Ideas for Religious Educators

In Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship, the bishops of the United States remind us: “In the Catholic tradition, responsible citizenship is a virtue, and participation in political life is a moral obligation” (no. 13). The decisions we make as citizens about who leads us and what policies are enacted have important moral and ethical dimensions. The values of our faith should be our guide to public life.

This message is important for adults, as well as young Catholics, as they learn about our faith tradition and its implications for how we live our lives. Parish religious education programs for adults and children are important settings for sharing the Church’s teaching on civic responsibility.

We suggest some activities here that may prove helpful. A variety of more detailed religious education materials, resources, and session plans for all ages on Faithful Citizenship can be found via www.faithfulcitizenship.org.

Suggested Activities

Religious education programs on Faithful Citizenship can be as simple or elaborate as the Director of Religious Education or catechist chooses. They can be incorporated over several weeks and months, or they can be the focus of one class period or part of one, depending on how much time is available.

It is important for adults and children to be familiar with some of the key ideas from Catholic social teaching that shape our approach to issues and campaigns. If you have not done so already, share with the students, parents, small faith communities, and participants in adult education Themes from Sharing Catholic Social Teaching, a card summarizing seven key themes of Catholic social teaching, or show the video In the Footsteps of Jesus, which also summarizes these themes. (Information on how to order these resource is at the end of this page).

Activities for Younger and Older Children

For younger children:

Hold a discussion on faith and political responsibility. Ask the children to think about the upcoming election and then ask them the following:
- How do you think God sees people? How does this help us treat people better?
- What do people need in order to live a decent life?
- What makes someone a good leader?
- Why do you think the Church teaches that voting is an important thing for grown-up Catholics to do?
- Although you can’t vote yet, what can you do to make the world around you better?
Sponsor a poster contest or ask students to draw a picture to illustrate the theme “Love Your Neighbor: Vote in 2008.” Display the drawings or posters in the parish education center or parish hall.
Copy and use the children’s secret code activity page found in the Parish and School Leaders section of the Faithful Citizenship website.
Use the sample Faithful Citizenship catechetical session plans and materials for elementary and middle school children found in the Parish and School Leaders section of the Faithful Citizenship website.
To help parents understand what is being discussed with their children, send home a copy of the brochure The Challenge of Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship, as well as the “Family Guide for Faithful Citizenship,” available via www.faithfulcitizenship.org.

For older youth:

Ask the class to identify one public issue being discussed in the campaigns or on the news. Facilitate a discussion of how Catholics might respond to the issue in light of our faith.
Ask each student to identify a public policy issue in which he or she is interested. (You might provide newspapers, magazines, or Web access.) Youth can write a prayer for those impacted by the issue, for public policymakers, and for citizens like themselves who are called to respond.
Visit the Youth section of the Faithful Citizenship Web site for more resources for older youth, such as an interactive quiz, prayer ideas, discussion questions, and an action section.
The “Ideas for Youth Ministers” resource includes many relevant activities for this age group. Find that in the Parish and School Leaders section of the Web site.
Find Faithful Citizenship catechetical session plans and materials for junior high and high school ages in the Parish and School Leaders section of the Faithful Citizenship Web site.

Adult Faith Formation

Include a bulletin quote from Catholic social teaching, including teaching on civic responsibility, in every parish bulletin. Visit the All Catholics section of the Web site for bulletin quotes.
Distribute the brochure The Challenge of Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship at all masses one Sunday.
Distribute or publicize the Family Guide to Faithful Citizenship, in the All Catholics section of this Web site. Adults often learn best when they are teaching their children.
Host an adult education program on Faithful Citizenship. Invite a guest speaker, or show the DVD Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship. You can use these General Discussion Questions with the DVD to start conversations. For ideas about speakers, contact your diocesan social action director, pro-life director, or your state Catholic conference.
Encourage small faith communities to use the Adult Education and Small Faith Community Sharing session plans, in the Parish and School Leaders section.
For the RCIA program, use Preaching and Teaching from the Lectionary about Catholic Social Teaching (from USCCB) to generate discussion about Catholic social teaching and the connection between our faith and public life.
New resources for Young Adults, such as a discussion guide, scripture study, and other materials, are available in the Parish and School Leaders section.

General Suggestions for Catechists

Promote Citizenship but avoid partisanship—Parish leaders and staff play an important role in promoting “faithful citizenship.” However, it is not appropriate for parish representatives to promote partisan positions on candidates or parties. For more information, see “Do’s and Don’ts: Political Responsibility Guidelines to Keep in Mind during Election Season” in the Parish and School Leaders section.

Make use of existing resources: Many resources are available to help children and youth understand Catholic social teaching and its implications for public life in the Parish and School Leaders section.

Infuse the Faithful Citizenship Message into What You’re Already Doing:

Prayers and Liturgies: Opening and closing prayers for catechetical sessions can include special intentions for those whose lives are at risk, for those suffering from injustice, for political leaders who make important decisions, and, close to the election, for those who will be voting for our leaders. Sample general intercessions are included in Ideas for Liturgists and Prayer Leaders.

Regular Religious Education Classes: In addition to offering sessions focused specifically on the Church’s teaching on civic responsibility, those who offer religious education can weave this topic into other discussions. For example, a discussion of the Corporal Works of Mercy can explore why people need our mercy, how public policies affect them, and why it is important for us to participate in shaping a society of greater justice and compassion. Classes on the Trinity can recall that we are created as social beings in God’s image and likeness, and can discuss how this leads us to believe it is our right and duty to participate in social, economic, and political life.

Seize the Opportunities: While elections are the most obvious opportunities to discuss the message of Faithful Citizenship, other events lend themselves to this topic as well. A local right-to-life march or a "lobby day" sponsored by a diocesan or state legislative network can generate both discussion and action on the Catholic tradition of participation in public life.

Expand Advocacy Activities: Many religious education programs do a good job of involving children and adults in efforts to serve those in need. They are encouraged—and in some cases required—to collect food for food banks, gather toys for needy children at Christmas, provide clothing and other items for the homeless, and perform many other services. However, too many religious education programs do not effectively involve students and their families in advocacy and political responsibility education. It is important to teach children and adults that voting and helping to shape policies that protect human life and promote justice and peace are part of what it means to be an active Catholic. One effective way to do this is to provide opportunities for adults to join a diocesan legislative network. Both young people and adults can learn a great deal from attending "lobby days" sponsored by state Catholic conferences or from researching and writing letters to decision-makers about issues of justice and peace.

For more parish voter education ideas, and ongoing information about advocacy opportunities, contact your diocesan social action or pro-life office, your state Catholic conference, or visit the Take Action! page. The “Youth Advocate Directory” also includes ideas for education, advocacy, and actions for different age groups.

Connect Our Tradition of Service to Our Tradition of Participation in Public Life:

Some of the best starting points for teaching about the Catholic tradition of civic responsibility are the service activities in which parishioners are already involved. Catechists can encourage parishioners to do social analysis, through which they examine the underlying causes of the immediate problems their service efforts address. For example, when religious education classes collect food for those who are hungry, catechists can ask why people are hungry and what opportunities our society offers for us to change those conditions. When parishioners donate goods or money to a mission in a developing land, the bulletin or another handout can encourage them to consider how U.S. policies can exacerbate or relieve poverty in other parts of the world.

Do What You Can:

Efforts to share the Church’s tradition of civic responsibility can be as simple as asking a couple of questions during a class, or as sophisticated as a parish-wide voter education campaign. The first step for most catechists and DREs is to become familiar with the basic message, by reading the bishops’ statement and the bulletin insert that summarizes it. Then, decide what is realistic in your unique context, and do as much as you can to weave this message into your religious education programs.

Resources for Catechists and Directors of Religious Education

Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship: A Call to Political Responsibility from the Catholic Bishops of the United States (Nos. 7-026 English, 7-802 Spanish; 800-235-8722)
This statement continues a more than thirty-year tradition by the bishops of encouraging Catholics to use the values of their faith to shape their participation in political life. It focuses on helping Catholics form their consciences so they can make sound moral judgments about public choices. Faithful Citizenship highlights four areas of special concern-defending human life, promoting family life, pursuing social justice, and practicing global solidarity.

The Challenge of Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship (Bulletin Insert) (Nos. 7-027 English, 7-803 Spanish; 800-235-8722)
A brief summary of Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship: A Call to Political Responsibility from the Catholic Bishops of the United States.

Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship –DVD (No. 7-038; 800-235-8722)
Three brief segments, two in English for adults and teens, and one in Spanish for adults.

Excerpts from Sharing Catholic Social Teaching (English card, no. 5-315; Spanish card,
no. 5-815; English poster, no. 5-318; Spanish poster, no. 5-818; 800-235-8722)
An easy-to-distribute card summarizing seven key themes from Catholic social teaching. Also available as a poster.

Sharing Catholic Social Teaching: Challenges and Directions (Nos. 5-281 English, 5-803 Spanish; 800-235-8722)
This statement of the U.S. bishops urges that Catholic social teaching be incorporated into every Catholic educational program and identifies seven key themes of Catholic social teaching.

Living the Gospel of Life: A Challenge to American Catholics (Nos. 5-300 English, 5-809 Spanish; 800-235-8722)
This statement calls U.S. Catholics to recover their identity as followers of Jesus Christ and to be leaders in the renewal of U.S. respect for the sanctity of life.

In the Footsteps of Jesus: Catholic Social Teaching at Work Today (No. 5-444; 800-235-8722)
A two-part video. The first part (9 minutes) provides a brief summary of seven key themes from Catholic social teaching. The second part (19 minutes) explores each theme in more detail through the testimony of people who have lived the theme.

Leader’s Guide to Sharing Catholic Social Teaching (No. 5-366; 800-235-8722)
Ideal for religious educators at the diocesan and parish levels, this guide was developed to assist parish ministers and other adults in their study of Catholic social teaching, either individually or in a group setting. It includes prayers and ten study sheets containing themes, quotes, scriptural foundations, and much more.

A Place at the Table: A Catholic Recommitment to Overcome Poverty and to Respect the Dignity of All God’s Children (English: No. 5-519; Spanish: No. 5-880; 800-235-8722)
This pastoral reflection from the bishops will assist pastors, religious educators, teachers, youth ministers, and social justice coordinators to pray, reflect, and take action on the causes of poverty in the United States.

The Call to Family, Community, and Participation (English: No. 5-189; Spanish: No. 5-835; 800-235-8722 or download in English at http://www.usccb.org/cchd/FamilyBkInternet.pdf)
Chapters 1 and 2, or online Sections 3 and 4, entitled, “Call to Community” and “Call to Participation” are helpful resources for reflecting in groups or as an individual on these themes from Catholic social teaching.

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