Catholic Schools Track

Consistent with the fact that theology is the handmaid of catechesis, we will present upper-level seminars to foster the teacher’s theological understanding of the faith. The high school religion teacher who has a sure grasp of sacred theology will be better equipped to teach the Catholic Faith in all its rigor and vigor (On Catechesis in Our Time 30) amidst the doubts and questions that fill the adolescent mind regarding the teaching of the Church.

Actual classroom lesson plans that incorporate different educational/catechetical techniques will be developed and illustrated. The Church teaches that catechetical methodology is at the service of the content of the Deposit of Faith. We will be following a method developed by Msgr. Francis Kelly, who named it the Ecclesial Method. This methodology leads the student to both understanding and conversion (On Catechesis in Our Time 20). These workshops will also introduce the concept of “incarnational dynamism” in classroom teaching. This consists in drawing the student to the Person of Jesus Christ, (the content of all catechesis) through the use of contemporary and ancient sacred art, Christian and secular forms of music, popular as well as classical literature, film, and age-appropriate classroom activities. The aim will be to demonstrate various ways to teach doctrine in an engaging manner that will interest students and foster evangelization.