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October 26, 2008

Event held to inspire catechists, teachers

By Michelle Martin

ASSISTANT EDITOR

Nearly 2,000 Catholic school teachers, catechists and other parishioners spent time Oct. 17-18 learning how to read, be inspired by and use Scripture as they instruct and form young people and adults in the faith.

The participants in “Called by Name, Transformed by the Word,” this year’s Chicago Catechetical Conference at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, could choose from a variety of enrichment workshops or classes for certification as a catechist.

All were invited to keynote talks by Father Richard Fragomeni, an associate professor of liturgy and preaching at Catholic Theological Union and rector of the Shrine of Our Lady of Pompeii, and Kenneth Doran, a national religion consultant for Sadlier.

A Spanish keynote was offered by Divine Word Father Gary Riebe-Estrella.

In his address, Fragomeni talked about the transformative power of Scripture, which offers people a way to know and to love Jesus.

“Christ doesn’t need more admirers,” Fragomeni said. “He needs real disciples.”

Become real disciples

To become real disciples, his followers must read his own words and read about his actions. In that way, Fragomeni said, people can hear what God says about himself and about his creation.

“God loves to talk,” Fragomeni said. “God desires to communicate. We are called to desire one thing and to seek first the kingdom of heaven, which is proclaimed in the Scriptures.”

Veronica Spradlin and Beverly Lesinski, both first-grade teachers at St. Gilbert School in Grayslake, said they enjoyed Fragomeni’s talk, and the workshop they went to on “Guided Meditation with Children,” led by Patricia Moran.

The teachers thought it might be a stretch to ask their firstgraders to engage in formal meditation for more than a minute or two, but liked what Moran said about helping the children be quiet enough to listen for God, at least for a few moments.

“They need that,” Lesinski said. “We live in a society that doesn’t value silence.”

Her husband, Don Lesinksi, teaches fourth-, fifth- and sixthgraders at St. Mary of the Annunciation School in Mundelein. He went to a workshop conducted by Joe Paprocki on how to help students become more familiar with the Bible.

Paprocki, a national religion consultant for Loyola Press and a former director of religious education and high school religion teacher, said he encountered students who had no clue what a biblical citation was, let alone how to find the passage in their Bibles.

They won’t learn unless they are encouraged by teachers who are enthusiastic and who live a life of faith, he said.

Concrete steps

But he also offered a series of concrete steps to help, including making sure students have access to Bibles and teaching them the chronological narrative of Bible events.

Todd Williamson, the director of the archdocese’s Office of Divine Worship, spoke about Scripture in the liturgy, telling the audience that the liturgy of the Word is a conversation with God, starting with the first reading and ending with the intercessions.

“What do we do in the intercessions? We ask for things,” Williamson said. “Some people might think that’s a little greedy, a little childish. I don’t think it is. It’s perfect. We hear about God’s mercy, his healing, and what do we do? We ask for more.”

Pat Moran of St. Zachary Parish in Des Plaines said that she and some of her fellow catechists planned to attend the conference, but she wished that more parishioners came.

“I think this would be good for all the adults to hear this,” she said, leaving a workshop in which participants discussed ideas for inviting more people to participate in their parishes. “We have a good parish, but I heard several good ideas that we could use.”

Classroom as pulpit

Dominican Father Jordan Kelly, director of the Office for Evangelization, spoke to teachers and catechists about the meaning of the “new evangelization.”

The term “new” doesn’t mean changing the message, Kelly said, but proclaiming it in a new way so they respond “as they never have before.”

“The new evangelization exists to take the people in front of us and set them on fire for Christ and the Gospel,” said Kelly. “Your pulpit is the classroom.”