3-year Faith Formation Guide

[Lil Red]

[url="http://hancaquam.blogspot.com/2008/02/fr-philip-neris-three-year-plan-for_29.html"]The Full Plan here[/url]
[u][b]The Plan:[/b][/u]

For a three-year, once-a-week, two hour class, I would divide the reading (roughly) this way:

[u][color="#FF0000"]Year One: Scripture & The Fathers[/color][/u][list]
[*]Gospels, Pauline Letters: 3 mos.
[*]Patristic sources: 6 mos.
[*]Secondary Texts listed below: 3 mos.
[/list][u][color="#FF0000"]Year Two: Medieval Period[/color][/u][list]
[*]Early Medieval: primarily Anselm, early scholasticism: 2 mos.
[*]Medieval: Bernard and Aquinas, high scholasticism: 6 mos.
[*]Late Medieval: Mystics (Eckhart, etc.): 4 mos.
[/list][u][color="#FF0000"]Year Three: Trent, Vatican One & Two[/color][/u][list]
[*]Council of Trent: 2 mos.
[*]First Vatican Council: 2 mos.
[*]Second Vatican Council: 8 mos.
[/list][u][b]The Texts[/b][/u]

[color="#FF0000"][u]I. Necessary Texts (all three years)[/u][/color]
a. a Bible (in order of preference: NRSV, NJB, NIV, NAB)
b. [i]Catechism of the Catholic Church[/i], 1994
c. [i]Companion to the CCC[/i] (full texts of the footnotes in the CCC)
d. [i]Documents of Vatican Two[/i], Austin Flannery, OP
e. [i]Readings in the History of Christian Theology, Volume 1: From Its Beginnings to the Eve of the Reformation[/i], Wm Placher
f. [i]Readings in the History of Christian Theology, Volume 2: From the Reformation to the Present[/i], W, Placher
g. [i]The Essential Writings of Christian Mysticism[/i], Bernard McGinn
h. [url="http://www.amazon.com/Concise-Dictionary-Theology-Stimulus-Book/dp/0809139294/ref=si3_rdr_bb_product"]a good theological dictionary[/url]

[u][color="#FF0000"]II. Year One: Texts for Patristic Period[/color][/u]
a. Robert L. Wilken, [i]The Spirit of Early Christian Thought: Seeking the Face of God[/i], 2005.
b. Andrew Louth, et al., [i]Early Christian Writings: The Apostolic Fathers[/i], 1987.
c. John R Willis,. [i]Teachings of the Church Fathers[/i], 2002.
d. Henrry Chadwick, [i]The Early Church[/i], 1993.
e. [url="http://www.newadvent.org"]www.newadvent.org [/url](click under “Fathers”)[indent]1. Ambrose, “[i]On the Mysteries[/i]”
2. Augustine, “[i]On Christian Doctrine[/i]” (for the brave), “T[i]he Enchiridion[/i],” & “[i]Of Faith and the Creed[/i]”
3. Clement of Rome, “[i]First Epistle[/i]”
4. Ignatius of Antioch, “[i]The Martyrdom of Ignatius[/i]”
5. Any other you would like to include…[/indent][u][color="#FF0000"]III. Year Two: Texts for the Medieval Period[/color][/u]
a. Carl Volz, [i]The Medieval Church: From the Dawn of the Middle Ages to the Eve of the Reformation[/i], 1997.
b. Brian Davies, [i]The Thought of Thomas Aquinas[/i], 1993
c. Robert Barron, [i]Thomas Aquinas: Spiritual Master[/i], 2008
d. Selections from the Placher anthology
e. Selections from the McGinn anthology
f. Rule of St Benedict

[u][color="#FF0000"]IV. Texts for Trent, Vatican One & Two[/color][/u]
a. document of the Council of Trent (on-line)
b. documents of the First Vatican Council (on-line)
c. documents of the Second Vaticna Council (on-line)
d. [i]Mysterium fidei[/i], Humanae vitae, Pope Paul VI
e. [i]Redemptor homine[/i], [i]Redemptoris mater[/i], [i]Veritatis splendor[/i], [i]Fides et ratio[/i], Pope John Paul II
f. [i]Deus caritatis est[/i], [i]Spe et salvi[/i], [i]Jesus of Nazareth[/i], Pope Benedict XVI

Most contemporary Catholic catechesis is based on the notion that you are too stupid, too lazy, or just don’t care enough to read moderately difficult texts about church history or theology. Frankly, this might be true. But even if it is true and despite yourself you truly want to immerse yourself in your faith: READ! Don’t try to understand every sentence, every paragraph. Read the assignment and just keep reading. Every time you want to skimp on the reading, say to yourself, “Ah HA! There’s something on the next page the Devil doesn’t want me to see!”

[Lil Red]

+J.M.J.+

[Thy Geekdom Come]

Looks cool, but it's not catechesis, it's theology (see [url="http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/apost_exhortations/documents/hf_jp-ii_exh_16101979_catechesi-tradendae_en.html"]Catechesi Tradendae[/url], article 61).

That said, it's still a neat looking program and is likely to form faith regardless of the distinction.

Incidentally, I'm not familiar with this priest's blog, but I saw a reference to a post he deleted saying that he was the next-door neighbor to my new bishop...and I wonder what he knows about the new bishop. We're all quite curious.