Walking by Faith

Creating the Catechetical Environment

Sister Addie Lorraine Walker, S.S.N.D.

Walking by Faith , as the title implies, is a catechetical series that views religious education and formation as an ongoing or lifelong process of developing a faith that is alive and active in the world today. Community is at the heart of our catechetical process, and so the series challenges students and teachers to build community in all areas of their lives. Personal faith grows most naturally within community and in fact requires the involvement of the whole community.

But community is not automatically created. Only by careful and intentional preparation of the catechetical environment do we provide an atmosphere where community can happen-a place of warmth and acceptance; a place where each person is respected and cared for; a place where the challenges of life and students' questions of faith are taken seriously and attended to; a place where our diversity of cultures, customs, and devotional practices is shared and celebrated. This kind of atmosphere reminds students and teacher alike that we are not just individuals alone in relationship to God. We are called to be the people of God-Church-a community of faith active in our world to bring about the reign of God.

In creating the catechetical atmosphere, there are at least three dimensions to consider: the physical space, the social-relational environment, and the academic-intellectual space.

Physical Space

The physical space refers to how the room is prepared for the session. What does the space look and feel like? Are religious symbols, especially a Bible, displayed with reverence? Do the pictures and other visual cues reflect that we are Catholics of many cultures? How are the chairs arranged? Is there a place in the room where work done by the students can be displayed?

In a catechetical atmosphere the visible elements should speak to our religious faith, reminding us subtly or explicitly that God is with us. The arrangement of chairs in circles rather than rows suggests that this is not a class in the academic sense (though this arrangement would be ideal for many academic settings as well), but is a faith group coming together to pray, to study, to learn new information, to ask new questions, and to get support and encouragement from each other as "we walk by faith" together. A warm, inviting physical space predisposes students to the possibility of bonding as a community of faith.

Social-Relational Environment

The social-relational environment describes how the student and teacher relate to each other. How are students welcomed by the teacher into the room? Is there an atmosphere of openness and freedom for sharing? Since faith formation, not just information sharing, is the goal of our coming together, creating a positive social-relational environment is crucial. An atmosphere of respect, trust, and care gives students a safe space in which to open themselves to the faith development process. This atmosphere for faith formation is not static but must be created and recreated at each gathering. A first step in establishing this atmosphere of safety, respect, trust, and care is what I call gathering . In liturgy, we do this in the gathering and introductory rites before we listen to the word of God and partake of the Bread of Life. In our homes we do this in our greeting, welcoming, and making our guests feel comfortable before we share stories and break bread together. Attention to gathering is extremely important here in the catechetical setting where we come together to ponder the mysteries of life and faith. When we don't attend to the social-relational environment, we find it difficult to translate what we learn in catechetical sessions into mature, living, and active faith.

Academic-Intellectual Space

The academic-intellectual space points to the content of study as well as the teaching-learning strategies used in instructional designs. Do students have the opportunity to be exposed to the fullness of Catholic doctrine at an age-appropriate level? Are students exposed to the richness of Catholic customs and devotional practices? What connections are made with other academic learning and with what is happening in the world? How is Christian action for justice supported? Are a variety of teaching and learning styles employed in order to reach every student? Walking by Faith has been developed to provide the best possible academic-intellectual support for the catechetical process in all these areas.

Careful attention to creating the catechetical environment for each session will ready both teacher and students for the infinite possibilities of growing in faith. It will allow for a depth of sharing and for many wonderful surprises by the Holy Spirit. Careful attention to creating the catechetical environment will foster and support the values of Catholic Christian community for students and teachers, families, and local parish communities as we all continue "Walking by Faith."