Formation conference for teachers emphasizes relationship with Christ
On June 22, more than 750 Catholic school teachers from the Archdiocese of Newark gathered at Paramus Catholic High School in Paramus, NJ, for a conference meant to help them grow in their personal relationships with Jesus Christ and more effectively form students in the faith.
The Catechist Formation Conference was a collaborative endeavor between the archdiocesan Schools Office and the Office for Lifelong Faith Formation. The day’s content centered around “The Art of Catechesis,” a course that all Catholic teachers in the archdiocese must complete as part of the catechist certification process.
However, as Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R., Archbishop of Newark, reminded the teachers during the Mass that began the day, the conference was not principally a moment to fulfill a requirement, but an invitation to teachers to deepen their own faith lives.
“Real formation isn’t simply checking boxes on a list of things to do. It’s nothing less than inviting the Holy Spirit to transform who we are,” the cardinal said.
The opening Mass was concelebrated by Auxiliary Bishops Pedro Bismark Chau, Manuel A. Cruz, Elias R. Lorenzo, O.S.B., and Michael A Saporito. Bishop Emeritus Gregory J. Studerus was also a concelebrant, along with Father Stephen J. Fichter, the Episcopal Vicar of Education.
Redeeming witnesses, not flawless robots
In his homily, Cardinal Tobin thanked teachers for “your generosity, for your late nights and early mornings, and for your beautiful love of the Good News.” He also reminded them that as Christians, “we cannot witness to what we haven’t seen ourselves,” and warned them of the danger of “the slow, sleepy drift of routine.”
“It’s the temptation to master a lesson plan, decorate the room perfectly, explain the sacraments flawlessly, while your own prayer life becomes a distant memory,” he said.
Cardinal Tobin pointed out remarks made the previous day by Pope Leo XIV:
“Our Holy Father reminded us that preaching and teaching could never simply be about mere techniques. He said, ‘The strength of any apostolate, in fact — beyond techniques and tools — comes from the work of the Holy Spirit within us and from the authenticity of our response.’”
“The young people in your classrooms aren’t looking for flawless theological robots who have every answer perfectly memorized,” the cardinal continued. Rather, they “need teachers who are also redeeming witnesses,” who can attest that they have “encountered the mercy of Jesus Christ.”
A call and a vocation
The conference’s keynote address was delivered by Julianne Stanz, Director of Outreach and Discipleship at Loyola Press. She is also a consultant with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops for catechism and evangelization, as well as the author of numerous books.
Originally from Ireland, Stanz spoke about the challenges of catechizing students who are often feeling burnt out or who suffer from overstimulation from a barrage of social media and technology. She said that children are often worried that they will not be loved or will be abandoned if they reveal their problems or fail to meet expectations.
“Sometimes we think it’s really, really hard to reach young people today; we don’t know if we’re making a difference,” Stanz said. But she insisted that Catholic school teaching “is a call and vocation from God.”
“He has chosen you to teach, to administrate, and to provide support at this time in the life of the Church and in life of the world for young people today,” Stanz said. “It is not an accident that you are here.”
Faith as a personal relationship
Stanz then shared an episode from her own faith journey, when she worked as a counselor in a secular American school where the subjects of God and religion were forbidden.
Two unexpected “miracles” occurred during her time at the school. The first involved a student raised without religious faith who was being bullied. He stumbled into Stanz’s office one day following a suicide attempt. At the request of the boy’s mother, Stanz invited the troubled student to accompany her for after-school walks, when she would “bend the rules” and speak about God and belief. It was a “mustard seed” moment, as Stanz described it. Many years later, after she left the school, the young man entered the Catholic Church, crediting his relationship with Stanz as transformative for his life.
Another such miracle occurred when the school’s dean of students returned to the Catholic faith after many years—and became Stanz’s husband.
“Faith is a living relationship,” Stanz said. “There’s not the faith, it’s our faith, it’s your faith.”
God provides the growth
Following the keynote, participants joined Art of Catechesis workshops divided by grade levels. Pre-K through fourth grade teachers attended sessions led by the Office Lifelong Faith Formation’s Gina Butler, Associate Director for Catechesis in the Catholic Schools, and Osar Cruz, Associate Director for Adult and Family Formation. They spoke about the challenges of helping young children understand scripture and connect faith in Jesus to their lives. They also encouraged teachers to invest time and energy into their own relationships with God.
A third workshop for teachers of grades 5 through 8 was led by Patricia Rodriguez, Director of the Office for Lifelong Faith Formation. During her presentation, she explained that the goal of catechesis was to help students fall in love “not with a subject, but with a person.”
While acknowledging that content and curriculum were important, Rodriguez cautioned against making them the “driving force” in the classroom. “We want to share the person of Jesus,” she said. She added that teachers and catechists were “responsible to set up the conditions” that help students deepen their faith, but that “God provides the growth.”
“Our hope is that our Catholic schools will be infused with a culture of witness and encounter,” Rodriguez later told Jersey Catholic. “We want to capture Pope Francis’s belief that ‘catechesis cannot be like an hour at school, but rather a lived experience of faith.’ We want our students to experience the love and mercy of Jesus, helping them to not only learn about Him but to come to know Him personally. As the master catechist, Jesus himself taught us how to draw others closer to Him.”
Keeping Christ at the center
Barbara Dolan, Superintendent of Schools, said that Catholic schools play an “integral part” in the Church’s mission to form young people in the faith. “The Catechist Formation Conference was an opportunity for over 700 Catholic school educators to reflect on how they help fulfill that mission,” she said.
“Beginning the day with Mass with Cardinal Tobin and the auxiliary bishops was a powerful reminder of the fact that Christ must be at the center of all we do in our Catholic schools,” she continued. “The keynote speaker and workshop presenters conveyed how impactful our school catechists can be in helping students and families grow in their relationship with God. As the school year draws to a close, this gathering was a way to recognize and celebrate the faith-filled men and women who teach and lead in our Catholic elementary schools and so beautifully nurture the faith of their students.”
Rodriguez said that she was “deeply grateful” to Dolan “whose openness to this collaboration has made the day possible.”
The Office for Lifelong Faith Formation also expressed its gratitude to the teachers who participated in the conference.
“We would like each of our Catholic school teachers and leaders to know how much we appreciate you!” Gina Butler said. “We are grateful for you, for your dedication and continual choice to serve in Catholic school education, for your hearts that give and give, for your energy, skill, talent and creativity teaching and reaching your students, for your faith and commitment that builds the Catholic school identity and inspires and leads others to Christ. We pray for you every day!”
Over the summer, teachers will complete independent activities to further deepen their spiritual lives. They will also engage in classroom exercises in the fall and attend a second gathering to complete their “Art of Catechesis” coursework.
To learn more Catholic Schools or faith formation in the Archdiocese of Newark, visit the Office of Schools and the Office for Lifelong Faith Formation.
Featured image: Patricia Rodriguez, Director of the Archdiocese of Newark’s Office for Lifelong Faith Formation, leads an afternoon session at the Catechist Formation Conference on June 22, held at Paramus Catholic High School. (Photos by John Touhey / Archdiocese of Newark)
