There was more in my ministry of being a Permanent Deacon than spiritual counseling of those seeking marriage or its dissolution! The vast majority of my time and effort was dedicated to being a teacher. My role in the religious education of adults was the most enjoyable part of my ministry within the parish and the diocese.
At CGS, my focus was on presentations for those soon-to-be Catholics who were part of our Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA) program. Recently, I have continued to teach part of the RCIA program at Epiphany of the Lord, where we are current members. The major topics I have presented include: “Christology” (Who is Jesus?); “Prayer” (How do we interact with God?); “Sacraments” (How does God continue to offer us His grace through Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist (the sacraments of initiation); through Reconciliation and Anointing (ways of healing and reunion); and through our vocations (Matrimony and Holy Orders.) The fourth major topic has been: “Social Service and Social Justice” (How do we respond with our own actions as we follow Christ into his Kingdom?)
Although the specific titles have varied, these four general areas have comprised much of what I offered as part of the diocesan series in its Formation Toward Christian Ministry (FTCM) program required for laity who want to become associated with religious education at a parish level.
Within the FTCM, I offered multiple-week sessions on History of the Church; Prayer and Spirituality; Ministry; and Christology. Within the parish, my multiple-week courses for adult education included Basic Beliefs of the Catholic Church, which was a summary of Catholic doctrine and practice. Since my favorite topic was the history of the Church, I also presented an additional five-week series on History of the Catholic Church in America: Catholic Americans/American Catholics.
Another course that gave me great pleasure was one I facilitated on Comparative Christianity in which there were guest ministers representing Lutheran, Episcopalian, Presbyterian, Methodist, Baptist, and United Church of Christ perspectives. One evening included a discussion by a bishop from the Church of Latter-Day Saints.
Of course, I also offered presentations on each of the four gospels: Mark, Matthew, Luke and John. It was only after my retirement and residence at Eagle’s Trace that I expanded my Bible study in adult education to include all the rest of the New Testament scripture (Acts, Epistles, and Revelation) and all of the books of the Hebrew Scriptures – from Genesis through the prophets, histories and wisdom literature.
For more than thirty years, there have been very few topics on religion that I might have omitted. These events gave me pleasure and, I like to think, they yielded insights to those who participated in my classes, no matter where they were held.
And why did I do this? What really motivated my deep desire to be a teacher? My enjoyment began at a very early age. I spent many summers during my days at Lincoln Elementary, “playing school” with neighborhood kids or with cousins. Most of the time, they seemed to like doing it – otherwise, they would not have agreed to be part of my ongoing entertainment.
So, yes, being a teacher gave me pleasant reinforcements; I was accepted and respected for what I was able to do. I had no athletic ability; my artistic talent was limited (I could draw, but definitely avoided singing; piano lessons did not “take,” either!). But I could teach.
This early activity obviously led to my seeking a B.S. in Education. However, it was my experience in practice-teaching in high school chemistry and mathematics that rapidly convinced me to seek a Ph.D. and a career in which the provision of content was preferred to that of motivation to learn.
Throughout my life I have firmly believed the process of education is related to its Latin origin: educo – to lead forth. Knowledge, the ability to know, was held within the student, the learner, and was awaiting to be led forth by another person; to be released in a new insight stimulated by the teacher.
This is how I have viewed my purpose in life: to help others gain insight into what they already possess, already know. Except for brief periods during my postdoctoral years at Dartmouth and Oregon State, I was not given a teaching position as part of my academic career. Although the desire was there, I never became a university professor. Instead, my ministry in the Church has substituted for that desire to lead others in order for them to engage fully in the illumination held within them. I have tried to follow the true Teacher and become someone who leads forth the knowledge they already hold.