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Emmaus Journal A Professional Journal for Campus Ministers, Religion Teachers and Service Directors in Catholic High Schools Fall 2007 Volume VI, Number 1 |
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Sponsored by Companions on the Journey One morning this past summer my daughter and I went to the local high school to walk on their newly paved track. We had walked a couple of times around the track when all of a sudden the overcast skies opened up and it began to rain. While some of the other walkers quickly made their way back to their cars in search of shelter from the rain, my daughter looked up at me through the falling raindrops and said, “Daddy, do you mind if we just keep walking - the rain is rather refreshing.” I could not have agreed more. Despite getting wet from the rain, we continued to walk together and enjoyed the refreshing intermittent shower.
As religion teachers, campus ministers and service coordinators, we often find ourselves looking for opportunities to be “refreshed.” While we recognize the presence of God’s blessings in our lives more often than not, we sometimes find ourselves running for shelter when things get really busy or don’t go as planned. In our ministry to, with and for our students, we are called to be open to the refreshing intermittent showers of our lives – those grace-filled moments when we are “refreshed” by God’s love in some of the most unexpected and often mysterious ways.
Here in the Secondary Schools Department of NCEA, we want to be a "companion on your journey" and assist you in your mission and ministry. The Emmaus Journal -NCEA's electronic journal for religion teachers, campus ministers and service coordinators - is one of the ways that we can walk with and be present to you. Published three times a year, The Emmaus Journal is designed to offer a variety of articles and resources intended to refresh your spirit, highlight some of the "best practices" in our Catholic high schools and hopefully shower you with some resources that you can use "tomorrow" in the classroom, on retreat or in a worship/prayer service.
Peace and God’s good blessings,
Gary Meyerl
Assistant Executive Director
Secondary Schools Department
In this Edition...
Wisdom and Witness: 2007 Summer Conference for Religion
Teachers, Campus Ministers & Service Directors at the University of Notre Dame
Notes from a presentation given by Bishop Blasé Cupich, Bishop, Diocese of Rapid City, South Dakota
Convention 2008: Crossroads: Where Challenge Meets Opportunity
March 25 – 28, 2008 Indianapolis, Indiana
On the Frontiers of Justice: From Kosovo to Ghana
Reflection provided by Matt Gaudet, 2007 FOJ Alum, Religion Teacher, Notre Dame High School, Bingham, Massachusetts
New Resource: Engaging Faith in the World: Exploring Catholic Social teaching and Global Solidarity
Sr. Katherine Feely, SND, Director of Education for Justice, Center for Concern, Washington, DC
Collaborative Spirit: Part I of III
Dr. Rita E. Cutarelli and Ms. Carrie J. Schroeder, Director of Campus Ministry and Religious Studies Chairperson, Mercy High School, San Francisco, California
A Spirit-filled Prayer Service Worth Repeating
Kelley L. Renz, M.A.
Kelley Writing Company
Top Music Countdown
Cornerstone Media
Movie Resources
D. Scott Miller, Coordinator of Adolescent Faith Formation, Division of Youth and Young Adult Ministry, Archdiocese of Baltimore
Advent Resources
A Season of Hope and Anticipation
Wanted: Student Writers
Teachers, Campus Ministers & Service Directors at the University of Notre Dame
This past summer, NCEA, with the Institute for Church Life, hosted Wisdom and Witness at the University of Notre Dame. This Conference – designed especially for high school religion faculty and campus minsters - brought together over 200 religion teachers, campus ministers and service coordinators from 33 states and the District of Columbia. The success of this conference, held every other summer, demonstrated to us once again how important it is for us to gather, work and walk together as “companions on the journey.”
On June 30th, we were inspired and challenged by Bishop Blase Cupich, the Bishop of Rapid City, South Dakota. His presentation, titled “Getting to Know Jesus: The Goal of Faith Formation” challenged us to examine the ways that we introduce the hearts and minds of our students to the Jesus of History and the Christ of Faith. To read some notes from Bishop Cupich’s presentation, click on this link:
A third conference in this series will be offered again June 29 – July 1, 2009; mark your calendar now and make plans to join us for another exciting summer conference at the University of Notre Dame.
On the Frontiers of Justice: From Kosovo to Ghana
Reflection provided by Matt Gaudet, 2007 FOJ Alum
Religion Teacher, Notre Dame High School, Bingham, Massachusetts
This past July, I traveled with five other Catholic high school educators to the province of Kosovo. The trip was part of the Frontiers of Justice Program, co-sponsored by the National Catholic Education Association (NCEA) and Catholic Relief Services (CRS). The program offers teachers first hand experience of a developing nation. It would have been an amazing experience for any individual. However, as a teacher, the ability to bring the experience into the classroom upon my return has rendered it sublime.
The UN development report I read before I left had listed the per capita income at $2100 per year with 37% of the population living on less than $2 per day. Moreover, international politics have kept Kosovo from gaining its full independence. Kosovo is technically a province of Serbia, but since 1999, it has been governed by an interim government managed by the United Nations. Independence was originally scheduled for 2007, but the Serbian government, backed by Russia’s UN Security Council veto, has rejected any type of independence for Kosovo. While poverty does affect the daily life of most Kosovars, there is an optimism that pervades Kosovar life. They have a genuine hope in the future and have not given up the belief that independence is on the horizon. The settlement of the “status” question is the key to delivering on that belief. Currently the European Union, the United States, and Russia have brokered one final round of talks on Kosovo independence. If a resolution is not reached by the end of those talks, the US has declared it will support unilateral independence without UN recognition. Many of the powerful EU countries would join them.
Independence would be the first step to aiding Kosovo’s lagging economy. When the UN government was first established, billions of dollars in aid flowed into Kosovo. There were good jobs available for many. The foreign aid combined with millions in remittances coming from Kosovar relatives who remained overseas, spurned a great reconstruction in Kosovo, which provided more jobs, thereby continuing to aid the economic recovery. Today however, international aid has dropped in anticipation of foreign investment after independence. Until status is settled however, most commercial companies are fearful of investing in Kosovo, leaving the economy at a standstill. Moreover, banks are not willing to make personal loans, so homes remain unfinished across the country and entrepreneurship is virtually dead.
The second step to setting Kosovo on the path to prosperity would be to rebuild its struggling education system. As an independent nation, Kosovo would have the youngest population in Europe, with more than half under the age of 25. While this brings great hope for the future, it also means a large portion of the population is still in school, and therefore not contributing to the economy. Those over 18, however, also lack a substantial education, as the Kosovars pulled their children out of Serbian schools in the 1990s and attempted to educate them in homes and mosques with virtually no textbooks or supplies.
CRS has taken up the cause of education as part of their mission in Kosovo. They have worked to build PTAs and other educational support groups. We got to see the fruits of their labor first hand as the second half of our trip was aimed at developing a partnership with a Kosovar teacher for this current school year. First, we spent two days staying in the home of a Kosovar teacher. My partner, Salih, is a soft-spoken economics teacher in the agrarian town of Vushtrri. He and his wife opened their home to me as he showed me the daily life of Kosovars today and shared his personal take on their nation’s arduous history. Following the home stays, we rejoined my American colleagues and their Kosovo partners. Each partnership developed a plan of how we could use this experience of solidarity to enhance the education of our students. For Salih and me, the plan included bimonthly email conversations between our classrooms. Salih is an economic teacher and I will be including this partnership into an elective theology course on poverty, so many of our later discussions will involve economic comparisons between our cultures.
This summer I learned to love a country I had previously known very little about. Between their undying hope and their resiliency to tragedy, one cannot help but admire the Kosovar people. I am glad to know them and I look forward to a long and rich relationship with those I met there.
Frontiers of Justice Returns to Ghana in 2008!
FOJ 2008 will be from June 26 to July 12, 2008
Application deadline is January 2, 2008
New Resource: Engaging Faith in the World: Exploring Catholic Social Teaching and Global Solidarity
Sr. Katherine Feely, SND, Director of Education for Justice (http://www.educationforjustice.org)
Center for Concern, Washington, DC
The Secondary Schools Department of NCEA, in partnership with Catholic Relief Services, has published a major Catholic social teaching resource, Engaging Faith in the World: Exploring Catholic Social teaching and Global Solidarity. Authored by Sr. Katherine Feely, SND, Engaging Faith in the World is designed to help Catholic high school teachers and campus ministers integrate the principles of Catholic Social Teaching into the life and mission of our schools. This comprehensive resource provides teachers with research findings, background information, classroom activities, lesson plans, prayer services and so much more.
Through the generosity of CRS, funding has been provided which will enable NCEA to provide one copy of Engaging Faith in the World to every Catholic secondary school in the country. The following sample activities can be found in Chapter 9 and have been provided by Frontiers of Justice 2004 Participants: Michaela Ecker, Katherine Hamm, Jim Monahan, Jenny Gerard, Tinnah de la Rosa, and Dawn Harrison:
Sample Activities: Daily Acts of Solidarity at School (p. 244)
Designate one week in the school calendar as Global Solidarity Week. During this week, explore what school life is like for our global neighbors. As a school, you are encouraged to participate in the following acts of solidarity so that through their own experience, students may come to a deeper understanding of some of the hardships our global neighbors endure and creatively surmount each day:
Collaborative Spirit: Part I of III
Dr. Rita E. Cutarelli and Ms. Carrie J. Schroeder
Director of Campus Ministry and Religious Studies Chairperson
Mercy High School, San Francisco, California
How can a Religious Studies Department and a Campus Ministry Program collaborate in serving the spiritual needs of students and in furthering the teaching mission of the Church? To what extent is it possible to do this without stepping on toes, duplicating efforts, or working at odds with one another? How can these two departments of a school support one another in a ministerial partnership and still retain their unique emphases and identities? In this first of a three part series, Dr. Rita E. Cutarelli and Ms. Carrie J. Schroeder, the Director of Campus Ministry and Religious Studies Chairperson at Mercy High School in San Francisco, will explore the issues surrounding the relationship between Campus Ministry and Religious Studies in the Catholic secondary school setting. They offer a model in which these departments, while retaining their distinctive roles, consciously collaborate in the shared mission of forming students for lifelong discipleship.
Historical Background
Negotiating the relationship between Religious Studies and Campus Ministry has been a relatively recent task for Catholic secondary schools. While the existence of a Religious Studies curriculum has been present from the nascence of Catholic high schools, the rise and development of Campus Ministry at the secondary level is a relatively recent phenomenon. The roots and origins of Campus Ministry are wide and varied; however, the changing climate and function of religious education was a major contributing factor. As many students who were products of Catholic education in the 1970’s can attest, high school religious education experienced a dramatic shift following the Second Vatican Council. Prior to the Council, religious education was based on an academic-product approach; after the Council, religious education became more experiential. Concern over Catholic identity in the 1980’s raised fears about what some might have described as an overemphasis on the “touchy-feely” approach to religious education. While many schools did not want to lose the benefits of the affective approach to religious education which allowed for an integration of one’s faith, there was a certain impetus to return to a systematic approach to the basics which relied on an academic-cognitive methodology. The rise of Campus Ministry at the secondary level, then, was a result of this development in religious education which allowed for an extended Religious Studies curriculum, expanding beyond the classroom walls. The end product -- Campus Ministry working in conjunction with Religious Studies -- allowed the intellectual, spiritual, psychological, and social needs of students to be met in a more holistic fashion at U.S. Catholic secondary schools.
Description of Religious Studies and Campus Ministry
The common mission and goals of both Campus Ministry and Religious Studies are rooted in the teaching mission of the Church. As a privileged environment of Christian formation and enculturation, the school plays a central role in the evangelizing mission of the Church. The fundamental task of a Catholic school, then, is to aid students in synthesizing their socio-historical and cultural context, as well as personal experience, with the life of faith. Because of the nature of their departments, Religious Studies and Campus Ministry provide the overall coordination of ministerial efforts in the school for which all members of the faculty, staff and administration are responsible. The components of these ministerial efforts include: catechesis, pastoral care, justice and service, and community life.
In the context of schools that are sponsored by religious orders, these two departments have the responsibility of coordinating these ministerial efforts in the spirit of their founder’s particular charism. Also, recognizing the increasing diversity of faith traditions and backgrounds from which students come, it is important to emphasize that the mission and goals of Catholic education and, therefore, the departments of Campus Ministry and Religious Studies, remains the same whether in response to Catholic students or students from other faith traditions. The particular philosophy of our sponsoring order’s founder, Catherine McAuley, coupled with the mandates of the Second Vatican Council, compel us to encourage students of diverse faith traditions to delve more deeply into and appropriate their own faith tradition.
How, then, do Campus Ministry and Religious Studies work in harmony to further the teaching mission of the Church? Religious Studies provides the academic background which enables students to develop a spirituality which is both intellectually viable and emotionally authentic. In order to grow in faith, students need a “toolbox”—they need to be familiar with Scripture; comfortable with liturgy, prayer and worship; knowledgeable about Jewish and Christian history; and conversant with the Catholic theological tradition. In order to develop a life of prayer suitable for a young adult, students cannot rely solely on the easy formulas of childhood or on the warm fuzzy things to which adolescents are prone: they need, and are ready for, something more substantial and grounded academically. Studies in theology, history, liturgy, and Scripture anchor Campus Ministry experiences, making them more meaningful than they would otherwise be. A student steeped in such study may observe, for example, that she liked the liturgical dance at the Epiphany liturgy, but she will also be able to explain the spiritual significance of dance, why the dancers were wearing white and gold outfits, and why we even celebrated Epiphany! Similarly, a student who comments that she enjoyed helping people at a soup kitchen during the sophomore service retreat can be pushed to much deeper reflection in a Religious Studies class: reflection which examines the structural causes of poverty and the historical and contemporary response of the Christian community in the form of action for charity and justice.
Next issue: Collaborative Spirit: Part Two – The Lenten Experience
A Spirit-filled Prayer Service Worth Repeating
Mrs. Kelley Renz (http://deargodthisiskelley.blogspot.com)
Kelley Writing Company
As a married person, I have called upon the grace from the sacrament of marriage many a time. For real. It’s time we stopped looking upon the sacraments as merely ceremonies. We know they are more than that, but, face it, we don’t act like they are more than that!
Take the sacrament of Confirmation for example. I bet we’re not leading the pack in telling our kids to call upon the grace of that sacrament. We’re not reminding them that the power of the Spirit of God still resides within them, as it did when the bishops’ hands descended upon each child’s head and the perfume of the chrism entered their nostrils signifying the Spirit filling them, enflaming them.
Do it. Remind them of the power of God that resides within.
Gather in a quiet, prayerful place, preferably the sanctuary of your church or chapel. Have a taper candle for each of your students and yourself. Light seven larger candles on the altar or other table. Have the candles labeled, one to each gift of the Spirit. Quiet everyone. Ask them to close their eyes and realize that the Presence of God is with them, among them, between them, inside them. Tell them they are literally swimming in God’s Presence. With each breath they take, they take in God’s Presence.
Reflection Question: Which gift do I most need to ask for? Which gift can I most grow from right now?
Direct students to come forward when they wish to light their tapers from the candle/gift of the Spirit they most desire at this time. Urge them to share with God why they wish this gift to grow within them.
** Feel free to lengthen this prayer service by adding appropriate readings or songs that focus on the gifts of the Spirit.
Disclaimer: It is our hope that the following links provide you with resources that are reflective of today’s youth and our desire to connect their faith with their culture.
Below you will find three of the 25 top songs that appeared in the October 2007 issue of Top Music Countdown. If you find this review useful and would like to view a free issue of Cornerstone Media’s Top Music Countdown, highlighting 25 current songs plus additional resources to use modern media in ministry with young people, go to www.cornerstonemedia.org/freetmc (username: ncea, password: music).
This resource will be accessible through December 31, 2007.
Big Girls Don't Cry / Fergie
Issues: Their relationship wasn’t working out, so she made the difficult decision to walk away from it. "I must take the baby steps until I'm full grown. Fairytales don't always have a happy ending, do they, and I foresee the dark ahead if I stay." She is now on this journey alone, and realizes that she needs to heal on her time and in her way. "It's time for me to go home. It's getting late, dark outside. I need to be with myself and center, clarity, peace, serenity." This difficult decision hurts now, but hopefully in the end it will bring her long-term happiness. Questions: When a relationship is struggling, when is it best to salvage the relationship and when is it best to walk away? What difficult decisions have you made that have brought you happiness in the long term? Sorry, Blame it On Me / Akon Questions: How does it feel when someone comes to you to say "I'm sorry?" How do you feel after you have offered a sincere apology to another? Questions: What are the chances you take when you allow yourself to be vulnerable to others? What are some of the best decisions you have made in your relationships? Movie Resources The following movie briefs and study guides have been made available to the Emmaus Journal compliments of D. Scott Miller (www.dscottmiller.com), Coordinator of Adolescent Faith Formation for the Archdiocese of Baltimore’s Division of Youth and Young Adult Ministry.
![]() EVAN ALMIGHTY: Now available in DVD http://www.dscottmiller.com/publ/evan.pdf
BELLA: Opened in theaters nationwide on October 26th: Advent Resources: A Season of Anticipation and Hope The Season of Advent begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas (December 2) and comes to a close the day before Christmas (December 24). As you begin to prepare for this season of anticipation and hope, here are four websites that could assist you in your planning: Wanted: Student Writers
EXTENSION Magazine is looking for entries in its second annual short story for high school students. Catholic Extension, which supports missionary efforts in poor and remote areas of the U.S., asks high school-age students (in Catholic schools, public schools or home-schooled) to visit their website, www.catholicextension.org, and base a fictional story of up to 2,000 words on one of their missionaries or programs. The contest was suggested by best-selling author Mary Higgins Clark, who published her first short story in EXTENSION. Contest deadline is January 15, 2008, and full details and entry forms, along with a flyer for posting or distribution, are available on the site. It's a great way to teach young Catholics about putting faith into action, and possibly see their creative efforts published!
For further information call: Christine Dodd at 312 795-6041
Author! Author!
Please consider submitting an article for the Emmaus Journal. Articles are typically 300 to 600 words in length. The subject of articles varies - from a successful retreat idea, an approach to Christian service, or a new or innovative religion course. Please consider sharing your ideas with others around the country.
The following deadlines have been established for submitting articles during the 2007-2008 academic year:
Winter edition (due out in January 2008) January 4, 2008
Focus: Creative ways in which our schools celebrate Ash Wednesday, Lent, and the Easter season.
Spring edition (due out in April 2008) April 4, 2008
Focus: Faculty Faith Development
Submit articles to gmeyerl@ncea.org.
The Secondary Schools Department would like to thank Harcourt Religion Publishers for sponsoring the Emmaus Journal.
Sr. Mary Frances Taymans, SND, Executive Director top |
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