for?

In the religious chaos of 16th century Europe, many recognized the need to attend to the religious education of the poor and uneducated. In 1536, in Milan a “confraternity” or society of lay people was formed for the education of the poor. A “confraternity” is an organization of laity under the official direction of the Church. There have been many different confraternities in the Church that are dedicated to a particular “good work”. Their members follow a rule of prayer and they make a public profession. CCD or the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine referred to teachers and other adults who dedicated themselves to bringing the Gospel to those who were deprived of formal education. In 1571, St. Pius V approved the Confraternity and ordered that it be established throughout the world. The Confraternity flourished and gave rise to religious congregations of men and women who dedicated themselves to not only religious education of the poor but also formal secular education for those in need. The proliferation of Catholic schools might be said to have grown from the original Confraternity.

The Councils of Trent and Vatican I both raised awareness for sound religious education for everyone. CCD was very active in the years after each of these councils.
In the late 19th century, both the Second and Third Councils of Baltimore encouraged the establishment of CCD. Implementation depended primarily on local leadership and was at best sporadic. Even after St. Pius X’s encyclical in 1905, which called for the canonical establishment in every parish, “of a society known as CCD”, there were areas where it did not thrive.

The areas where it did thrive were in urban areas among the new immigrants and also in rural areas. The impossibility of a Catholic school in every parish, especially in the rural areas of our country, heightened the awareness for the need for religious education for those attending public schools. In 1935, a national center was established for CCD and the United States bishops called for CCD in every parish.

In the 20th century, renewed interest in Scripture, the liturgical movement and advances in the discipline of education all seemed to converge at Vatican II. Religious education or catechesis was central to the mission of the Church, and took its place as a core ecclesial ministry.
Modern parishes and dioceses do not have official CCDs, but it is helpful to examine some of the values of the original Confraternity. It was highly structured, even on the parish level. There was a board that supported the ministry. No member of the Confraternity was allowed to teach until he or she had completed fairly rigorous training and preparation. From the beginning, CCD attended to the education of adults as well as children. There were “fishers”. Fishers were dedicated to seeking out the lost, the missing and anyone who might benefit from religious education.

Today, we are called to a “new” evangelization that reaches those who were baptized but have not internalized the gospel. We need “fishers”! Our world is sorely in need of catechist and teachers who will bring the “Good News of Jesus Christ” to all.

As we end our religious education program year, let us celebrate our accomplishments but also remember the zeal and dedication of those who came before us. Let us recommit ourselves to the “Mission of the Church” and spread the “Good News of Jesus Christ” through our work as “fishers” in today’s world.

So the next time someone calls your religious education program “CCD”, you might want to share the history or you might just smile and say; “Thank you for the compliment!”

Forming Disciples of Christ

Rosie Bartel, Green Bay's Religious Education Director, relies heavily on the General Directory for Catechesis and the National Directory for Catechesis to form the core of the diocesan strategic planning in this criticaL area. Here is a synopsis of her philosophy on "Forming Disciples of Christ:"

The reason we catechize is to bring people into communion and intimacy with Jesus, to help them have a relationship with Him. The object of catechesis is communion with Jesus Christ. The “General Directory for Catechesis” (GDC) describes the Christian life as a process of continuing conversion. Our growth in the faith never ends. “Living in Christ” means continuing to grow in our relationship with Him.

There are six fundamental task of catechesis. These six tasks are listed in the “General Directory for Catechesis” (GDC) and are discussed in detail in the “National Directory for Catechesis” (NDC), which states that each of the tasks corresponds to an aspect of faith in Jesus. The six tasks of catechesis are:

Promoting Knowledge of the Faith – This means teaching the “basics” of the faith, such as the Creed and key aspects of God’s self-revelation, found in Scripture and Tradition. This task of catechesis is a response to the individual’s desire to know. This desire comes naturally when individuals have had opportunities to encounter Christ and His message and have experienced an initial conversion.

Liturgical Education – This task involves helping others know about our celebrations in the faith, especially the sacraments. Liturgical education not only includes teaching about the form and the meaning of liturgical celebrations, but also helping individuals prepare their minds and hearts to enter into the mysteries of the faith.

Moral Formation - Moral formation is more than learning the Ten Commandments. It is about learning the moral teaching of Jesus, which is the fulfillment of the commandments and learning how to apply His teaching to our everyday lives.

Teaching to Pray – The GDC states, “When catechesis is permeated by a climate of prayer, the entire Christian life reaches its summit.” The “climate of prayer” in catechesis invites individuals into relationship with God. Prayer is conversation – talking as well as listening. This task of catechesis is accomplished by helping individuals enter into this conversation.

Education for Community Life – Catechesis prepares the Christian to live in community and to participate actively in the life and mission of the Church. Catechesis should prepare us to live and work with one another, both within the Church and in society as a whole. Catechesis should encourage a spirit of simplicity and humility, a special concern for the poor, particular care for the alienated, a sense of fraternal connection, common prayer, mutual forgiveness and fraternal love that embraces all these attitudes.

Missionary Initiation – This task involves preparing individuals to spread the Gospel to others by word and example. While only some may be called to other lands to minister in Christ’s name, all are called to live in such a way that they serve as witnesses of the faith to those who are around them.

In the NDC the bishops state that “all efforts in evangelization and catechesis should incorporate these six tasks”. In this way we pay attention to several different dimensions of faith, with the ultimate goal of forming disciples of Jesus.