In 1999, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops wrote and issued Our Hearts Were Burning Within Us — A Pastoral Plan for Adult Faith Formation in the United States. It reads, in part:
For a generation now the Church has insisted repeatedly that adult faith formation is 'the chief form of catechesis' (1972 GCD, 20, and 1979 NCD, 188), is 'situated not at the periphery of the Church's educational mission but at its center' (1972 TJD, 43), is 'the principal form of catechesis' (1979 CT, 43), is 'essential to who we are and what we do as Church' (1986 SLF, 157) and is, in fact, 'the central task in the catechetical enterprise' (1990 ACCC, 25), to be regarded 'as a preferential option' (ibid., 29).
Despite such consistent teaching, however, our Catholic community has not fully heard and embraced this clear message. While these words have proclaimed adult catechesis as the primary form of catechetical ministry, our practice in general has yet to achieve it.
Instead, many Catholic parents and parishes continue to place a higher priority on the faith and formation of children and youth than on their own formation as adults. We see evidence of this choice in staffing decisions, job descriptions, budget priorities, program planning and parishioner expectations.
...And yet, to meet the pressing needs and timely opportunities of today with the full resources of the Church now, we strongly reaffirm that, 'Without neglecting its commitment to children, catechesis needs to give more attention to adults than it has been accustomed to do' (NCD, 40) - indeed, we must strive to give catechesis for adults first place in our plans and priorities. We can no longer afford to accept the implicit operative assumption which the priorities of most parishes and the behavior of most adults reveal: namely, that catechesis for children is a basic need, while catechesis for adults is an optional extra. Both are necessary - and the more well-formed and lively is the faith of adults, the more likely are children to be raised in the practice of a living and mature faith.
The full text of "Our Hearts Were Burning" can be found at the USCCB website.
As the above-quoted text implies, this is not the first document calling on the Church community to place greater emphasis on the faith formation of adults. Other church documents touching on this issue include: The General Catechetical Directory (Vatican, 1971), To Teach as Jesus Did (US Bishops, 1972), The National Catechetical Directory (US Bishops, 1978), Catechesi Tradendae (Pope John Paul II, 1979), Serving Life and Faith: Adult Religious Education and the American Catholic Community (USCC, 1986), Adult Catechesis in the Christian Community (Vatican, 1990) and The General Directory for Catechesis (Vatican, 1997).
John Paul II's 1979 document states:
...one of the constant concerns whose urgency is confirmed by present day experience throughout the world, is the catechesis of adults. This is the principal form of catechesis because it is addressed to persons who have the greatest responsibility and the capacity to live the Christian message in its fully developed form.
If this has been out there for so long, then why has so little been done?
I gleaned some ideas from a class I took on Parish Evangelization. According to St. Paul, evangelization was originally seen as the job of everyone. This is why the early Church spread so quickly. However, by the Middle Ages only the clergy evangelized, not lay people. We entered a missionary age that lasted 1500 years.
From this has developed a Church that is highly dependent upon its clergy. There is a "restaurant" mentality in the pews. People come, take their seat and wait to have their portion of grace served to them by the priest, and then they go home. For the older folks who grew up in the pre-Vatican II era, this is all they've known and they are more resistant to being ministered to by laity (as parish mission speakers, Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist, etc.)
The younger ones are taught by the older ones, and they create a Church experience for themselves that "fits their lifestyle". If they don't like what they see, or if they don't understand it, they move on to something else or just drop out.
Rural areas have to share a priest who can only come once in while to a parish. This is becoming more common place in large cities as well. I heard the pastor of the parish I grew up in say that there will be a deacon, there will be more prayer services instead of Masses, the laity will be doing the ministry to the sick, etc., because in the not too distant future he won't be there all the time. This is going to be quite a shock to parishioners who show up to be waited upon by the priest for their weekly serving of grace, only to find that it is now a self-serve buffet line staffed by laity.
Pastoral Support
Another issue affecting Adult Faith Formation in parishes is the support of the pastor. If he doesn't support it, it won't happen. In too many parishes, the laity approach the pastor and tell him their ideas, but it falls on deaf ears. I heard about a pastor who conducted a survey during Lent, and afterward he said at the parish pastoral council meeting: "They say that want all these things, but they really don't. They probably won't show up; they probably won't participate. Besides, the parishioners said that overall they were happy with the Mass the way it is."
How can they be "happy" with things the way are, when on another part of the survey they noted that they want Bible study and classes explaining the Mass. How can they be happy with something they don't understand? If they like the Mass so much, how come they don't bring their kids to Mass in the summer after religious education classes end? Why do my fourth graders understand the Second Commandment better than their parents?
"They won't show up." They don't show up because there is no enthusiasm for it at the Sunday pulpit!
This is why we desparately need Adult Faith Formation. We need to build closer, more personal relationships with Christ. We need to help people understand that we have been called to go out and serve. Everyone in the Body of Christ has gifts, something to offer to the Church. We need to begin asking of God, not "give me more gifts," but "what gifts do I have and how do you want me to use them?"
So many prayers for more priests for so long! Where are they? What is God's answer to our prayers for more priests? Perhaps Adult Faith Formation is the answer God is giving us, for Christ has said, "Give them some food yourselves." (Matt. 14:16)
