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I'm in a pickle.


Basilisa Marie

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Basilisa Marie

Not literally.

Our children's religious ed is starting on Sunday. 

One of my catechists quit yesterday. 

I have 30 registrations turned in, and last year we had 120. This includes sacramental prep, and I'm not sure I have enough catechists to even cover all the classes. 

We moved from meeting once a month to weekly, and I'm thinking a lot of people are still getting in the swing of things. 

I'm trying to figure out what I'm going to do for Sunday, seeing as we don't have enough catechists, barely have any kids, but have to do SOMETHING. 

What do you guys think? 

 

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Depending on the age range you have, I would try to schedule something fun for the first class, especially if people are still getting into the swing of it as you say - how about some games, like Catholic-themed Hangman (assuming you have access to a whiteboard) or a bingo-style quiz about the Gospels or some other aspect of the Faith? This would help you to identify the gaps in their knowledge as well as being a relaxed start to their catechesis for them. Of course, this does require your students to have some basic grounding already, and if they don't have it they will feel lost and get bored.

If they're of an age to find it engaging, another option could be discussion groups on topics that don't require any prior knowledge, such as "If you could ask God one question, what would it be?" Then the questions can be discussed. This is a good way to establish the things they know already and what they're bringing with them into religious ed. If you get thirty kids you could divide into groups of ten and let them all write down their questions, with each smaller group then feeding back to the big group at the end. Would there be enough catechists for that? If not you could maybe appoint an older kid as a peer facilitator - they usually like doing that.

This would work for an introductory session but unfortunately I have no idea on how to make a formal religious ed curriculum work if you don't have enough people to teach it. I can only suggest you resort to lassooing competent parishioners with a rosary and drafting them into service.

Edited by beatitude
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Do you have any church high school programs (confirmation kids) that need community service hours?  Perhaps they could help

That's a good idea. Young slave labor is even better. ;)

(I'm not trying to belittle your predicament here, Basilisa. Just having some fun. I hope you get it worked out!)

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Basilisa Marie

No worries, I love you guys. :)  I can't trust most of the high schoolers. I tried to during vacation bible school and they need...erm...more leadership development training. Strong community here, not a lot of leadership or accountability. 

I'm already abusing some college students. It's partly just that between helping our new youth minister get situated (hired a brand new youth minister and she started two weeks ago, she's wonderful but it's her very first ministry position), everybody wanting to get their kids baptized, playing liturgist/sacristan for a substitute priest for a month (oh yeah my pastor was on vacation for four weeks and this is his first sunday back), and going up to the chancery for a meeting stuff slipped through the cracks and I didn't get around to nailing this down until, like, now. And of course I'm paying for it all now, lol. 

Ministry is hard. And next week starting Tuesday night I spend the whole week up at the chancery again for tribunal training. Because of course. 

At least their workbooks are in, so I can get those passed out. I think we can do that, get some handouts together for parents, etc. It just kinda smells of elderberries and feels like waaaaay too much on my plate right now. I mean it's not the end of the world if we don't really meet on Sunday. I don't know. I'm still playing with ideas and I'm burning out. 

Edited by Basilisa Marie
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:o)Katherine:o)

For our first night with the high schoolers we are doing get to know you ice breakers and activities. We have found that the first day they are always so excited and want to catch up that we give them a chance to do so. Plus, we have found that the bond is stronger throughout the year. 

 

Maybe ice breakers or let them act out a scene out of the bible? Something simple but will let them have fun?

Prayers that everything will go well! :)

 

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Tab'le De'Bah-Rye

You could get in a guest speaker and just sit everyone down and listen to a talk, and ask questions afterwards. That's an  easy emergency fill in. Or like everyone else is saying you could just do something fun, i like katherines suggestion just a gathering get to know your name trade numbers and eat heaps of chips,lollies, chocolate and soft drink.

Edited by Tab'le De'Bah-Rye
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No worries, I love you guys. :)  I can't trust most of the high schoolers. I tried to during vacation bible school and they need...erm...more leadership development training. Strong community here, not a lot of leadership or accountability. 

I'm already abusing some college students. It's partly just that between helping our new youth minister get situated (hired a brand new youth minister and she started two weeks ago, she's wonderful but it's her very first ministry position), everybody wanting to get their kids baptized, playing liturgist/sacristan for a substitute priest for a month (oh yeah my pastor was on vacation for four weeks and this is his first sunday back), and going up to the chancery for a meeting stuff slipped through the cracks and I didn't get around to nailing this down until, like, now. And of course I'm paying for it all now, lol. 

Ministry is hard. And next week starting Tuesday night I spend the whole week up at the chancery again for tribunal training. Because of course. 

At least their workbooks are in, so I can get those passed out. I think we can do that, get some handouts together for parents, etc. It just kinda smells of elderberries and feels like waaaaay too much on my plate right now. I mean it's not the end of the world if we don't really meet on Sunday. I don't know. I'm still playing with ideas and I'm burning out. 

I think I know your new youth minister! 

It's fun when people I know, know people I know.

Edited by Amppax
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Basilisa Marie

I think I know your new youth minister! 

It's fun when people I know, know people I know.

NO WAY. :bounce: I bet you either know her and/or the one at the parish in the next town over, depending on where you know them from. 

Catholic land is small. Lucky for her we've given out about 40-50 middle school youth group registration forms, so at least that part of our faith formation department is doing okay. I had a ton of youth helpers for VBS so that pool is strong. 

I think what I might do is have tomorrow be a day with handouts an picking up books, have a catechist in-service next weekend, and REALLY get started the 27th. I woke up this morning feeling pretty good about that. I'll go into the office this afternoon (family is borrowing my car to pick my dad up from the airport) and send an email out to all the parents who have already signed up, and make some signs for tomorrow.  This way I won't be trying to get more of my catechists started while I'm up in Seattle and we'll have time to get more registration forms in. For a parish this size it doesn't make sense to have a class with two kids in it, which is basically where we're at right now. 

I really hate the idea of saying "nope just kidding we aren't starting!" but it really just can't happen yet. I'm all for things being messy but dang, I just can't. I mean, assuming my boss doesn't think it's a terrible idea, but I think he'll be okay with it. 

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Do you actually work in Seattle, like around Blessed Sacrament or Greenlake, or more on the outskirts? (yes or no is fine if you want to be more private). 

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Basilisa Marie

Do you actually work in Seattle, like around Blessed Sacrament or Greenlake, or more on the outskirts? (yes or no is fine if you want to be more private). 

Oh, screw relative anonymity. :) 

Much more south. As in southern deanery. As in we might as well be our own diocese for all the silly chancery cares. :) It'd make things so much easier if I didn't have to drive like 3+ hours to go visit our archdiocesan offices. 

Things went okay today - I only got yelled at by one parent and one catechist, so I'm calling that a win. They were (rightfully, I suppose) peeved that I changed things up at the last minute. I went with passing out some textbooks and handouts. 

Oh well. I only got five more registrations in today, and talked with some families. I'm definitely getting the impression that there was a mass exodus over the switch from once a month to weekly. Oh well, that's what happens when you start asking for a bigger commitment I guess. 

Next week we're having a catechist meeting instead of class, then starting come heck or high water the 27th. We wouldn't wait the full two weeks but I'm spending the whole week up in Seattle soooo not much time to do my real job. Happily my boss was totally fine with my game plan, and had some helpful suggestions to reward parents who got their registrations in on time. 

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NO WAY. :bounce: I bet you either know her and/or the one at the parish in the next town over, depending on where you know them from. 

Catholic land is small. Lucky for her we've given out about 40-50 middle school youth group registration forms, so at least that part of our faith formation department is doing okay. I had a ton of youth helpers for VBS so that pool is strong. 

I think what I might do is have tomorrow be a day with handouts an picking up books, have a catechist in-service next weekend, and REALLY get started the 27th. I woke up this morning feeling pretty good about that. I'll go into the office this afternoon (family is borrowing my car to pick my dad up from the airport) and send an email out to all the parents who have already signed up, and make some signs for tomorrow.  This way I won't be trying to get more of my catechists started while I'm up in Seattle and we'll have time to get more registration forms in. For a parish this size it doesn't make sense to have a class with two kids in it, which is basically where we're at right now. 

I really hate the idea of saying "nope just kidding we aren't starting!" but it really just can't happen yet. I'm all for things being messy but dang, I just can't. I mean, assuming my boss doesn't think it's a terrible idea, but I think he'll be okay with it. 

From Franny-land, of course. That's a good 85% of my Catholic connections. Another 10% from my home parish (because I have a friend that went to UDallas), and 5% from the fact my ex-girlfriend was at Notre Dame. All rough estimates. But yeah, Catholic land is incredibly small. 

Also, on topic, seems like everything's working out! I couldn't even begin to suggest how to incentivize parents, ugh, that must be a nightmare. 

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Oh, screw relative anonymity. :) 

Much more south. As in southern deanery. As in we might as well be our own diocese for all the silly chancery cares. :) It'd make things so much easier if I didn't have to drive like 3+ hours to go visit our archdiocesan offices. 

Things went okay today - I only got yelled at by one parent and one catechist, so I'm calling that a win. They were (rightfully, I suppose) peeved that I changed things up at the last minute. I went with passing out some textbooks and handouts. 

Oh well. I only got five more registrations in today, and talked with some families. I'm definitely getting the impression that there was a mass exodus over the switch from once a month to weekly. Oh well, that's what happens when you start asking for a bigger commitment I guess. 

Next week we're having a catechist meeting instead of class, then starting come heck or high water the 27th. We wouldn't wait the full two weeks but I'm spending the whole week up in Seattle soooo not much time to do my real job. Happily my boss was totally fine with my game plan, and had some helpful suggestions to reward parents who got their registrations in on time. 

Good golly, that's way out in the boonies. I was going to offer to help if you were around my area but it'd be a struggle even make Ballard let alone where you are!

I've been doing Catechism class for fifth and fourth graders for two years, first as assistant and then as the head catechist. In my old diocese kids got confirmation and Eucharist at age nine in the same mass, so a majority of my students where in sacrament prep which was a separate class, but I tried to connect the classes together and was an assistant to the sacrament prep classes as well. The RE director was my sister's confirmation sponsor and we got along really well. I didn't care if she switched things up last notice or was struggling to pull something through. Life happens. Each week I wrote out an hour-long lesson plan for each Sunday which included stuff like opening games, movie clips, and small group prayer and bible study. I was smart enough to save each lesson to drive so now I have a whole year's worth of plans and I don't have to work as hard next time I lead classes, just have to look over last year's plan and do a little editing. Anyways I miss leading a class and sharing the Faith to kids... But oh well, maybe next year. 

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