FAMILY RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
The child Jesus grew up in a family. He developed as a person. He did so because of his parents, Joseph
and Mary. This family is a model for every family. We hope you will take the time to look at some of the
material and consider what role you will take in the religious education of your family.
PHILOSOPHY
Asking parents to take responsibility for the religious education of their children is based on several simple
truths.
1. By the time youngsters are 7 or 8 years old most of them can express the most basic religious truths they
need to know. They can sometimes express them with a greater simplicity and depth than their parents and
teachers.
2. As they age they tend to become less certain of these basic truths.
3. They begin to question these truths. They become less willing to express these truths.
4. Religious education classes are not set up to help the youngsters deal with these emerging doubts.
5. Families are better equipped to help children cope with these doubts and emerging questions.
6. Very few resources of the church are used to activate this most necessary tool. It is our hope through this
program to help families activate the most valuable tool they have. Hopefully as the program emerges
families will begin to see their role as the primary role in the religious education and formal classes as the
supportive and secondary role.
7. There are a few “teachable moments” in our lives. A very large percentage of what we learn is learned in
this moments. These moments are celebrated in the various sacraments of the Church. Birth. First
Communion. Maturing. Sickness. Death. Marriage.
8. These are the “teachable moments” common to us all. There are also individual “teachable moments” in
each person’s and each family’s life.
Hopefully through this program we will all begin to see religious education as a process that is an integral
part of our life and our family’s life rather than a series of classes or discussions.
Don’t make the mistake of thinking you must have the answer to all their questions. Don’t be afraid to say: “I
don’t know. Let’s see if we can find an answer to your question.”
RESOURCES
The youngsters are our primary resource. It is their interest, their questions which best will help train and
educate them. We are also a primary resource. Among us there are priests, religious, and lay persons
trained in theology, scripture, and education. You, the parents and grandparents, are the ones closest to the
youngsters. It is to you they first go with their doubts and their fears.
This website can also be an invaluable tool. We will be placing INFORMATION on the site that will assist you
in your education and that of your entire family.
This information will include material on SCRIPTURE. There will be reflection on the Sunday homilies,
suggested discussion questions, activities for use at meals.
There will be a page for asking those QUESTIONS which you and your family encounter in the educational
process.
For those able to come we will have regular LITURGIES and OTHER EDUCATIONAL EVENTS for the entire
family.
There will also be LINKS to websites of other individuals and groups trying to do the same thing we are.
QUESTIONS
You undoubtedly will have questions as we go through this process. To start, here are some common
questions you may have.
Who says I am qualified to teach my children religion?
God does. The Church does. When your child(ren) received Baptism you made an agreement to teach your
child(ren). That agreement still holds. You will teach your child(ren) whether you want to or not. The
question is not whether I will teach my child(ren) or not. The question is “What do I want to teach my child
(ren)? This is also true of grandparents and their grandchildren.
What do I need to know in order to teach them?
God loves you. You love God. God loves your child(ren). You love your child(ren). These are the most
important truths your child(ren) need(s) to know. If you do not know these truths, you need to learn them. If
you do not know them, you will teach your child(ren) to doubt these truths. One way or another you will
teach your (grand)children.
Where do I get this information?
In prayer. By reflecting on the scriptures. By meditation - especially by recognizing the many gifts God gives
you each day. An important part of your teaching will be praying with your child(ren). Making sure them
come to church. Talking about the readings before and/or after church. The Sunday liturgy will be an
important source of information.
Where will I find the time?
The same place you will find time for anything else you want to do. The time is there. You simply have to
make the decision that this program is important for me and for my family. Decide today that this is an
important step for you and your family. You will find the time.
Where do I start?
Start with prayer. Each day make a few minutes for quiet and prayer. Ask God to guide you so you may
know what is really important for you. As soon as possible involve the rest of your family. I am not talking
about reciting prayers like the rosary. I refer to reflection and prayer. Kept list of your “distractions”. Is God
trying to tell you that you need to do something? Or is there something troubling you which you need to
resolve?
What if we are not that strong a family?
No family is as strong as we would like it to be. We are very quick to see the weaknesses in ourselves and in
our families. Even the weakest family has some strong points. Try to use your prayer time and your family’s
prayer time to acknowledge and develop your strong points. Worship together as a family. Use the family
meal as a time to pray and reflect on some of the things you learn in your own prayer.
What do I teach?
God is present in each member of our family. God is present in a very special way when we come together
as a family. Whether we come together to eat, to work, to pray, to visit relatives, to have fun. We also belong
to a larger family our church. We are part of something even bigger. We are part of God’s family. When we
begin to view our teaching in this way we will see that we do need a lot of extra time. We simply need to be
alert to what we are already doing.
Where do I get the training?
In prayer. In practise. Through participating in the program.
Where will I find the necessary material?
As you become more attentive to prayer and taking the oppotrunities present to you each day you will find
ample material. We will also be providing you with suggestions. This website will suggest other material.
Youngsters are very creative. They will come up with ideas. Just try it!
When and where do we hold the classes?
At the dinner table. As you pray. Anytime you gather together you have an opportunity to teach.
What if our family is dysfunctional?
That is no reason to just give up and decide we can do nothing. You would not think of neglecting the
education of youngsters because the family is dysfunctional. If anything, the dysfunctional nature of the
family drives you even harder to try and educate them. We need to make the same effort with our religious
education.
Are there others as unprepared as I am?
YES. That is another reason we need to come together as families to support each other.
WHAT ARE YOUR QUESTIONS? LET US HEAR FROM YOU
email us at bill crumley
LINKS AND RESOURCES
INTERESTING WEB SITES
Here at Immaculate Conception Church we have opened CHARENTON HERITAGE MUSEUM. The museum now has its own website www.
charentonheritage.com
You may find all the material you need at a Claretian Fathers web site. It has a lot of material on raising kids, family spirituality and many other
important ideas. http://homefaith.com (no www)
This family education site is temporarily attached to the church site of Immaculate Conception Church in Charenton, Louisiana. Eventually this will
become an independent site. You may find interesting ideas at our web site www.icsee.com There are a lot of scripture reflections. They are excerpts
from Sunday homilies, material on issues of social justices and other ideas.
The Church of the Epiphany in Richmond, Virginia has a pilot program of 25 families attempting to take responsibility for the education of families. www.
epiphanychurch.org (see section on family).
There are many standard programs where parents supplement the education received in Catholic schools or parish religious education programs. We
are attempting to create a link for families who wish to assume greater responsibility in their own and their youngsters' religious formation.
READING MATERIAL THAT MAY BE OF HELP
These books provide a very broad base of ideas about Christian families in the 21st Century. In addition, the website details a church program of family
based religious education. Sometimes our Protestant brothers and sisters have a lot to teach by way of how religious education occurs. www.gbod.
org/family/resources.html
We have an interesting catechism put together by a group of 10, 11, and 12 year olds. It contains their questions and their answers. It is incomplete.
Maybe you and your family would like to work on completing it. www.icsee.com/maxpages/catechism
We have also begun work on a parents' manual to go with the catechism. You are invited to help complete it. www.icsee.com/maxpages/Parents_Manual
CHURCHES WITH PROMISING PROGRAMS
Church of the Epiphany Richmond, Virginia
They are forming a family based religious education program. It is a pilot program of 25 families.
They are also attempting to use the internet as we are doing here to extend their ministry beyond their own parish boundaries. We need to stay in
touch.
Immaculate Conception Church Charenton, Louisiana
We host this website which attempts to promote family based religious education and are attempting to set up a program centering around the family,
prayer, and the Sunday liturgy.
WE HOPE TO ADD YOU IN THE FUTURE. LET US HEAR FROM YOU. bcrumley1936@yahoo.com
There are over 250 scriptural references on the MSN search engine. There are a number of scriptural sections on our parent site, www.icsee.com In
the left hand margin on any page of the site there is an index. Under "eduction" there is a subsection "biblical". There you will find several biblical
sections. One is the development of prayer from Genesis to the New Testament. Two different sections look at our Old Testament roots. Two others
look at the links we have to the Old Testament.
There are also two fictional diaries which attempt to fill in some of the gaps that exist in the Gospels.
TO CONTINUE
One is the diary of Jesus. The other is the diary of a priest who lived at the time of Jesus.
TO CONTINUE
We would like to hear from you. bill_crumley@hotmail.com