Today, Liz Perry (facilities coordinator at St. Jude) and I went out to visit a few parishes while they put on their Vacation Bible School. It is unfortunate that many of the VBSs out there are really Protestant programs which focus entirely too much on the bible, to the neglect of the rest of Sacred Tradition. It is more unfortunate that some Catholics try to utilize these without adding a Catholic element to them, which in some ways implicitly devalues the beauty, mystery and majesty of the Holy Catholic Faith.
Don't get me wrong, it is great the parishes are doing something for the kids, nevertheless, it leaves one to wonder what the kids are hearing when they don't hear any mention of the Sacred Tradition of the Church - Mary who? What is a Saint? Sacraments? Bueller? Bueller? Nothing.
However, it is hopeful that some Catholics do see the inherent problems of trying to utilize a Protestant program. Not to say anything bad about Protestants or their VBSs, only that for a Catholic Parish to utilize this type of program lacks the fullness of the Catholic Faith of which Protestants are protesting. An inherent problem indeed!
One of the programs which we saw was one called "Catchat." It was created and is put out by a family in Canada. It was interesting to visit one of Protestant programs utilized in a Catholic parish, and then to visit one which is, from its inception, Catholic. One notices a remarkably palpable difference. From the mention of Mary as a matter of fact being the Mother of the Church and model for us to image in responding to God, to the crowns which will be made later this week to show our regal (i.e. kingly/queenly) baptized state in Jesus. In the words of the Director at the parish we visited: "I did the other [Protestant] programs before, where the focus is on the kids being a cowboy, or being in a jungle. This one the children are the lilies of purity for Jesus." Impressive!
I am currently trying to create my own "VBS" (though I think the name implies too much focus on the one element of divine revelation without regard for the Sacred Tradition of the Church). When one tries to do such a thing, one gains a new respect for those who have labored in this regard either in the Protestant kind or the Catholic kind. Organizing all those activities and materials is not an easy task! However, I think it is well worth it for more Catholics to make decidely Catholic Vacation Bible Schools since the Bible has come to us from the Sacred Tradition of the Catholic Church to begin with. Filling out the rest of Holy Mother Church's teaching into a weeklong program is definitely a daunting task, but hopefully more Catholics will accept the challenge, if only to help evangelize those kids and parents who - for various reasons - think they could never handle a regular Religious Education class. Totus Ad Majorem Dei (All for the Glory of God)! If one week is all a child will get in Religious Education, then may the Holy Spirit move that soul's heart to great conversion and may those who create the curriculum for that week make every moment count to evanglize that soul! And may each of us take up prayers for those who may not value Religious Education as anything more than a week's break from their kids, for perhaps no greater witness of faith can be given in a child's life than a parent (except for a martyr, I suppose).
Don't get me wrong, it is great the parishes are doing something for the kids, nevertheless, it leaves one to wonder what the kids are hearing when they don't hear any mention of the Sacred Tradition of the Church - Mary who? What is a Saint? Sacraments? Bueller? Bueller? Nothing.
However, it is hopeful that some Catholics do see the inherent problems of trying to utilize a Protestant program. Not to say anything bad about Protestants or their VBSs, only that for a Catholic Parish to utilize this type of program lacks the fullness of the Catholic Faith of which Protestants are protesting. An inherent problem indeed!
One of the programs which we saw was one called "Catchat." It was created and is put out by a family in Canada. It was interesting to visit one of Protestant programs utilized in a Catholic parish, and then to visit one which is, from its inception, Catholic. One notices a remarkably palpable difference. From the mention of Mary as a matter of fact being the Mother of the Church and model for us to image in responding to God, to the crowns which will be made later this week to show our regal (i.e. kingly/queenly) baptized state in Jesus. In the words of the Director at the parish we visited: "I did the other [Protestant] programs before, where the focus is on the kids being a cowboy, or being in a jungle. This one the children are the lilies of purity for Jesus." Impressive!
I am currently trying to create my own "VBS" (though I think the name implies too much focus on the one element of divine revelation without regard for the Sacred Tradition of the Church). When one tries to do such a thing, one gains a new respect for those who have labored in this regard either in the Protestant kind or the Catholic kind. Organizing all those activities and materials is not an easy task! However, I think it is well worth it for more Catholics to make decidely Catholic Vacation Bible Schools since the Bible has come to us from the Sacred Tradition of the Catholic Church to begin with. Filling out the rest of Holy Mother Church's teaching into a weeklong program is definitely a daunting task, but hopefully more Catholics will accept the challenge, if only to help evangelize those kids and parents who - for various reasons - think they could never handle a regular Religious Education class. Totus Ad Majorem Dei (All for the Glory of God)! If one week is all a child will get in Religious Education, then may the Holy Spirit move that soul's heart to great conversion and may those who create the curriculum for that week make every moment count to evanglize that soul! And may each of us take up prayers for those who may not value Religious Education as anything more than a week's break from their kids, for perhaps no greater witness of faith can be given in a child's life than a parent (except for a martyr, I suppose).
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2 comments:
You might like to check out the Columban Fathers VBS. We did it several years ago and it may be more of what your looking for. You are right that the program is called Vacation Bible School and as the name implies it focuses on scripture. We don't get enough scripture, and can't get enough scripture. Tradition is all around us, and many of these programs include a Catholic version. But tossing a saint or two into the presentation doesn't deepen tradition. Check out the program I mentioned and see it fits with your ideas.
I would suggest K4J (kids for jesus), which has an excellent Catholic VBS (www.k4j.org) we enrolled our two oldest last year. How great to hear them come home singing : "I am going to spend some time with my best friend . . . Jesus in the Eucharist!". Anyway we find it to be an excellent VBS program and will be enrolling our kids again this year.
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