Bishops launch "Share the Good News"

homer911

I'm not known for referencing Catholic websites, but there's a first time for everything..

http://www.catholicbishops.ie/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2018:31-december-2010&catid=17:news

Interesting joint statement from Catholic Bishops on the launch of this document

Emphasis below is mine..

"we have a situation in Ireland in which many young people leave Catholic schools after years of catechesis “theologically illiterate” "

"Renewal in the Church must focus on a renewed relationship with Jesus within a believing, sacramental faith community"

"Renewal of the Church will only come through a radical reawakening of what the Church is really about"

"I have already spoken about the need to move from a catechesis of mere discourse, concepts and rules to a catechesis focused on a personal relationship with Jesus"

"It is a reminder that catechesis does not end with the Leaving Certificate"

"We can no longer assume faith on the part of young people who have attended catholic schools nor indeed young people who come from Catholic families"

Book on Veritas.ie:
http://www.veritas.ie/Books/Reference/Share_the_Good_News[058]_National_Directory_for_Catechesis_in_Ireland/9781847302588/details2.aspx

This could apply to any non-Catholic Christian denomination as well..

JonJoeDali

The Irish bishops already have a catechism. The problem is they don't implement it. They've some cheek to even mention the word after decades of failure.

If there's no security in your shop and no gardai to call, don't be surprised if you go out of business very soon.

The catechism of the catholic church needs to be enforced in all schools. That will soon separate the wheat from the chaff.

antiskeptic

homer911 wrote: »

I'm not known for referencing Catholic websites, but there's a first time for everything..

Et tu Brutus?

The devil is in the detail. I wonder what that detail is.

"we have a situation in Ireland in which many young people leave Catholic schools after years of catechesis “theologically illiterate” "

That's because they aren't born again and as such, "cannot understand the things of God" in order to even begin to start being interested in them.

Proof positive (if proof were necessary) that cathechesis (whatever the denomination) doesn't make lost people found.

"Renewal in the Church must focus on a renewed relationship with Jesus within a believing, sacramental faith community"

Wool-y. How is this relationship with Jesus to be renewed precisely? I'd guess something along the lines of a return to sacremental roots.

"Renewal of the Church will only come through a radical reawakening of what the Church is really about"

...and what the Church is really about is: "..

"I have already spoken about the need to move from a catechesis of mere discourse, concepts and rules to a catechesis focused on a personal relationship with Jesus"

So far so good.

Now how does one go about addressing the fact this errant Church is filled with (or better said, was filled with) un-born again, cathechesised people?

"It is a reminder that catechesis does not end with the Leaving Certificate"

If it's failed to produce a result by then then it should end at the Leaving Cert. No point in pouring good money after bad.

"We can no longer assume faith on the part of young people who have attended catholic schools nor indeed young people who come from Catholic families"

All is revealed Brutus.


They could assume faith in the past because of the Total Grip Of The Church Over Everything. But it was no more faith then than it isn't now. Because it was then for so many just as it is now for so many - unbelief donning the cloak of it's day. Then it was unbelief masquerading as religion, now it's unbelief strolling around naked in secularism.

But always the same unbelief.

PDN

JonJoeDali wrote: »

The catechism of the catholic church needs to be enforced in all schools. That will soon separate the wheat from the chaff.

Serious question. Wouldn't it be better to enforce it in the churches?

JonJoeDali

PDN wrote: »

Serious question. Wouldn't it be better to enforce it in the churches?

Catholicism encompasses a child's entire life. Religion doesn't leave you once you step off church grounds.

Anyway, this isn't a thread on the silly argument for restricting religion to privately owned religious properties.

antiskeptic

JonJoeDali wrote: »

Catholicism encompasses a child's entire life. Religion doesn't leave you once you step off church grounds.

I don't think PDN was talking about children.

That said, the presumption would be that the parents of children on church grounds would be interested in Catholic cathechism. Whereas the parents of children in schools might not be.

You would grant parents the right to prevent their children being exposed to that which they deem unwelcome/harmful/fairytale-sold-as-truth?

JonJoeDali

antiskeptic wrote: »

You would grant parents the right to prevent their children being exposed to that which they deem unwelcome/harmful/fairytale-sold-as-truth?

Yawn, why don't you go back under your rock over on the AA forum.

homer911

JonJoeDali wrote: »

The Irish bishops already have a catechism. The problem is they don't implement it. They've some cheek to even mention the word after decades of failure.

If there's no security in your shop and no gardai to call, don't be surprised if you go out of business very soon.

The catechism of the catholic church needs to be enforced in all schools. That will soon separate the wheat from the chaff.

Enforced? Delivered and taught to the same consistent standard perhaps! I presume you dont mean enforced on students..

JonJoeDali

homer911 wrote: »

Enforced? Delivered and taught to the same consistent standard perhaps! I presume you dont mean enforced on students..

Indoctrination isn't a bad word.

prinz

I all the years of primary or secondary I don't remember being exposed to a single referenced quote from the Catechism of the Catholic Church. It was always far easier for ill-prepared teachers to tell people what to believe than to direct them to the Catechism to enable them to see for themselves.

They can no longer assume it because for years a bastardised version of the religion was being peddled to kids oftentimes by teachers with not a shred of interest in it. Out of schools, the sooner the better.

MrPudding

JonJoeDali wrote: »

Yawn, why don't you go back under your rock over on the AA forum.

LOL.

MrP

ubertrad

I've not read it. Come to think of it, I've not read the General Directory of Catechesis, which I have a copy of. At E16.99, I do think the Irish directory is a little pricey. You'd think such an important document would receive a subsidy. There's been plenty of money wasted on less worthy printing endeavours by the Irish Bishop's Conference.

Anyhow, I think it is a very positive development, but as Archbishop MArtin says, it's not enough simply to have it, we need to read it and put it into action.

santing

Another quote from the reference in post 1:

But Christianity is not just about vague goodness but about how our goodness is shaped and sustained by the extraordinary reality of God who became man in Jesus Christ.

What "goodness" is shaped? The same goodness Paul talks about in Romans 3?

Rom 3:10-18 As it is written: "There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one."
Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit. "The poison of vipers is on their lips." Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.
Their feet are swift to shed blood; ruin and misery mark their ways, and the way of peace they do not know." There is no fear of God before their eyes.

Zombrex

JonJoeDali wrote: »

Yawn, why don't you go back under your rock over on the AA forum.

yeah antiskeptic ya big atheist :pac::P:pac::D

Zombrex

"We can no longer assume faith on the part of young people who have attended catholic schools nor indeed young people who come from Catholic families"

That was always a mistake the church made in Ireland, focusing on perception rather than reality. Given how quickly Ireland has and still is moving away from its "Catholic culture" it is difficult to believe that even back in the day everyone were serious Christians.

The idea that Catholicism is decreasing in Ireland is probably some what misrespresentative of reality. A more likely explanation is that what is decreasing is people pretending to be Catholics for cultural reasons.

That I think is something the RCC should accept and embrace. After all, cynical jokes about money aside) which is more important, that you have a small set of true believers or a large set of "cultural Catholics". The RCC should focus on providing services to those who actually really believe, rather than trying to get back to the days of domination in Irish culture.

antiskeptic

Wicknight wrote: »

yeah antiskeptic ya big atheist :pac::P:pac::D

God is dead. And I killed him!

antiskeptic

Wicknight wrote: »

"We can no longer assume faith on the part of young people who have attended catholic schools nor indeed young people who come from Catholic families"

That was always a mistake the church made in Ireland, focusing on perception rather than reality. Given how quickly Ireland has and still is moving away from its "Catholic culture" it is difficult to believe that even back in the day everyone were serious Christians.

The idea that Catholicism is decreasing in Ireland is probably some what misrespresentative of reality. A more likely explanation is that what is decreasing is people pretending to be Catholics for cultural reasons.

That I think is something the RCC should accept and embrace. After all, cynical jokes about money aside) which is more important, that you have a small set of true believers or a large set of "cultural Catholics". The RCC should focus on providing services to those who actually really believe, rather than trying to get back to the days of domination in Irish culture.

Sounding everso PDN/Craddock-ish there...