Helen Polzer distinctly remembers when she had her faith awakened. After attending public school for most of her life, she entered a Catholic High School in her native Texas.
“It opened my eyes to the beauty of the Catholic faith,” she said. “I came from a Catholic background, but learning it at school and seeing my teachers engage in the faith through our campus ministry program, by having great theology teachers … that awakened my desire to serve the Church and to teach others about what I was learning.”
Polzer, who recently arrived to the Camden Diocese, will be assisting in catechesis in Christ the King Parish, Haddonfield, for the next two years. She is a parish apprentice graduate student who is earning her master’s degree through the University of Notre Dame.
“I think the Church needs more people who are not just excited about their faith, but also learned in their faith,” she said, explaining that she will be serving as a liaison for high school students. “Hopefully, being a young person, I can have a positive impact in the parishes. I want to help let high-schoolers know that they have a place at the parish, that they belong and that there is something for them there.”
Catechists across the Diocese of Camden and beyond will be formally commissioned for ministry at Masses Sept. 19, Catechetical Sunday. Not only will they rededicate themselves to their mission of handing on the faith, all Catholics will be reminded of their call to share God’s Word.
“Catechesis is a vital ministry that goes back to Saint Paul,” said Sister Joelle Thren, SCC, director of religious education in Saint Damien Parish, Ocean City. “Teachers were listed in the charisms that Christians were given by God. I think if more people would consider it, you learn more than you teach.”
Mary Anne Serra, faith formation and family life coordinator in All Saints Parish, Millville, agreed.
“It’s so important to reinforce at home what children are learning in class,” she said, adding that last year, with religious education being virtual, more families got involved. “You could see that when we Zoomed the children, parents were in the background listening, and lightbulbs were going on in their heads.”
There’s also the parish community’s role. “Family life is not just your family in your home,” she continued. “The ones who go to daily Mass are a family. The ones who go to Adoration are a family.”
That is why events that include those of all ages can help with catechesis, religious education leaders said.
“We are looking forward to getting back to intergenerational events; we couldn’t have any last year during COVID,” said Anita D’Imperio, coordinator of religious education in Saint Joseph the Worker, Haddon Township.
The parish will also be bringing back family Masses, in which young people serve as readers, hand out bulletins and help with music, while a family is asked to bring up the gifts together.
Religious education at All Saints Parish is also returning to being in-person, after coronavirus concerns prompted virtual learning last year. It’s also expanding from one program, to two, and will include many outdoor activities, such as monthly processions.
Being in person, D’Imperio said, “helps reinforce what they are learning in the classroom to experience lessons as a group.”
Like others around the Diocese, the religious education families in Saint Damien Parish stayed active on Zoom last year, participating virtually in feast day celebrations, Advent and Lenten observances and more. The events were well-received, said Sister Joelle, but returning in-person this year has an added benefit.
“We had a lot of new families coming into the parish when we started this [online classes],” she said. With monthly dinner and learning gatherings returning, “We encourage everyone to come and spend time socializing.”
Religious education will be virtual in the fall for Christ the King Parish, and Dolores Mozzillo, director of religious education, hopes to continue the good practices developed over the past year in keeping families connected. Staying in touch, however, isn’t just key for families; it’s important to catechists, too. Mozzillo is the president of CREDO, a supportive organization for those in the fields of religious education. The group met again in person in September to share best practices, talk about the upcoming year and serve as mentors to one another.
As someone new to the Diocese, that’s important to Polzer.
“Relationship is everything when it comes to catechesis,” she said. “If someone has a connection to the Church who has played a positive role in a person’s life – a grandparent, parent, teacher, leader, pastor or friend – that can open the door [to faith] in a way nothing else can.”
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