Adult Formation of the Laity: The Catechetical Priority

On any Sunday morning, stop into your local Protestant church, regardless of denomination, and you will find huddled in a small cluster on the side a group of adults studying the Bible while their children attend religious school. This is an edifying example of the emphasis and priority which they give to adult formation.

However, for most Catholics, knowledge of their faith and interest in deepening their commitment ceased with high school, if not before. Most feel they model their faith when they send their children to Catholic school or drop them off at the parish religious ed program or youth ministry. While the Church is blessed with a deep appreciation of the need and place of the religious formation of our children, we lack an awareness of the importance of our own formation to both ourselves as lay faithful as well to our children’s religious heritage. We need both. But we need to reestablish the priority of adult formation in accordance with the guidelines of the magisterium.

In this article, we examine the primary importance of our role as models in the religious education of our children, summarize the Universal Church’s and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ mandates on this primacy of adult formation, and review the practical steps needed to reorient our priorities to addresses these instructions.

Our Role in the Religious Education of Our Children

More or better Catholic schools or parish-based religious education programs for our children, while a part of the solution, are not the initial nor fundamental answer to the exodus of our children from the Church:

We have been blessed with unprecedented numbers of wonderful “programs” in the Catholic Church. . . . [However,] in spite of such prolific programming, Mass participation has continued to dramatically decline…[and] nearly 80% [of our children] have left the church by age 23?¹

If parents and faith communities are not able to communicate their beliefs, “the game’s over, already.”²

Even parents who are Intentional Disciples in their own right must ask, “How much time have you spent in any Catholic program? Have you spent at least as much time fostering the same culture in your own home with your family? Which is more important?”³

These rather dire statistics and predictions are supported by the findings of the largest longitudinal cross-sectional survey on the subject of family faith influence, the University of Notre Dame’s National Study of Youth and Religion:⁴

• Just 1% of teens ages 15 to 17 raised by parents who attached little importance to religion were highly religious in their mid-to-late 20s.
• In contrast, 82% of children raised by parents who talked about faith at home attached great importance to their beliefs.⁵
• Parents for whom personal faith is important and who demonstrate that faith through attending services “walk the walk.”
• Dad’s practice determines the future attendance at or absence from church of the children,⁶ i.e., if a father does not go to church — no matter how faithful his wife’s devotions — only one child in 50 will become a regular worshipper.⁷

In sum:

“No other conceivable causal influence such as clergy, youth ministry, service projects, or even religious schools . . . comes remotely close to matching the influence of parents on the religious faith and practices of youth. The impact of parental involvement in the Religious Education of both elementary children and adolescents reveals the vital importance of both participation in religious behaviors, such as attending church and praying and contextualization of the world and current events within a Catholic framework, as well as modeling their own religious values and allowing children to express their internalization of these values behaviorally of their formation of missionary discipleship.”⁸

The question remains: is this emphasis on adult formation in line with what the Church calls for and needs at this time. The answer is a resounding yes!

Vatican II on Adult Formation

The Second Vatican Council marked a decided shift in how the Church understands its mission and the role the laity play in it. Indeed, the Church has been emphasizing adult formation since the 1960s as a recurring theme in the Documents of the Second Vatican Council. Over the intervening years, we have still struggled to implement its vision.

• The Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World devotes an entire chapter (IV) to the laity’s life as Catholics. The laity have a dominant role in the Church’s mission to evangelize because they make up over 99% of the Church and they live out their lives in the mission field. The laity have a role to play inside the Church, but their primary job is to transform the world through the Gospel.⁹ This assumes their formation in order that they fulfill their callings in the world.
• The Constitution on Divine Revelation Dei Verbum encourages all Catholics to read, study, and meditate on the Bible daily, drawing knowledge, inspiration, and grace from the perseverance of daily encounters with the Word of God, Jesus Christ, who speaks to us in the words of the Bible. (2, 26)
• Decree Concerning the Pastoral Office of Bishops (3–4) explicitly states that catechesis should “even” extend to adults, adapted to the age, natural ability and circumstances of the listener.
• Decree On the Ministry and Life of Priests: cautioned that “ceremonies however beautiful, or associations however flourishing, will be of little value if they are not directed toward educating adults in the attainment of Christian maturity” (6)
• The Decree On the Mission Activity of the Church emphasized that “the adult catechumenate . . . is the responsibility of all the faithful” (4). The catechist is “of maximum importance,” and is a “co‑worker” with the priest and should be properly formed and remunerated.

However, it was the Decree On The Apostolate Of The Laity that focused on the mission of lay people. After first laying the groundwork, stating that “the Church was founded . . . that she might bring all men [and women] to share in Christ’s saving redemption. All activity of the Mystical Body directed to the attainment of this goal is called the apostolate, and the Church carried on this in various ways through all her members,”¹⁰ the Decree then clearly states that “the laity derive the right and duty to the apostolate from their union with Christ the head; incorporated into Christ’s Mystical Body through Baptism and strengthened by the power of the Holy Spirit through Confirmation, they are assigned to the apostolate by the Lord himself.¹¹

It is on this firm foundation that the Council Fathers affirm that the ministries of the laity “can attain maximum effectiveness only through a diversified and thorough formation.” ¹²

Post-Vatican II Magisterial Documents

In the 1970s, a number of major magisterial documents, including the General Catechetical Directory, Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, and Evangelii Nuntiandi, continued to promote adult formation.¹³

The General Directory for Catechesis

Originally promulgated by the Congregation for the Clergy, 5 August 1997, The General Directory for Catechesis was later incorporated into the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith’s General Catechetical Directory. Here it was re-promulgated on 11 April 1971 and updated, particularly in terms of evangelization.

It unequivocally states, “Adult catechesis must be given priority. This involves “a post-baptismal catechesis, in the form of a catechumenate . . . presenting again some elements from the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults with the purpose of allowing a person to grasp and live the immense, extraordinary richness and responsibility received at Baptism.” (258, a)¹⁴

In addition, Part Four: Those to be Catechized, Chapter Two: “Catechesis according to age” specifically deals with the catechesis of adults at length: who is the target audience and what are the special elements and criteria, as well as general and specific tasks and particular forms of adult formation.

Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults

“Following the decree of Vatican Council II, the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults¹⁵ was restored as the normative way by which adults would be initiated into the Catholic Church. In restoring the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, the Church recognizes the need for providing a process of conversion through which an individual can come to grow in his or her faith relationship with Jesus, accept the Gospel message and values, and know what the Church believes and teaches . . . the doctrinal content and tradition of the Catholic faith.”¹⁶

As noted above, OCIA has become so well developed that some of its formational elements are used in post-baptismal catechesis or Mystagogy. Herein new Catholics and those who wish to refresh their understanding of their faith learn more about the Scriptures, the Sacraments, and the teachings of the Catholic Church and on how they will serve Christ and help in the Church’s mission and outreach activities.

Evangelii Nuntiandi: Evangelization in the Modern World

With this apostolic exhortation, Saint Pope Paul VI articulated and clarified what was always the Church’s purpose: “The task of evangelizing all people constitutes the essential mission of the Church . . . Evangelizing is in fact the grace and vocation proper to the Church, her deepest identity. She exists in order to evangelize, that is to say, in order to preach and teach, to be the channel of the gift of grace, to reconcile sinners with God, and to perpetuate Christ’s sacrifice in the Mass, which is the memorial of His death and glorious resurrection.” (EN, §14)

To evangelize is to send Christ-bearers into the world to live and preach the Good News, transforming the world into the Kingdom of God — “on earth as it is in heaven.” As this is primarily the work of the laity, who have a unique knowledge of and presence in the world,¹⁷ it became imperative that they receive the formation they need to fulfill this duty.

St. Pope John Paul II on the Primacy of Adult Education

St. Pope John Paul II continually championed the formation of the laity during his papacy. In his Apostolic Exhortation on Catechesis In Our Time (1979), he repeats the assertion that the catechesis of adults is the principal form of catechesis and calls it the “central problem”: “for catechesis to be effective, it must be permanent, and it would be quite useless if it stopped short just at the threshold of maturity.” (§43)

The 1983 Code of Canon Law promulgated under his papacy asserts that formation is both a right and a duty of adults. This right “genuinely teaches them to strive for the maturity of the human person and at the same time to know and live the mystery of salvation” (27). The clergy, meanwhile, have the duty to promote the mission of lay people in both Church and world (529.2, 275.2).

John Paul II returned to this theme in his Apostolic Exhortation On the Vocation and the Mission Of the Lay Faithful in the Church and in the World (Dec 30, 1988). Concentrating on “the work that awaits everyone in the vineyard of the Lord,” he is quick to point out that “the call is a concern not only of pastors, clergy and men and women religious. The call is addressed to everyone; lay people as well are personally called by the Lord from whom they receive a mission on behalf of the Church and the world.”¹⁸ He echoes the rights asserted in Canon Law: “We all ought to be aware of the rights that each baptized person has to being instructed, educated and supported in the faith and the Christian life.”¹⁹

In this dialogue between God who offers His gifts and the person who is called to exercise responsibility there comes the possibility, indeed the necessity, of a total and ongoing formation of the lay faithful, as the synod fathers have rightly emphasized in much of their work. After having described Christian formation as “a continual process in the individual of maturation in faith and a likening to Christ, according to the will of the Father, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit,” they have clearly affirmed that the formation of the lay faithful must be placed among the priorities of a diocese. “It ought to be so placed within the plan of pastoral action that the efforts of the whole community (clergy, lay faithful and religious) converge on this goal.”²⁰

Finally, he clearly enunciates the basis of adult formation: “The fundamental objective of the formation of the lay faithful is an ever-clearer discovery of one’s vocation and the ever-greater willingness to live it so as to fulfill one’s mission . . . Formation is not the privilege of a few but a right and duty of all.”²¹

Regrettably, it had little practical effect during his papacy. Even the International Council for Catechesis in Adult Catechesis in the Christian Community, two years later in 1990, recognized that “one must admit that in various communities, the formation of adults has been taken for granted or perhaps carried out in connection with certain events not infrequently in an infantile way.”²² The Council went on to state: “It is not only legitimate but necessary to acknowledge that a fully Christian community can exist only when a systematic catechesis of all its members takes place and when an effective and well‑developed catechesis of adults is regarded as the central task in the catechetical enterprise.”²³

These documents marked a watershed in the Church’s understanding of the priority of adult formation. Undeterred by the lack of implementation of his doctrinal mandates and perhaps with the hope that further practical tools would generate acceptance, Pope John Paul oversaw the publication of the Catechism in 1992 and the General Directory for Catechesis referred to above in 1997,²⁴ the latter providing a compendium of the doctrinal content of adult formation and the latter providing structure and guidelines for its implementation.

United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

Following and as a result of these publications, national Conferences of Bishops developed their own guidelines and agenda for prioritizing adult formation.²⁵ In the United States, two additional documents placed an even greater urgency on the call for adult catechesis and provided a blueprint to follow. The call Our Hearts Were Burning Within Us: A Pastoral Plan for Adult Faith Formation in the United States (1999) was followed by the National Directory for Catechesis (2005).²⁶

Our Hearts Were Burning is explicit in its rationale and mandate (italics added):

• The Church’s pastoral ministry exists to sustain the work of the Gospel. One way it does this is by nourishing and strengthening lay men and women in their calling and identity as people of faith, as contributors to the life and work of the Church, and as disciples whose mission is to the world. (p. 1)
• To make this vision a reality, we, as the Catholic Bishops of the United States, call the Church in our country to a renewed commitment to adult faith formation, positioning it at the heart of our catechetical vision and practice. (p. 2–3)
• Such lifelong formation . . . must be considered the chief form of catechesis. All the other forms, which are indeed always necessary, are in some way oriented to it. (p. 26)
• Give adult faith formation the best of our pastoral resources and energies. Within the whole scope of catechetical ministry adult catechesis must be regarded as a preferential option in planning and programming (p. 25–26)

This unambiguous clarion call for the primacy of Adult Education in our land was approved by the plenary assembly of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops/United States Catholic Conference on November 17, 1999.

Following the lead of both the General Directory for Catechesis and Our Hearts Were Burning set three goals for adult catechesis that have given a new meaning to the term “CCD.”

Conversion: “Invite and Enable Ongoing Conversion to Jesus in Holiness of Life” (§68)

According to our most recent Popes, a personal loving relationship with Jesus is the basis for all Christian Faith:

Pope Benedict XVI in Deus caritas est (§1) wrote: Being Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea, but the encounter with an event, a person, which gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction.

Pope Francis in Evangelii Gaudium (§3) reemphasized the same point: I invite all Christians, everywhere, at this very moment, to a renewed personal encounter with Jesus Christ, or at least an openness to letting him encounter them; I ask all of you to do this unfailingly each day. . . . he is already there, waiting for us with open arms.

Community: “Promote and Support Active Membership in the Christian Community.”(§70)

through participating more fully in both:

• the celebration of the Sunday Eucharist, the source and summit of the spiritual life of the parish, and
• the shared active leadership of the parish centered on and directed by its mission of evangelization.

Discipleship: “Call and Prepare Adults to Act as Disciples in Mission to the World.” (§72)

Pope Francis believes that

If the parish proves capable of self-renewal and constant adaptivity, it continues to be “the Church living in the midst of the homes of her sons and daughters” . . . an environment for hearing God’s word, for growth in the Christian life, for dialogue, proclamation, charitable outreach, worship and celebration. In all its activities the parish encourages and trains its members to be evangelizers, a community of communities, a sanctuary where the thirsty come to drink in the midst of their journey, and a center of constant missionary outreach. (EG, §28)

Conclusion

Both as individuals and especially as parents, we have the right and obligation to pursue our own adult religious formation. Regrettably, it has yet to be implemented widely, perhaps because it directly challenges our American Catholic societal and parental emphasis on, and substantial investment in, the religious education of our children and youth, instead putting the spotlight squarely on ourselves and our role as models, as adults and particularly as parents.

Still, it is necessary to continue to reinforce the role of the laity and the need for emphasis on adult formation in accordance with the universal church and national Bishops Conferences. As Our Hearts Were Burning Within Us sums up:

We are eager to witness and share the word of life about the reign of God faithfully, so that each new generation can hear this word in its own accents and discover Christ as its Savior. Every disciple of the Lord Jesus shares in this mission. To do their part, adult Catholics must be mature in faith and well-equipped to share the Gospel, promoting it in every family circle, in every church gathering, in every place of work, and in every public forum. (§1–2)