Training for the nitty-gritty; diocesan school prepares lay ministers - Nation

National Catholic Reporter, May 31, 2002 by Arthur Jones

As ministry school faculty members, said Gerard Scheuermann, "we have to be aware that when we walk into a room with a group of adults taking courses, they are going to be all over the place in their interests and levels of knowledge about religion."

And that, say the Scheuermanns, means using up-to-date adult teaching techniques at every step of the way. Otherwise those providing adult faith formation programs will run into "the bowling ball" syndrome.

Picture a bowling alley, said Wanda Scheuermann. If adult educators just knock down all the pre-Vatican II tenpins in the alley, two things happen: "One," said Wanda, "some people just walk away. Two, others just pick up the pins--and cement them back in precisely the same place so they won't be knocked down again."

With adult education, said Gerard, "you have to provide an atmosphere, plus information and opportunity within the education so that they will hit the pins down themselves--and rearrange them within the teaching today that touches on their lives."

The Scheuermanns said there is a strain of "apologetics types" who come to the classes. "They clutch tight their catechisms --they are fundamentalists as far as their Catholicism is concerned," said Wanda, "and they don't know how to go beyond those lines."

During one class on the Eucharist, she said, by way of explanation, when she quoted the Vatican II documents about Jesus' presence in the assembly and the presider, "one person said talking that way is going to lessen Jesus' presence in the consecrated bread." He opened his catechism and quoted something about Jesus' presence in the consecrated host as primary.

Scheuermann said she explained, "You're quoting that quote, but everything I said comes out of the catechism, also. Did you check the other sections on the Eucharist?" She added, "There's a small number of very loud people who are not inquirers but hold to pay, pray and obey.

"The majority of students want a solid foundation," she said. "Generally, the people are hungry. They're going to seek and latch on to something that's going to feed them in some way. If we don't offer to help stretch them--then they're open to any influence that comes along that will," she said.

Becoming profession

The School of Ministry is very much Smith's re-creation. The Sister of St. Joseph had just finished a 1991 sabbatical when Stockton Bishop Donald Montrose asked her to head diocesan religious education and revive a moribund ministry school originally started by then Bishop (now Cardinal) Roger Mahony.

Smith welcomed the challenge and took on the Catholic conference's accreditation program as a guideline. "The accreditation process forced us to become professional," said Smith. "There are eight sets of standards. Meeting those helped us organizationally. One standard," she said, "was to develop a mission statement. We had to reflect on how Vatican II [1962-65] documents help in identifying the diocese's needs. Without the guidelines, frankly, we might not have taken the time to do that. Yet we've revised the mission statement three times since then."