An examination of the faith formation
programmes offered by various Christian
communities in Central Coastal California.
The American Chapel Grant 2009.
English Speaking Union
Rev Gerard O’Shaughnessy sdb MA, BEd.
The State of California
For the purposes of this study, I have felt it best to confine myself to the geographical areas
covered by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Monterey and the Episcopal Diocese of El Comino
Real. The faith communities covered by these areas fall into the area known as Central Coastal
California; as it is the state of California is the third largest in the United States of America,
covering 163,707 square miles and having a population of almost 37 million people according
to the 2008 US Census estimate. It is interesting to note that California accounts for about 13%
of the total gross domestic product of the USA-GDP measures the value of the final goods and
products of a nation in any given year. Financial experts argue that if California was an
independent nation it would rank somewhere between 3rd and 10th place in the global GDP
positions. To place this into context: California is equivalent to UK, Russia, India, Italy, France
and Spain in terms of its economy.1 However, it is fair to say that during my visit for the ESU
scholarship in November 2009, the recession was taking its toil with drastic cutbacks in public
spending and unemployment rates rising in the State to over 12%2-one of the sharpest rises in
all of the USA.
Famous for its agriculture, entertainment, tourism, oil and computer industries, the state of
California is perhaps best known, in the UK, for its film and TV industry centred on the Los
Angeles suburb of Hollywood. As a global community, we can sometimes be more aware of
sights and sounds of places in California than we are of places in our own nation. Even
programmes set in other geographic locations, such as “Friends” (New York) or “ER” (Chicago)
are actually filmed, for the most part, on sound sets in Los Angeles.
1
See World Factbook published by the CIA 2008 www.cia.gov
2
US Bureau of Labor Statistics October 24th 2009
1
The area chosen for this study is perhaps not as well known; it certainly does not have the
“star” quality of Rodeo Drive or Disneyland. However it is part of the “salad bowl” of the United
States with major crops such as lettuce, strawberries and artichokes grown along the fertile
region. Agriculture accounts for something like $3.8 billion for the region due to its
Mediterranean like climate; while it supplies the salad course to much of the United States, the
region also exports over 570 million pounds of goods to many countries through the word
including the UK3.
The region incorporates areas of great and very obvious wealth such as Carmel by the Sea
and Pebble Beach together with areas of relative poverty such as Salinas or Soledad. The
agricultural industry is by its very nature very labour intensive; the rates of pay and poor
working conditions only attract those desperate for work. Therefore, most workers in this
industry come from the Hispanic population-Hispanics (those from Central and Latin America)
account for about 15% of the total US population4.Given its proximity to Mexico, it is, therefore,
not surprising that 48% of California’s population is Hispanic. However, in a city like Soledad,
the percentage rises to 86%5; in this city there is no large supermarket (such as
Wallmart/Asda) or shopping mall or even a department store (such as Macy’s). This is a sure
indicator that the population of this city do not earn enough to support such ventures. It is
reminiscent of facilities available to residents of large public housing estates in our large
northern conurbations such as Huyton or Kirkby on Merseyside. Residents on these estates do
not have access to transport and are forced to pay higher prices as the small corner shop type
stores. These businesses cannot compete with the larger superstores.
While nearly 27% of Hispanics fall below the poverty line nationally6, this is figure is greatly
inflated in a city like Soledad. In the wealthy communities of Carmel by the Sea, employment
for Hispanics is largely in the service industries of hotels, restaurants, bars, house cleaning and
gardening. In fact the total Hispanic population of Carmel is only 2.94% according to the 2000
US census7. In 2008, 13% of the total Hispanic population held a university degree; this
compares with 33% of the White population, 20% of the African American population and 53%
of the Asian population8.
Brief History of the Californian Missions
Thus I will be looking at how the various Christian communities respond to the needs of their
congregations in towns like Soledad and Carmel by the Sea, especially in their education in,
and to, the faith. Both of these communities were founded by the Franciscan Missionaries in
3
See www.salinaschamer.com
4
As of 20th July 2008-US Census Bureau www.infoplease.com
5
6
See www.cityofcoledad.com
Report from Fox TV Coastal News 35 www.ksba.com
7
.www.factfinder.census.gov
8
US Census Bureau report 27th April 2009
2
the Eighteenth century; as early as 1606, Spanish Franciscan priests founded a school in St
Augustine Florida “to teach children Christian doctrine, reading and writing.” By a happy
coincidence, Pope Gregory the Great sent Augustine, the Benedictine monk to England in 595;
this Gregorian mission saw the need to include instruction to the faith or, what we would call
today, religious education. However, these missionary monks wanted to offer more and so we
can trace the earliest Christian school in England to 597. Thus the credentials of the Christian
Church in the area of education have a long and illustrious history that led to the founding of
the great Universities such as Cambridge and Oxford.
The Californian Missions were a series of outposts founded by the Franciscan friars along the
Californian coast from1769 to 1823. While the missionaries wanted to evangelise and bring the
gospel message to the Native Americans, the Spanish colonial powers wanted to exploit these
new and rich lands and gain fame and fortune-sometimes at a great cost to human life.
In a strange way it was these early missionaries that laid the foundation of California’s great
agricultural industry as the friars grew products essential to the life of their faith. Thus they grew
grain that was used to make bread used in the Mass; they cultivated vineyards to produce wine
also used in the Eucharist. In the central courtyard of the Carmel Mission stands two olive trees
planted by the very first missionary, Fr Serra; the olive oil produced from these same trees is
used in the Chrism Mass celebrated still by Bishop and people on Holy Thursday in Monterey
Cathedral. These oils are then used in the sacraments of Baptism, of Healing, Confirmation
and Priestly Ordination. In fact during my visit, the local Bishop Richard Garcia celebrated a
Mass of Confirmation using this Chrism Oil.
While the Spanish soldiers were interested in capturing as much of this coastal land for King
Charles III, the Franciscans were interested in spreading the Word to the native peoples. The
Jesuits began the missionary work in modern day Mexico, but they were suppressed by the
Spanish in 1767 and ordered to return to the Papal States. It must be noted that this was due to
political rather than theological motives; the Spanish Government were especially keen to gain
the revenues of the Jesuits. Therefore, the Spanish Consul for the New World, Jose de Galvez
entrusted the existing Missions to the Franciscans under their local superior Junipero Serra. De
Galvez saw the potential of expansion and so entrusted the Mexican Missions to the Dominican
order of monks and asked Serra and his confreres to “occupy and fortify San Diego and
Monterey for God and the King of Spain.”
3
Father Serra
Serra was born on the Spanish island of Mallorca, famous now as a hot holiday destination for
Northern Europeans, in 1713. He was educated by the Franciscans and, unsurprisingly for
such a brilliant student, entered the Order. An intellectual genius, he was ordained a priest and
achieved a professorship in theology at the age of only 24. However, as a Franciscan, he
wanted something more and so joined the missionary expedition to Mexico City. There he
combined the roles of preaching, being a pastor to both the Spanish army of occupation and to
the indigenous Indian peoples and running the College of San Fernando. With the expulsion of
the Jesuits, it was natural that de Galvez turn to Serra whom he saw as a great organiser as
well as a strong Pastor. The Spanish army would ensure that the New World’s Pacific Coast
was kept safe for Spain and Europe, while Father Serra and his Monks would ensure that the
Word was preached and the sacraments celebrated.
Therefore, in 1768, Serra led the Missionaries towards San Diego; he was over 50 years of
age, suffering from asthma and with a badly injured leg. All records show him to be a most
powerful and robust man personally founding eight Missions and converting around 5,000
Indians to Christianity. I was privileged to attend a Native American liturgy at the Los Angeles
Religious Education Congress. Their worship was very inspiring and uplifting, using elements
of the famous chanting that many of us are familiar with through watching endless “Cowboy &
Indian” movies and TV series such as ‘Bonanza’.9 What was very obvious was the respect that
all, especially children and teenagers, had for their elders-indeed God was referred to as
“Grandfather, God-the great Creator.”
Native Americans are very aware that their worship, prayer and traditions, while rooted in the
past, very much help to shape their present and future. Christians shape their worship around a
single action of Jesus at a meal, taken with chosen friends where Jesus took bread, blessed it
broke it, shared it among his friends saying, “‘this is my Body’. In a similar way he took the cup,
and said, ‘this is my blood of the new covenant poured out for you. Do this in MEMORY of
me.’”10
Serra still remains a controversial figure in the life of California, especially in the area of Native
American rights. He made his headquarters at the beautiful Mission of San Carlos Borromeo in
Carmel, where I was lucky enough to be based throughout my time in California.
A good and simple explanation of this can be found in Walsh C “Connecting Native American
Traditions and the Catholic Faith” St Anthony’s Press 2000
10
Luke 22:19
9
4
The Carmel Mission courtyard
In his missionary efforts, Serra and the Franciscans did make a strand against the Spanish
army, but some historians argue that this was more to do with preserving Franciscan
independence rather than standing up for the rights of the native peoples. An incident in March
1776 at the San Diego mission became a touchstone as to how the Church would stand
against some excesses of the Spanish army. The history of colonisation has shown that some
European leaders had a less than enlightened view of native peoples, claiming that they were
second class citizens and not as able as their European masters and betters. On 26 March
1776, a Spanish Captain, Moncado entered the Mission Church in San Diego and forcibly
removed an Indian Christian whom he suspected of a crime. The Franciscans appealed against
the arrest on the grounds that Moncado had violated the concept of ‘sanctuary’ where any
criminal could have respite on sacred ground. The Church court agreed with the monks and
excommunicated Captain Moncado, a very severe penalty at the time, sending a strong
message to the soldiers. However, historians are divided as to the motives of the Franciscans,
as some feel that they treated Indians as their own personal slaves and the Moncado incident
was a way of ensuring rights over their own property11 However, we must always remember
that the Monks were products of their day and, to be fair to them, were genuinely trying to do
the best, especially for those they were evangelising.
The Franciscan missionary model used in Mexico was for the friars to hand the mission over to
local or diocesan priests as soon as was practical; this allowed them to move on and found a
new mission. The plan, in Mexico, was also to hand over the mission land and farms to the
local population within ten years. However, Serra admitted that this might not be the case in
California where the period of time would have to be longer, as the Native Americans needed a
longer period of assimilation. The Mexican Missions, by and large, became self-sufficient within
a number of years, this certainly was not the case in California as Serra relied heavily on the
Spanish government for support as well as a Spanish charity founded in 1697 known as “The
Pious Fund of the Californias’; it could be said that such a charity might be very roughly
equivalent to the modern day OXFAM or CAFOD in the UK.
Both the missionaries and soldiers arrived in Monterey Bay, on board the ship ‘San Antonio’ on
June 3rd 1770 and the second Californian Mission was founded ‘two gun shots’ from the beach.
It was named under the spiritual protection of St Charles Borromeo, the great Cardinal
Secretary of State who was given the task of ensuring that the Council of Trent was enforced
For a good understanding of this period see Engelhardt Z “The Missionaries and Missions of
California” 1915 FP Press
11
5
within the Roman Catholic Church. In it interesting to note that while the Spanish Government
set up their administration centre here in Monterey with the Presidio (Royal Fort) based here,
Father Serra moved away to found the Carmel Mission. The land around Monterey might be
good for the positioning of the Presidio, but Serra saw that it was not suitable for agriculture
and there is evidence that he was not happy with the soldiers and their rough treatment of the
Indians. Therefore, he asked permission in July 1770 to move to a fertile valley a few miles
away that he named Carmel. Given the poor communications of the day, permission came
through in the following year and he was able to move the Franciscan community into the
Carmel Mission in December 1771. This was a very obvious sign to the Government that the
Church was an independent entity, even if Serra saw the needs of making the Mission selfsufficient as an obvious priority.
The Mass of Thanksgiving in Monterey on landing
The Mission life was dictated by a plan laid down by the Jesuits in Mexico and refined by the
Franciscans. In deciding the location of the Mission, attention had to be paid to the regular
supply of water, wood for building and fires, good land for rearing of livestock and the growing
of crops. The Church was built first on an east-west axis to ensure that it was well lit; once the
place of worship was being constructed, the Franciscans and their labourers concentrated on
creating a quadrangle of buildings to resemble a European monastic dwelling. Simply put the
Mission became a fortified residence was built for both friars and soldiers, with living quarters
for any native converts, together with a place of worship. Once a Mission had been secured
and the buildings finished, the missionaries were free to move on with the Spanish Army. Two
friars would remain behind to run the Mission until it was ready to be handed over to the local
Church; the army would leave about six soldiers to act as guards. This showed that there was a
fear of violence from the local community. Indeed the first Californian martyr was the
missionary, Father Louis Jayme who was murdered at the San Diego Mission by a Native
American mob on 4th November 1775.
6
The Carmel Mission c. 1802
This early picture gives an insight into the life of the Mission station-it was to be a centre of both
commerce and faith for the immediate area. Priests from the Mission would also service the
spiritual needs of the soldiers and administration staff at the Presidio. However, central to
Serra’s understanding of the Mission project was the provision of education for the Native
Americans, as he had seen practiced in Mexico. He saw the need to provide classes not only in
Christian education, essential for the new converts to Christianity, but also in agricultural
methods and skilled crafts such as weaving and cooking.
Sadly there is evidence that the friars did mistreat their Native American converts; while not
wishing to excuse any abuse or poor practice, one has to remember that the standards of the
eighteenth century were very different to that of today. Therefore, one has to be wary of judging
them in the light of our standards in the twenty-first century. Once a native opted to become a
Christian, they effectively became part of the Mission and could be punished for poor behaviour
or not turning up for work-this does smack of some form of slavery. They challenged the
morality of the tribes by insisting that convert women and girls live on the mission in a type of
refuge or convent until they were ready to marry a Christian native. These harsh conditions
were deemed a necessary way of protecting females from rape by both native men and
Spanish soldiers.
For everyone on the Mission, the morning bell rang to invite them to Mass, followed by religious
instruction for the natives. Serra saw the need to educate to the faith; it remains doubtful if
there was any real attempt to educate in a way that was respectful of the Native American
culture or the traditions of the particular tribe. However, this was the way ALL Catholics were
educated at this time and led to the rise of Catechisms or manuals of instruction in the faith.
Once class was over, breakfast was provided before the work day began; for the men and boys
this involved taking care of the land and animals, while the women and girls made clothes and
cooked the food. There is no doubt that the friars brought modern farming methods to
California that laid the basis for the huge agricultural industry that we see today. Indians were
given instruction in the manufacture of bricks and then using them to build; they had classes in
carpentry and in pottery. The Mission had a strict code for work practice only allowing a six
hour working day; lunch was taken communally and was followed by a two hour break or
siesta-a common Spanish practice. The work day ended back in Church with prayers and the
Catholic devotion of the rosary; an evening meal followed with social events leading up to
bedtime. Due to the Catholic liturgical calendar, every ninety days, a holiday was called and the
Indians had a day off-though much of their time would have had to be spent in Church for the
special mass and devotions that needed to take place to mark the Feast day.
7
Indians learning European farming methods.
The Californian Mission system was hugely successful and stretched along the entire Pacific
coast. For the Spanish it was a means of extending their empire and also thwarting any
Russian thoughts of advancement along the coast. For the Catholic Church, through the
Franciscan friars, it was a way of obeying the command of Jesus Christ, “Go into the WHOLE
world and proclaim the Gospel, baptising in the name of the Father and of the Son and
of the Holy Spirit.”12
There have been many critics of the Mission system, not least the immigrant landlords that
came to exploit the great wealth that California had to offer. One was the Scot Hugo Reid who
blamed the Franciscans for the poor treatment of the Gabrielino Indians of the Los Angeles
area. From his letters to the ‘Los Angeles Star’13 is clear that he is not only concerned about
harsh physical treatment of the Indians, but also the fact that much of their culture was
dismissed by the friars as meaningless and worthless. However, it must be said that wealthy
landowners like Reid could not compete with the Missions economically; this was obviously
because the monks did not pay their workers, instead offering accommodation and board.
Christianity cannot condone poor treatment of any group, especially in the name of religion or
missionary expansion. Christian social teaching has consistently taught respect and shunned
any form of violence on another person. However, the friars were men of their era and would
have practiced punishments that were considered acceptable by the standards of their time.14.
The Franciscan Missions eventually covered the Western Pacific seaboard of what is today the
state of California with first Mission opening in San Diego in 1769 and the final in Sonoma in
1823
Franciscan establishments (1769–1823)



Mission San Diego de Alcalá founded in 1769
Mission San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo founded in 1770
Mission San Antonio de Padua founded in 1771
12
Mark 16:15.
See Heizer R. “The Indians of Los Angeles Country: the letters of Hugo Reid” Southwest Museum
1968.
14
For a fuller treatment of this subject see McKanna, C. Race and Homicide in Nineteenth-Century
California. University of Nevada Press 2002
13
8


















Mission San Gabriel Arcángel founded in 1771
Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa founded in 1772
Mission San Francisco de Asís (Mission Dolores) founded in 1776
Mission San Juan Capistrano founded in 1776
Mission Santa Clara de Asís founded in 1777
Mission San Buenaventura founded in 1782
Mission Santa Barbara founded in 1786
Mission La Purísima Concepción founded in 1787
Mission Santa Cruz founded in 1791
Mission Nuestra Señora de la Soledad founded in 1791
Mission San José founded in 1797
Mission San Juan Bautista founded in 1797
Mission San Miguel Arcángel founded in 1797
Mission San Fernando Rey de España founded in 1797
Mission San Luis Rey de Francia founded in 1798
Mission Santa Inés founded in 1804
Mission San Rafael Arcángel founded in 1817 — originally planned as an
daughter house to Mission San Francisco de Asís
Mission San Francisco Solano founded in 1823 — originally planned as an
daughter house to Mission San Rafael Arcángel
Spain had already made a decision to limit the expansion of the Mission project in 1819 as it
simply did not have the money to fund the colonial enterprise. As it was movements back home
in Europe were pressing for greater democracy, emancipation and universal suffrage. Spain
granted Mexico independence in 1821 and the Missions in California came under the control of
9
the new government. A Mexican, Jose de Echeandia was elected Governor of California and
pushed through the ‘Proclamation of Emancipation’ in July 1826. For the Native Americans this
meant freedom from control of the missionaries, meaning that they were able to become
Mexican citizens. In December 1827, the Mexican government passed legislation expelling all
Spanish citizens younger than sixty years of age from Mexican territory. This effectively
ensured that the friars moved back to their homes in Spain, though de Echeandia did try to limit
the effect of the law by allowing Franciscans to run the Mission church and having access to a
small residence and garden. He wanted the freed Indians to be able to run the farms and the
rest of the Mission property in the ways they had learnt. In 1833 the new Californian Governor,
Jose Figueroa saw the value of keeping the Mission system intact, however the Mexican
government wanted to sell off the valuable Mission property and associated lands to the new
immigrants who were flooding into California. Although provision was made for the Indians and
the monks to have their own small plots of land, the law was formulated in such a way that if
they did not make immediate use of their land, it could be sold off by the Government. In this
way, the Missions simply fell into disrepair and were abandoned-the stonework and tiles
becoming the foundation for the villas of new rancheros or landlords. The Missions had given to
this new land-owning class a fantastic basis for a Californian agricultural industry.
By 1846, the United States had declared war on Mexico and in 1848 California became a
territory of the United States administered by the US Army. On September 9 th 1850 California
became the 31st state of the United States of America.
The Missions are important to the state of California today and have been gradually restored to
their original beauty by the Roman Catholic Church which now owns all the Missions with the
exception of Mission La Purisima Conception and Mission San Francisco Solano which are
operated by the Californian Department of Parks and Recreation-all Missions are designated
as Historic Landmarks. Four of the missions are still run by the Franciscan Order (San Antonio
de Padua, Santa Barbara, San Miguel Arcángel, and San Luis Rey de Francia); and Four of the
missions (San Diego de Alcalá, San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo, San Francisco de Asís, and
San Juan Capistrano) have been designated minor basilicas by the Vatican due to their
cultural, historic, architectural, and religious importance.
An abandoned Mission from an 1880 painting
10
Today, the Missions exist in varying degrees of structural soundness. The most common
features at the mission grounds today include the church building and an ancillary convento
(convent) wing. In some cases (in San Rafael, Santa Cruz, and Soledad, for example), the
current buildings are just replicas constructed on or near the original site. Other mission
compounds remain relatively intact and true to their original, Mission era construction.
The Missions have earned a prominent place in California's historic awareness, and a steady
stream of tourists from all over the world visits them. In recognition of that fact, on 17th
November, 2004 President George W. Bush signed the "California Mission Preservation Act,"
into law. The measure was designed to provide $10 million over a five-year period to the
California Missions Foundation for projects related to the physical preservation of the missions,
including structural rehabilitation, stabilization, and conservation of mission art and artifacts.
The California Missions Foundation, a volunteer, tax-exempt organization, was founded in 1999
by Richard Ameil. A change to the California Constitution has also been proposed that would
allow for the use of State funds in restoration efforts, which is very interesting given the United
States’ very strict separation of religion and state.
11
Californian Central Coast Communities
As I have already indicated, for the purpose of this scholarship I have decided to confine myself
to the geographical areas bounded by the Episcopal Diocese of El Comino Real and the
Roman Catholic Diocese of Monterey. I have worked with these communities and the
Methodist Community representing the Free Churches. I was keen to explore the various Faith
Formation Programmes that were being used by these Churches, as I am passionate about
how we help people on their journey in, and to, the faith. My own background is one of
education as a teacher of Religious Education and Drama for nearly thirty years. Now, as a
Parish Priest in a typical post modern, inner city, British parish, I see the need for solid
catechesis that is not only going to interest faith, but also will inform and nurture that faith. It is
interesting to note that when I was writing to arrange interviews and meetings, one Pastor
replied that his Church did not deal with the Catholic Church of which I am a member. In 2009 I
must admit that I found such a response quite frightening, especially as he went on to claim
that the Catholic community do not have “the truth.” I replied asking for the generosity of his
prayers, which he graciously did agree to; it made me think back to my own childhood within
Catholicism where my fellow religionists were very confident of their own faith and that all other
faith communities did not have “the truth” either. Thankfully I am a member of a post Vatican II
Roman Catholic Church, a Church whose supreme pontiff in 1959, John XXIII wanted to hold a
real ECUMENICAL Council that would throw open the windows of the Church and allowed the
Holy Spirit to move freely.
12
The joys and the hopes, the grief and the anxieties of the people of this age, especially
those who are poor or in any way afflicted, these are the joys and hopes, the grief and
anxieties of the followers of Christ. Indeed, nothing genuinely human fails to raise an
echo in their hearts. For theirs is a community composed of humanity15.
This simple statement from the Council Fathers showed the world that the Roman Catholic
Church saw itself as being a part of the world and not separate or superior. The Catholic
community saw that it needed to learn from others and had to do away with arrogance and
adopt an attitude of listening. This document was to pave the way for the Roman Catholic
community to enter into the world of ecumenical dialogue. It is a Christian scandal that the
Churches are divided, but, needless to say, a reality. Vatican II forces the Catholic community
to still face the real world and not a world order that existed prior to the French Revolution.
There are some who feel that the present leadership in the Roman Church are putting us more
back into that type of world view, while there is a large constituency of Catholics (and
Anglicans) who feel that the reforms of the Council went too far. However, we are living in 2009
and, in my opinion, we cannot return to some sort of spiritual Disneyland and pretend that
Vatican II did not happen-this is a source of on-going tension within the Churches. The
American Religious commentator, John Allen explores the dichotomy between the Catholic Left
and Right wings very well in his latest book.16 However, we physically cannot return to some
ideal of Church, as John O’Malley puts it so well:
The church decided to face the facts of the “modern world,” which included cultural and
religious pluralism and all the conundrums that modern science thrust upon us
regarding our origins, our survival, and our well-being.17
The worldwide Anglican Communion also sees the need for a true spirit of ecumenism; as
Churches we can learn from each other, as we share the same basic story of Jesus Christ. The
Anglican Communion officially endorses conversations among the Christian family:
The Anglican Consultative Council shall have the following powers:….
Vatican II Constitution of the Church in the Modern World ‘Guadium et Spes’ 1 Vatican Press 1965
See John L Allen Jnr. ‘The Future Church’ Doubleday 2009
17
John W O’Malley review of John L Allen’s ‘Future Church’ in National Catholic Reporter 7th
November 2009
15
16
13
……To encourage and guide Anglican participation in the ecumenical movement and the
ecumenical organisations, to co-operate with the World Council of Churches and the
world confessional bodies on behalf of the Anglican Communion, and to make
arrangements for the conduct of pan-Anglican conversations with the Roman Catholic
Church, the Orthodox churches, and other churches.18
Within the Methodist community, once can also see a similar desire for unity:
‘The Methodist Church claims and cherishes its place in the Holy Catholic
Church which is the Body of Christ. It rejoices in the inheritance of the apostolic
faith and loyally accepts the fundamental principles of the historic creeds and of
the Protestant Reformation.’19
Thus the statement from a Monterey Church Pastor that his community do not talk to Catholics
can be seen as a very backward step in the light of such positive ecumenism offered by the
mainstream Christian communities.
I was lucky to be based at the Carmel Mission due to the generosity of Fr Roy Shelley, a long
time friend of mine and a regular visitor to the UK. Roy is the Moderator of the Monterey
Diocesan Curia and is highly involved with both the formal administration of the Diocese and
the pastoral care of those who work full time for the organisation, including clergy and salaried
staff. He is a priest in residence at the Carmel Mission and offers regular pastoral support to
the Pastor, Fr John Griffin and his staff.20 The site is partly a museum for the thousands of
tourists who flock to this region annually; but mostly it is a centre for worship and education.
The ‘Junipero Serra’ elementary school21 shares the site with the Mission. I am very grateful to
the Pastor, Fr. John for his kindness and the warm welcome offered by his parishioners.
This centre of education is a strong reminder of Serra’s original educational plan for the
Mission, although now parents or carers have to pay a fee for their children to be educated in a
non public school context; however, the parish does offer a financial aid package to families
who find the fees too much. In today’s economic climate, many families have to reassess their
commitment to a Church-based education.
Education is free to all US citizens, but if they choose to opt for an education offered by a
particular religious denomination, then it must be paid for. Thus, if the Churches are not careful,
then a parochial school might only be available to the rich. Historically, in the Irish, Polish and
Italian neighbourhoods of most US cities, the Church founded schools to ensure that the
children of the new immigrants could receive a good education and so move out of the poverty
18
Constitution of the Anglican Consultative Council 2(f)
Methodist Deed of Union no.4
20
See www.carmelmission.org/parish
19
21
See www.juniperoserra.org
14
trap. In most cases these were run by religious sisters and brothers, often from the ‘home’
country, who naturally gave their services free; thus this early form of ‘private’ Church-run
education was accessed for a nominal fee. With the fall in vocations to the consecrated life, the
teaching posts had to be taken up by lay teachers who needed to be paid. So Catholic schools
needed to increase fees and could no longer offer a virtually free education. While I was
working on my MA at Boston College, I was able to minister at the Parish of Mary Help of
Christians in Newton MA22. Newton is a very wealthy city with an excellent public school
system and did not really need to support their parochial school Therefore, the then Pastor, Fr
Walter Cuinein suggested to his parishioners that the parish offer scholarships to inner-city
children from Boston, which had a poor track record in its public schools-he saw this as a
necessary outreach and a way of putting the Gospel into practice. Walter invited the Jesuit
Home Missions Team to attract very well qualified and creative young teachers to offer at least
three years of service to the school, at a salary significantly lower than that offered in the public
school system. Thus the school gets a staff dedicated not only to their young people, but also
with a strong sense of mission and vocation to the Christian ministry of education. The parish
now see this as their apostolate and a way of helping children out of a poverty spiral by being
able to access high quality education in Holy Trinity School, Newton. Such creativity and
thinking outside the box is being used by many different Church-based schools to ensure that
their catchment does not become too selective or just the preserve of the rich and privileged.
Grade three children hard at work in Junipero Serra Catholic School
An aerial view of the Mission site showing the Basilica on the right, the residence in the
front left with the school occupying the other rooms around the central courtyard.
22
See www.ourladys.com
15
The school’s vision statement comes from the writing of Serra himself:
Always look forward, never look back
I personally found myself warming to this view, as Fr Roy and three members of the Monterey
Diocesan Faith Formation Team, Shelagh, Tish and Patrick came to the parish where I was
asked to work in autumn 2006, St James’, Bootle.23 It is the Roman Catholic parish that serves
the Liverpool docklands and is one of the highest areas of social deprivation in UK. The
Monterey Team were invited to the parish by the Pastoral Council to lead an evaluation and to
set a vision statement for the parish family. They also led workshops for the parish school, met
with the various parish volunteers, accompanied a parish outing, led liturgy, went to visit those
parishioners who were housebound or ill and spoke on BBC Radio Merseyside. The vision
statement that we proudly use as a result of their Mission to us is:
With Christ and the Church, building the future, in Bootle, based on firm foundations
St James RC Church, Bootle
Thus began my contact and conversation with the Monterey area. I led a group of Teachers
and Governors from our parish school in Bootle, All Saints RC Primary School24 to Monterey
and Los Angeles in March 2007 to look specifically at ways in which we could share good
practice and to participate in the largest conference of its kind in the world today, The Los
Angeles Religious Education Congress25. It was during this visit that we formally twinned our
parish school with that of San Carlos Catholic Elementary School in Monterey.26 The links
between our schools and parishes were further strengthened in March 2008 when I led a small
group of Parish catechists from St James back to the 2008 Congress in Los Angeles and then
spent two days with our partner school in Monterey.
23
See www.bootlecatholic.co.uk
24
See www.allsaintsprimaryschool.co.uk
25
See www.recongress.org
26
See www.sancarlosschool.org
16
Fr Roy Shelly of Monterey
The aim of both exchanges was to share good practice and see how we can support each
other, as dynamic and loving Christian communities. Therefore, this opportunity to return to the
region as the American Chapel Scholar is a real blessing as it has allowed me to build on the
excellent relationships that we already have and to meet many more people, especially from
other faith communities who have a lot to share with us in the area of faith development and
Christian education.
Artists’ impression of the new school site at All Saints, Bootle
Artists’ impression of the main entrance to school
17
Faith Formation in Roman Catholic
Parishes in Carmel & Soledad
The Carmel Mission has been a place of continuous worship since 1771 and is now the centre
of a large and active parish. The people of this parish community have a very positive sense of
their history and see themselves as stewards whom Christ instructed to value what was
excellent in their faith, both old and new. They are, therefore, a people who value tradition,
responsibility, vision, creativity, and excellence. The pastor, Fr John has a vision that he shares
with his congregation; he displays a strong sense of pastoral collaboration that is essential in
the administration if any Roman Catholic parish wishing to remain true to the spirit of Vatican II.
Sadly in the Diocese of Monterey, as in the UK, there are examples of pastoral leadership that
do not include this dimension of ‘working together’. I refer to this style of leadership as ‘baronial’
as the parish priest acts as his own type of fiefdom: what he says goes and he needs to control
every area of parish life. In an era when the priest might have been the one of the few
educated person in a community, one might see the relevance of such an attitude. However,
one can say, it is precisely because of the Church’s support of a strong schools’ programme,
we have an educated laity who cannot be regulated to the role of ‘observers’ at the feast.
Therefore, in many US parishes, and increasingly in the UK, we see lay people occupying roles
that previously would have been covered by Priests or Religious Sisters or Brothers. This call
to be collaborative, is not a result of the shortage of priestly vocations, but a recognition, as rediscovered in Vatican II, of the ‘priesthood of the laity’-a gift shown in the sacrament of
Baptism, especially in the anointing with the oil of chrism. In is interesting to note that
Archbishop Egan of New York made a strong plea to his own seminarians (those training for
ordained priesthood) that they should be dedicated to MINISTRY rather than POWER.27 It is
due to an abuse of power that sadly led to the sexual abuse crisis that has blighted the Church
in these past years. This collaborative approach to ministry lies at the heart of the parish of St.
James, Bootle where the staff are officially seen as the parish TEAM; to emphasise this further
my own role as parish priest, is referred to officially as ‘team leader’ The team feels that this
conveys a more dynamic, pastoral and collaborative meaning of the traditional role of ‘parish
priest’.
Therefore, it was good to spend time with this Church community in Carmel Mission; they are a
people who hold the Eucharist and prayer at the centre of their lives. The parish has its own
faith formation department with a salaried staff of five people, which, in itself, gives a very
strong statement of how this community values education in and to the faith-to be fair, this is a
wealthy community and they are able to fund this commitment. The department covers four
distinct areas:
27
See article in ‘New York Times’ 10/08/2008
18
Children’s Liturgy of the Word
Many Christian communities feel that is important to have a Liturgy of the Word that is aimed
specifically at children. In St James’ Bootle and in Churches throughout the Archdiocese of
Liverpool, this practice is usually referred to as ‘Little Church.’ Some people within our
hierarchy feel that it is a divisive practice as it separates families during the worship time when
they should be TOGETHER. However, I feel that it does allow for a more creative use of the
Liturgy of the Word; indeed I have some younger parishioners who come by themselves to
Mass because they want to and enjoy their liturgy: who would this group of children sit with?
Post Vatican II liturgy has highlighted the use of scripture in the practice of all the seven
sacraments used in the Roman Catholic communion. As a pastor, I find this practice very
satisfying, as the children have a well prepared liturgy and series of activities tailored to meet
their needs, while I can target my preaching to the adults in the congregation. While I was in
Carmel I was I invited to preside at the 9.15am Sunday Eucharist which was the only one out of
the five weekend masses that had its own Children’s Liturgy. There were some young families
who opted to go to this liturgy, but this particular Sunday was also Confirmation Day, so some
families would have been with Bishop Garcia at the 11.00am Mass.
Once the opening blessing was said, the children moved to a nearby room with Sally and her
team of volunteers. The Gospel of the Day was from Mark and told the parable of the poor
widow who gave only a couple of pennies into the Temple collection, while the scribes and
Pharisees, the accepted leaders of the people seemed more concerned with how they looked
and what they wore. I was able to preach to the adults on the theme of the great generosity of
God, while Sally worked with the children on the same Gospel, asking important questions
about the care of those at the bottom of the social ladder. This practice allows children to
celebrate the Liturgy of the Word at their own speed and in a way that means something to
them. The Gospel had added poignancy as the US Congress had just passed the Obama
Healthcare Bill to the Senate on Saturday 7th November 2009 promoting a form of health
provision to millions of US citizens. As the offertory gifts were brought up to the altar, the
children were invited to come forward and stand around the altar during the Eucharistic prayer.
We follow the same practice at St James’, Bootle as it allows children to pay special attention
to the words and actions of this central memorial prayer-they feel a sense of active
involvement, encouraged by Vatican II. The children then take the sign and greeting of peace
back down to their families and other members of the congregation after we share the ‘Our
Father’.
19
Generations of Faith
Due to the strict separation of State and Church throughout the United States, the concept of a
faith school that is common under UK law is really unheard of in any part of California. As
British Churches, we should feel immensely proud of the jewels that are the faith schools of the
UK. In the US, faith formation has traditionally being carried out, on a parochial level, by a
catechetical programme held outside school hours. In the area chosen for study, the majority of
children attend the public (state) school system. Some parishes, such as Carmel Mission, do
run their own schools at ‘Junipero Serra Catholic Elementary School’, but they HAVE to be
private and fee-paying. As one can imagine, if the school is going to compete and offer a very
high standard of education, then the costs are going to be inevitably very high.
Traditionally most US Catholic parishes would employ a Director of Religious Education who
would run a programme of age-appropriate Religious Education classes on a Sunday or in the
evenings after school. These classes are conducted by volunteers, many with no formal
teacher training, although local Dioceses do try to provide support and training. For example
the Diocese of Monterey joins forces with neighbouring dioceses to run the annual Faith
Formation Congress at the Santa Clara Convention Centre towards the end of November:
The aim of the Congress is simple: to empower those in ministry. The Congress is a way of
supporting those in any form of education, offering sessions such as ‘Enriching Catechists as
leaders of prayer’, ‘Understanding Catholic Social Thought’, ‘Kids and the Internet’, ‘A Visual
Catechesis’, ’Ministering in the Middle School Culture’ and ‘The Adolescent Minister’. An
interesting sign of the times is that the number of delegates is down this year due to the
economic slowdown. Tish Scargill, the Diocesan Director of Catechetical Ministries also offers
a series of workshops to gather catechestists together to share specific themes and to develop
their expertise and deepen their sense of ‘vocation’.
20
Critics of this more traditional form of parish catechesis claim that, while a good percentage of
the children in any given parish might attend the programmes, it could be seen as just a way of
‘getting’ the sacraments. Critics further point out, that in many instances, parents/carers simply
drop their children off at the class and do not take an ACTIVE part in the life of the parish. It is
argued constantly by many in the UK, especially from a more traditionalist wing, that British
Catholic schools operate in exactly the same way. Many catechists on both sides of the Atlantic
argue that it is almost like a ‘filling station’ approach to faith formation; they see a need to
involve families in the religious education of their children.
A real attempt to involve parents/carers/families in the faith formation programme is seen in the
‘Generations of Faith’ programme presented by the Centre for Ministry Development, founded
in 1978 as a response to the US Bishops’ Document ‘Renewing the Vision’28 The Centre saw
the need to INVOLVE families and thus provide for intergenerational faith formation services;
the ‘Generations of Faith Project’ is helping parishes develop lifelong faith formation according
to the catechetical vision of the General Directory for Catechesis (1997). The Centre has built a
reputation of excellence through its work with over 150 Catholic dioceses and organizations in
the United States, Canada, Ireland, and Australia. It provides its programmes, services, and
resources to parishes, dioceses, Catholic schools and universities, and national organizations.
The Centre has worked for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops on youth ministry,
young adult ministry, family ministry, and Catholic social teaching projects.
The ‘Generations of Faith’ programme began in Carmel Mission parish in 2006, covering a six
year cycle; it is a work in progress and no real evaluation can take place until the progamme is
completed in 2012
2006/7: LITURGICAL YEAR
2007/8: SACRAMENTS
2008/9: JUSTICE
2009/10: PROFESSING OUR FAITH
2010/11: PRAYER
2011/12: MORALITY
In this parish six meetings are held over the year and are open to ALL members of the parish
community, whether they have children or not. In this academic year (2009/10) the theme is
PROFESSING OUR FAITH. The parish catechists run the sessions according to this theme,
taking aspects of the Creed or the Christian profession of faith:
September 9 2009: We believe in God
October 7 2009: We believe in Jesus Christ
November 11 2009: We believe in the Communion of Saints
February 3 2010: We believe in the Holy Spirit
28
NCCB Renewing the Vision USCC 2000
21
March 10 2010: We believe in the Death and Resurrection of Jesus
April 21 2010: We believe in the Church
Families and parishioners are invited to make a commitment of twelve hours over the year in
order to deepen their own personal understanding of their faith.
I was invited to the November meeting and was very impressed with the organisation and turn
out; the Children and Adult Faith Formation team of the parish employs three people full time to
organise the various programmes that are offered. This is an indication of how serious the
Pastor, Fr John and the Parish Pastoral Council see this project. One has to be honest and
realise that the plate offerings of the parish can facilitate the project in a way that would be
impossible for most parish communities in the UK. However, there are elements of the project
that can be transferred to the British context as I have personally found out in St James’ parish,
Bootle.
Three hundred people29 registered for the session starting with a dinner at 6.00pm in the
parochial school hall, a very large space, equipped with audio-visual facilities. Sally Greig, the
Director of the programmes argues that it is essential to offer the meal as it allows families to
come immediately after their work commitments. In some US parishes, families are invited to
bring various dishes for the meal; at the Carmel Mission parish, Sally budgets for a catering
firm to come and provide a simple meal that develops the notion of sharing. Fr John then leads
the group in an opening prayer and simple hymn; he then began a general discussion on
theme of ‘Saints in our family Life’. It engendered a good discussion on various popular saints
in the Christian tradition. The discussion then moved to ‘saints’ of the family such as parents,
grandparents and great social figures. Then the session broke up into age specific groups:
 Junior group: this is the largest group present so they are split up into groups and
offered four activity stations for the very large group of children, each lasting about
twenty minutes and staffed by catechists:
o Recycling project: ‘Safeway’ supermarkets provided brown paper bags that the
catechists helped the children create a gift basket for the upcoming
‘Thanksgiving’ celebration, without doubt the most important festival in the US,
as it unites all regardless of creed. The catechist stressed that this care for the
planet and wise use of resources was a special charism of the Franciscan
tradition. The children were able to take home an individually decorated
basket, a product of their own work.
o Learn about St Francis: at this station the children learnt a little about the great
patron saint of this part of California. There was also an opportunity to colour
in a picture of the saint.
o Learn a song: the children learnt an action song that they then presented to
the total gathering at the closing liturgy.
o Learn about Our Lady of Guadalupe to be celebrated on 12th December: in the
Hispanic/Californian tradition, honouring the mother of Jesus under this title is
very common. Therefore it is important that children are aware of the story of
Guadalupe and Mary, Patroness of the Americas. Given the large Hispanic
population of the region, it was a good help for all people to be more aware of
this feast and the traditions associated with it, especially the Anglo community.
29
In the event perhaps 250 turned up; this is still a very good voluntary take up rate.
22



Junior High School Group: this group consisted of about 20 young people (11-15
years) facilitated by a catechist who attended a local university. He brought a loaf of
bread that he invited the young people to break pieces off and share together. The
group, coming from different schools, took some time to become comfortable with each
other. However, they were able to share about their views on ‘saints’ in their families
High School Group: this group was the smallest, with six participants. They seemed
very comfortable in each others’ company and were very articulate. When I joined
them they were sharing stories of significance in their own family history.
Adult Groups: two groups were made up of adults who opted to discuss issues of the
‘communion of saints’ at a deeper level. Some parents/carers chose not to be involved
in these groups, preferring to stay in the common area. Printed materials are available
from Harcourt Religion, the publishing house that has the contract to produce all
resources for the project. With all such groups there is a danger that it can be too
content led and that only the articulate and confident would be willing to make
contributions. However, in this parish context, generally there was a fair discussion. I
feel that it is precisely at this level that it is essential that the local parish offer a
programme that its parishioners can feel comfortable with. One would need to be very
careful that such groups are not taken over by those who have their own particular
agenda.30 It was interesting to see that a fair percentage of those who were active in
these groups did not have any children in sacramental programmes, but used the
Generations of Faith as a way of increasing their own faith development.
At the end of the session, the ‘Home Kits’ were distributed as a way of enabling each family to
continue their conversation about the Saints over the coming month; the kit offered a series of
activities for children and adults alike. The session then finished with a short liturgy, including
the action song that the younger children had learnt, and a blessing at 8.00pm. In speaking to a
number of families, they reported that they enjoyed this way of experiencing their faith. They
felt that were working together and it was certainly an encouragement to come and take part in
the broader parish worship, especially on a Sunday.
The ‘Generations of Faith’ programme as practiced at the Carmel Mission is seen as a way of
enhancing the community’s experience of what Church actually is. One has to be honest and
admit that some people adopt a type of ‘filling station’ approach to worship: you come in and
receive your spiritual help and then move on until the next time! With this approach there is
recognition of the fact that all members of the community can bring something to the table,
30
For example: I was at a meeting on Gang Violence in Salinas when an articulate lady pushed the
message of the ‘Divine Mercy’ veneration a little too hard, especially in the context of grieving
families
23
which is a true reflection if what Christian celebration of Eucharist is. This approach values the
contribution of all, regardless of age or education; in turn, it is argued, this can lead to a
revitalisation and transformation of the parish community, as the Directory for Catechesis puts
it:
The Christian community not only gives much to those who are being
catechised but also receives much from them….the community grows and
develops. Catechesis not only brings to maturity the faith of those being taught
but also brings the community itself to maturity.31
In St James’ Bootle, we have introduced an element of this type of programme that is working
very well. For all the children in our parish who are due to celebrate their First Holy
Communion, we begin their catechesis with a Candle Making Session in October, once the
school year has settled down. In our context this involves the 55 children who are in our Year 3
in All Saints School and three children who attend other schools, but are part of our
worshipping community at the weekend. This activity was introduced to us by the Monterey
Faith Formation Team when they came to give a parish/school Mission in January 2007. It was
so successful that we have used it ever since. It involves inviting the children to come with
family members, including their grandparents to create an individual family candle that is then
used to introduce the child to the whole parish community when they come for worship. It gives
me, as the parish priest, a chance to welcome people to THEIR parish and not make them feel
guilty for not being at Church on a regular basis, which is the reality in over 90% of the families.
Just as many American families drop their children off at catechism class, so most British
Catholic families ‘drop’ their children off at the Catholic school and expect the school to serve
their sacramental needs. Thus there is a real need for parish priests and the parish community
to be very much part of their parochial school, which is literally the parish for most of our
children.
This session also allows me to introduce the wonderful team of six volunteer catechists who
run the ‘Little Church’ programme in our parish. In this way parents and families can gain
confidence and trust in those who are empowered to help their children in the journey of faith.
For me, one of the most poignant parts of the liturgy of baptism is the blessing of parents when
we, as Ministers, tell them, “you are the first and best of teachers in their faith” Therefore,
anything that can enhance the parents’ role in this area must be good. We have found, as a
parish family, over the past three years that the families have really warmed to these sessions.
We have found that attendance at the Sunday liturgies has actually increased over the course
of the year when we encourage families to attend and take their role in the parish community.
We see this as helping our younger parishioners in their journey of faith. I have certainly seen
that we need to take more opportunity to use intergenerational sessions to help deepen faith
There are programmes available now such as the ‘Wednesday Word’ that attempts to get
families more involved in their children’s faith formation. For many generations, Catholic faith
was supported by family, school and Church; for whatever reason, one of these three supports
of realistic faith formation is often missing, namely the Church. There can many reasons for the
lack of contact between the growing child and the Church community, but it is a realistic fact of
life. This means that the three-legged stool on which Catholic formation has traditionally rested
is now down to a two-legged stool and has become a real balancing act. So what is necessary
to regain this proper support of the growing Catholic life, to restore, in some form the living
contact between the family and the local Church community? Clearly one intermediary could be
the School. National statistics tell us that over 80% of our school families do not regularly come
31
Congregation for the Clergy General Directory for Catechesis no. 221 Vatican Press 1997
24
to church. The primary school version of The Wednesday Word spreads the Gospel to school
parents and families on a Wednesday evening at the end of the school day. It is an attempt to
share the following Sunday’s liturgy of the Word with families in an interesting and accessible
way.32
The Wednesday Word is an attempt to bridge the gap between the family and the local Church
Community via the School. Each week the Sunday Gospel is sent out into thousands of school
family homes. For school parents the arrival of The Wednesday Word into the family home
seeks to act as a weekly reminder of the love that our Lord has for them and also of the
responsibility that many accepted at Baptism, to bring their children to the knowledge and
practice of the Gospels. The weekly distribution of the primary school version of The
Wednesday Word ensures an unbroken invitation to the Eucharist throughout school life and is
a further way for our Church to demonstrate our care and concern for our school families. As a
Parish at St James, we are attempting to begin this programme to see if this weekly reminder
and invitation to worship might lead to increased participation-it is work in process and far too
early to gauge a result.
As a parish, in Bootle, we have started a new project on a Wednesday evening; our Outreach
Team became very aware of families that cannot get to Church on a Sunday. This is often not
through ill will, but the practical living of twenty-first century Britain. Today sport is a major
influence in the lives of young people and many of our young people are involved in sports
programmes during the times of Sunday worship. I think back to my own time of growing up in
the industrial Midlands in 1960’s; everything shut down on a Sunday and so the Church and
especially its youth club gave teenagers and children a place to go. I get rather annoyed with
many on the more conservative wing of the Catholic Church who see the 50’s/60’s as some
golden era when every Catholic went to Church. My own experience was that well over half my
class did not attend Church on a Sunday; however society has changed so much over the
course of fifty years.
Due the fractured nature of many of our parish families in Bootle, Sunday is the day when a lot
of our children can only see their fathers, some of whom are incarcerated in our local prison. In
consultation with All Saints School and the Parish Pastoral Council, we offer a Eucharist on a
Wednesday evening straight after school. After a year’s experiment we have been delighted
with the take up by those families who do not come on a Sunday on a regular basis. It has, I
feel, been a good way of bringing people back to the worshipping community; it meets them on
their terms. In this Ministry we follow the Salesian interpretation of the Emmaus Road
encounter.33 Luke tells the story of that first Easter afternoon when the risen Christ appeared to
the two disciples who were walking together along the road from Jerusalem to Emmaus. Like
Christians and churches who are blinded by preoccupation with their own immediate difficulties,
these two disciples' sadness and hopelessness seemed to prevent them from seeing God's
32
See www.sundaygospel.co.uk
33
Luke 24:13-35
25
redemptive purpose in things that had happened. This Emmaus Road experience is being used
by many Catechists to reflect the journey of faith that believers go through. The ‘Faith Journeys’
project is a coalition of various Protestant groups in the UK; they are examining how and why
people become or remain Christians in today’s British society. In recent research they have
found that 69% of Christians became a regular member of a Church community gradually over
a period of time.34 Fowler used Kegan’s stages of human development and applied it to the
acquisition of faith; he sees it as a developmental process and the Emmaus Road encounter
reflects something of this growth of faith.35
And yet, the risen Christ "came near and went with them," opening the disciples' eyes to his
presence and lighting the fire of God's love in their hearts. As they walked to Emmaus, Jesus
explained to them the meaning of all the scriptures concerning him. When they arrived in
Emmaus, Jesus "took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them," and their eyes were
opened. They recognized him as Jesus, the risen Lord, and they remembered how their hearts
had burned within them as they talked with him on the road. Within the hour, the two disciples
left Emmaus and returned immediately to their friends in Jerusalem.
John Bosco (1815-1888) was an Italian priest who founded the Salesian Congregation one
hundred and fifty years ago. He aimed to meet people where they WHERE on their faith
journey, not where he WANTED them to be, just as Jesus did on the road to Emmaus. Bosco
used the simple human kindness that was practised by Francis De Sales, the Catholic Bishop
of Geneva who was unable to take up his Sea due to the hatred engendered by the
Reformation. Far from joining in, Francis encouraged charity and care for all, regardless of their
particular faith; he was famous for short and pithy sayings that sum up his philosophy that was
grounded in the attitude of Jesus on the Emmaus Road such as: “Those who love to be feared
fear to be loved.”
St Francis de Sales
34
Report on www.faithjourneys.com 26/09/2009
For a fuller treatment of this see Fowler James ‘Faith Development and Pastoral Care’ Fortress
Press 1987
35
26
This Salesian approach lies at the centre of our ministry in Bootle; in 2006, when I was
appointed Parish Priest, the Archbishop of Liverpool, Patrick Kelly made it clear to me that if
the Salesian family were tasked with leading the parish community at St James’ Bootle, then it
had to be a parish in the Salesian tradition. He invited the Salesians to bring their life and
vitality to this local community-in fact, if we were not prepared to do this, then he would rather
we did not stay in the parish. Thus the ‘Wednesday (Sunday) Mass’ is for us, a Salesian
response to a pastoral problem; we have been accused of lowering the bar, making things too
easy and not following Church regulations. While I recognise the need for order and respect the
teaching ministry of the Church, I, like every other pastor I know, do not deal in the extremes of
black and white, but in varying shades of grey. I deal with families and individuals that are
sometimes holding on to their Church by their fingertips. Therefore, the ‘Wednesday (Sunday)
Mass’ is here to stay as it continues to welcome people to our community and to accept them
where they are on their journey of faith, as Jesus showed that respect to his disciples on the
Emmaus Road.
Mrs Tish Scargill is the enthusiastic Director of Catechetical Ministries for the Diocese of
Monterey; there is no doubting her whole-hearted support for the Generations of Faith style of
formation. She sees that the British Church school system, the US parochial schools and the
Catechetical programmes offered in the parishes concentrates solely on the children and young
people. She wants to see a much fuller intergenerational approach to all forms of catechesis at
a local parish level. I see it every day in Bootle: parents drop their children off at the school
door and we do not see the majority of them in regular worship. To the same extent, parents in
Carmel did exactly the same; the Generations of Faith programme demands a commitment and
‘opting into’ the programme. There is an obvious danger that some families might only join in to
have their child receive Holy Communion; however, even for that period of time there has been
an engagement with the whole family, rather than just the individual child.
BIBLE STUDY
It is a parody of Church relations to say that the RC tradition concentrated on the Sacraments,
while the Protestant churches had the scriptures. As in all parody there is an element of truth:
the Protestant Reformation was a real shock to the Roman Catholic world; the Council of Trent
was a needed reform, especially in the area of clergy training and liturgy. However, it gave a
template to a pattern of worship that many in the Church today see as unchanging and the
ultimate paradigm. For most Catholics, the Bible was literally a closed book since worship
throughout the RC world was always conducted in Latin-a desire that is perpetuated in the
Church today by such movements as the Latin Mass Society and the Priestly Fraternity of St
Peter. Therefore, unless one was a classicist, one could not really understand the readings;
much less apply them to daily living. Vatican II saw a change to the vernacular and a desire to
promote the Word of God. As we saw in the previous section, the Liturgy of the Word is a key
element for effective worship and the Lectionary (the book of bible readings used in Christian
worship) offers a systematic series of scripture readings over a three year cycle. This has led to
a real desire by many Catholics to open up the closed book that was the Bible.
In Carmel Mission Bible reflections are offered to parishioners with an average of thirty turning
up to the sessions. A leader will give an exposition of the chosen passage and participants
share their own reflections and thoughts as to how that piece of scripture impacts on their own
lives. We offer a monthly Bible Study in St James with an average take up rate of about ten.
27
The session is led by Bernard, one of our own parishioners who was trained as a Lay Reader
by the local Anglican community. He has a good knowledge of scripture and he poses
interesting and challenging questions each month as we look at different parts of the Bible.
In Advent and Lent, we offer another session based on the ‘Lectio Divina” model that is
becoming increasingly more popular in Christian circles these days. As with regular Bible
Study, it is an attempt to deepen and develop the faith of all parishioners. These sessions we
call ‘Arise in Christ’ and take place after the daily morning liturgy: we read and reflect on the
upcoming Sunday Gospel. There is a period of silence to absorb the Word and then
participants are invited to repeat a phrase or word that has particularly hit them; we then share
ways in which that Gospel can impact on our daily living out of the faith in our own
circumstances in Bootle. We end the session with reading the Gospel again. Participants can
vary, but reports back indicate a greater connection between worship and trying to live out a
faith commitment.
All these efforts are ways in which the Catholic community can become more comfortable with
Scripture and this is applied especially to a whole generation who were denied access to
scripture study. It is interesting in talking to fellow Catholic clergy who were trained prior to
Vatican II; their scripture classes were not given the attention and meaning that perhaps they
should have. I was extremely lucky to have been taught scripture by Fr Michael Winstanley
sdb; his obvious love for his task came over in his classes, which were more like a retreat
experience than formal class. He imbibed me with a great love for the Word of God and taught
me that my weekly homily is one of the most important aspects of ministry. In Emmaus Road
model of ministry, Jesus did exactly that as he shared the scriptures with his disciples so that
their hearts ‘were on fire’36 It is the hope of every preacher that they set people’s hearts on fire
with enthusiasm and meaning; sadly, that is not always the case and we are given a poor diet.
To be fair, some of the best preaching that I have heard has come from the Protestant tradition
and, I feel, that we have a great deal to learn from them. I am lucky enough to work with an
ordained Anglican priest, Rev Liz Halbet at the local High School, Savio Salesian College
where I am also the Chaplain. Working with Liz on a daily basis had made me appreciate the
need for good preaching within the Roman Catholic community-Liz has preached in St James’
Bootle and has always received a warm reception, not least due to her working with so many of
our younger parishioners.
RCIA
The Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults was another great re-discovery of Vatican II; one has
to constantly affirm that Vatican II was not some product of the revolutionary 1960’s. It was a
re-discovery of our Catholic roots. RCIA is a tool that can be used by parishes to help people
on their own personal journey of faith. It was a realisation that not just children are brought
forward for baptism or membership of the RC Church. I had a fascinating conversation with an
older lady at the ‘Generations of Faith’ meeting in Carmel; she told me about her husband who
wanted to become a Catholic in 1953 and was simply given a book by her parish priest and
was admitted to the Church when he had read it! It is true that for centuries the focus was
always on infant baptism within many Christian communities-the Baptists being the obvious
exception. The Church did not need to really think about adults until the great missionary
pushes of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, often going hand in hand with the Imperial
designs of the great European powers. Suddenly there was a whole mass of adults wanting, or
perhaps encouraged, to become Christian. The only model the Churches had was that of infant
36
Luke 24:32
28
baptism, so that is what they followed with all the attending implications. Vatican II allowed the
Council Fathers to reflect on baptismal practice in the early Church when converts were usually
adults, remembering the injunction of the Council to return to roots. The RCIA is a communal
process and involves a number of stages punctuated by liturgical rites to aid and assist the
potential convert toward the final rite, usually at the Easter Vigil at which time those taking part
will become full members of the Roman Catholic Church. The entire process takes several
months, but participants are generally invited to proceed at a pace which suits them
individually. The Church prefers to call this a process and not a programme. The RCIA is a
process by which adults are introduced to the life of the Catholic Church through catechesis
and liturgy. When an adult becomes Catholic they receive all three sacraments of initiation at
the same time: Baptism, Eucharist and Confirmation. Vatican II said that RCIA should be the
proper way of initiating adults. The three lynchpins of the RCIA are:



Liturgical
- teaching through prayer and worship
Catechetical
- the systematic and organic delivery of the Deposit of faith
Pastoral
- a people to person endeavour, accomplished through relationships
In St James’, we start the programme in September meeting every alternate week until the full
reception of the candidates at the Easter vigil, although a series of services are planned
through the year. The sessions are led by John, a parishioner who is a qualified teacher, with
other parishioners coming to the sessions as a way of supporting the candidates as well as
increasing their own knowledge. Both RCIA and Scripture Reflections are facilitated by our
parish catechist, Fr Michael sdb; he has worked in school ministry here for over forty years and
has an almost encyclopaedic knowledge of the area and its people. While we do not have a
huge offertory collection in our area, the Salesian Provincial in the UK and his Council have
more than recompensed us in terms of the personnel that work in the parish. We cannot afford
to pay lay ministers, as is the situation in many parts of the USA, but we have five Salesians
contributing to the mission of St James’, including two young Brothers in their twenties who
bring an important youthful dimension to the Parish Team. In Carmel and Bootle, parishioners
express their satisfaction with the process as a way of deepening their own faith, as one
Carmel parishioner said to me:
“This class has made such a difference in our lives in so many ways. It truly was a blessing.
Not only did it bring us together as husband and wife, but also as a family. For me it is so nice
to go to Mass now and have him there with me and be able to participate together as a family
with the boys. Every night at dinner we say grace and make sure on a daily basis to give
thanks for all we have. Those are things we never did before. It has changed our life with
family and friends and we have found graces in things we never did before. I truly feel even
more blessed than before to have gone through this whole process.”37
The RCIA is not just another name for the instruction classes that were offered thirty years ago;
it is a disciple-making process through which participants want to share their lives with Christ
and his Church. Catechesis is an important element of the process since it facilitates the
intellectual conversion of potential members. However, the RCIA is about much more than
37
Reported to me at the Generations of Faith meeting at Carmel Mission 11th November 2009 by a
woman whose husband had gone through the RCIA process last year (2007/8)
29
"head knowledge;" it is about developing an intimate relationship with the God who, as the
Church teaches, loved humanity into being. The RCIA is about discernment and conversion,
with an essentially twofold goal: to develop (or deepen) one's relationship with Jesus Christ,
and to experience Christ as he is present to us in prayer, in the Sacraments, and in the
community of believers. In both Carmel and St James, the RCIA is a very positive way of
welcoming back so called ‘lapsed’ Catholics, those who have been away from the Church for
some time. It is also a means of helping other Christians come into the RC community, though
obviously there is no need to baptise them as the Catholic community recognises Christian
baptism.
It is becoming more common for people going through the RCIA process not to have already
been baptised, as many families do not feel the need to go through this particular rite of
passage. Therefore, in the 2008/9 group at St James’ we had two young men in their twenties,
who had never been baptised, being received into the Church. It was a fantastic experience for
both the individuals concerned and the whole parish community. At this great Easter liturgy, the
high point of the Church’s year, we saw visible signs of life, hope and growth. For the broader
Church membership, especially those not connected with the process, this positive witness to
the faith cannot be underestimated. The RCIA process at Carmel Mission sees similar results:
people wanting to be part of a vibrant community. As I say at the Vigil and the Mass on Easter
Sunday morning, “we must be doing something wonderful if people want to be part of our
parish”.
The Easter fire being lit at the Vigil service
An interesting development of the process for us at St James’ has been the experimental
development of a junior RCIA programme. This came about in any different ways: some were
children of families that joined the parish, while other candidates came from families in Year 2
at the primary school and realised that children could not make their First Holy Communion
unless they were baptised. With the parish council of St James, I am a firm believer in the
theory that it does not matter why you COME to the community, it is why you STAY that is
important. The process was a response to a real pastoral need; in the latter case First Holy
Communion is so important in the life of Bootle families. It is more than just a rite of passage on
the journey of faith; it connects the families to their history and ancestors. A great deal of
catechesis still needs to be done and, I feel, that the ‘Generations of Faith process can be of
great help in this area to prevent the celebration from becoming a purely secular event. Again I
am concerned by the way certain clergy treat families and children who are preparing for
reception of Eucharist; I feel that there is a need for a greater sensitivity and willingness to
meet people where they are and not where we want them to be.
30
In the most recent junior RCIA programme, the parish accompanied six children (aged 8,9,10
and 11) along with their parents. All three families had been in difficult, if not abusive
relationships; before moving to St James’ they had certainly not felt welcomed or even
encouraged to bring their children for baptism. It is interesting that in both situations they were
encouraged to come to Church and join our community by existing parishioners-a real example
of outreach and a missionary Church. The children and families were made welcome and
accepted for who they were and joined the Little Church programme. I followed this up with a
weekly session that was activity based. When the process was completed they were invited to
come forward for baptism which they celebrated in a fitting way with their parish sponsors and
families. For the coming year, we are modifying the programme to allow a former teacher from
All Saints RC School to take the adults for their own sessions; in this way we are incorporating
the Generations of Faith model by including primary carers in the sacramental journey of their
children. Responses to date have been positive, as the adults feel that they have learnt more
about their own faith in a non-threatening family atmosphere. Some have also confirmed that
the process would encourage them to take a more active part in the life of their parish. 38 This
junior RCIA programme model has a done a great deal to strengthen the already positive
relationship between parish and the parochial school. Both are aiming to create an
INTENTIONAL community of faith and want to offer all members of the community a way to
move forward together. Such a programme helps families see beyond the school setting and
look for an interrogational approach to faith formation that treats the Church less as the
“sacramental filling station.”
All of the children have now joined the First Holy Communion process and will enjoy this
special day in May 2010, or, for the older children, at a time mutually convenient. Thus eleven
year old Katherine opted to celebrate her first reception of the Eucharist at the Christmas Day
family Mass.
Parish of Our Lady of Solitude, Solidad
Our Lady of Solitude in Solidad serves a very different demographic to that of the Carmel
Mission and is located some miles inland in the midst of fertile lands that allow for agricultural
production all year land. There was an original Mission founded here in 1791 by Fr de Lasuen,
it was the thirteenth mission to be founded but the re-routing of the highway meant that the
modern town of Solidad is a few miles away-the Mission is now a chapel of ease for the main
38
Feedback from St James’ Parish questionnaire December 2009.
31
parish. The parish of Out Lady of Solitude serves a largely Hispanic population and the pastor,
Fr Ignacio Martinez comes from Mexico and is now an incardinated priest of the Diocese of
Monterey. The reality is that, for the Catholic Church to minister effectively in this part of
California, its Minsters, lay and ordained, should have a working knowledge of Spanish. From
my own observations it is really not enough to be able to celebrate the liturgy in Spanish; one
must be able to have a good grasp of the language if one is going to communicate with
parishioners and offer effective catechesis. Good communication lies at the heart of an
effective proclamation of the Gospel, as we have already seen in the Emmaus Road encounter
between Jesus and his disciples.
The Hispanic population of the town is nearly 90%39 and the parish would reflect that- In an
average month, Fr Ignacio will baptise 20 children, only three of these baptisms would be
conducted in English. Fr Ignacio is also aware that he has a good proportion of ‘illegal’s’ in his
parish. In the main these are hardworking men and women who come up from Central America
to work mainly in the low paid agricultural industry-Dole Food Company has the world’s largest
pre-cut salad plant in the town and employing 80,000 people. The area is also home to some of
the largest prisons in the state and can provide very well paid employment for some
parishioners; however, given the strict vetting procedures this is only a realistic employment
opportunity for US citizens and legal immigrants. The area is also home to some of the finest
wineries in Monterey Country given its rich soil. As indicated earlier there are very few among
the native population who are prepared to work in the agricultural sector at the wages offered,
thus illegal labour becomes common, together with all the abuses of human rights in terms of
working hours and conditions. The local economy reflects the fact that there is not a great deal
of disposable income as many inhabitants will be sending money home to their families.
Therefore, we do not see the designer boutiques, fine restaurants and luxury hotels of Carmel;
it is a very different place. In fact the town of Solidad boasts no major supermarket outlet such
as Wallmart or any leading department store like J P Penny’s or Macy’s. Main Street, Solidad
has a series of small stores with a ‘strip mall’ on the outskirts that is convenient to the main
highway-again the types of shop to be found here would equate to ‘Aldi’ or ‘Poundland’ in the
British context. The town is hoping to build a Mall and to attract the popular and household
names; however, in the present economic climate, one would fear that this is little more than a
pipe dream. Therefore, Fr Ignacio and his tiny staff (the Pastor, Sr Liza in charge of Children’s
Religious Education and Lorena, the parish secretary) have to do the very best in the
circumstances to offer a faith formation programme that is both effective and serves the needs
of his population on a weekly offering of just over $3000.
39
According to 2006 Census, 86.82% of the town’s population were Latino or Hispanic
32
The parish does not have any school, so parents wanting Catholic education will have to send
their children to places like Salinas some miles away. With a limited disposable income this is
an option that few families could effectively afford. Thus most school aged children would
attend one of the local public schools that offer no religious education. However, interestingly
enough all Grade 4 children in the state of California are expected to do a project and lessons
on the Mission system as part of their History curriculum. Therefore, the catechetical
programme directed by Sr. Liza is a crucial link between families and the Church community. It
is interesting to note that while many of the children will speak Spanish at home, they are
taught through the medium of English in their public schools. Therefore, unless their families
choose otherwise, their actual grasp of Spanish grammar is limited. Fr Ignacio reflects that
many of the children who attend the classes will opt to follow sessions in English as they find
the Spanish teaching materials difficult to follow. It does make for a difficult dichotomy for the
children, but also enriches the community with a variety of language.
At the moment there are 800 children enrolled in the three year faith formation programme; in
British terms these are fantastic numbers of people coming forward for voluntary classes, but
one forgets that in a parish like St James’ Bootle we probably have about 700 children
attending a Catholic school and, therefore, receiving a faith formation programme. As I have
indicated some educationalists question the programmes on offer at Our Lady of Solitude, a
programme that is copied in parishes through the USA. They feel it might be seen as a ‘filling
station’ approach: you send your child to the Religious Education programme to prepare for the
main Roman Catholic sacraments. With such a programme there is little or no need to be
involved in what is going on; one does not even have to attend the regular weekend worship. Fr
Ignacio flags up the real generosity and commitment of his congregation pointing to the fact
that he offers six masses over a weekend (three in English and three in Spanish). He holds an
annual ‘Ministry Fair’ where the various parish teams and organisations have stalls and
representatives to encourage parishioners to play a more active part in the life of the
community. As a result of this effort the parish has 60 volunteer catechists to work with Sr. Liza
to help the 800 children who come for the voluntary classes after school. In itself this is a very
positive witness of faith that people would VOLUNTEER to work with young people and share
their love and knowledge of their faith. Fr. Ignacio points out that this is a sign of hope and
vibrancy for the community. He is also very pleased with the response to the Lectio Divina in
the parish; this is an approach to reflecting on the Word of God. People gather to read the
Gospel that is going to be read on the following Sunday; there is a period of silence and then
the community volunteer to read parts of that Gospel message that speaks to them: it could be
a sentence or even just one word. The idea is to get people to be fully aware of the Gospel
message for that particular day so that it becomes a real and living revelation of Good News
when it is proclaimed during the Sunday liturgy.
Fr Ignacio also makes use of a programme that originated in Latin America called ‘Basic
Christian Communities’; it was an attempt to break down the big parish gathering that
traditionally gathered on a Sunday. As is the case in Our Lady of Solitude, given the number of
masses celebrated over a weekend, it is hard to build up a sense of real community with the
number of people involved. Therefore, groups of committed Christians gather in homes during
the course of the week for prayer, bible reflection and family time. Far from fragmenting the
parish group it is argued that such groups actually add to life and ministry if a parish-they are
seen as the leaven within the community helping it to grow and flourish.40 Fr Ignacio has twenty
For a good guide to the work of basic Christian communities within a parish setting see O’Hanlon J.
Three Dancers One Dance Columba Press 2009
40
33
of these groups with anything between eight and twelve people meeting weekly to pray and
reflect on the Gospel. On a regular basis he celebrates Eucharist with each group that see
themselves as striving to live the Gospel in workings of their own daily family experiences. The
parish also has regular prayer groups attracting around 300 people a week. Fr Ignacio feels
that on-going formation can be carried on effectively through such weekly gatherings. He also
has a budget to encourage catechists to attend conferences such as the RE Congress held
annually at the Anaheim Conference Centre, sponsored by the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.
My visit to Solidad reminded me far more of my own pastoral setting in Bootle than Carmel-this
is not to belittle the welcome and excellent ideas that I received from Carmel Mission. Socially
and economically, Bootle is more like Solidad. It certainly made me think about the situation in
the UK where Churches, especially the Anglican and Roman Catholic, operate their network of
schools. If these were to be closed down tomorrow, what would the impact be in the life of an
average parish? I pointed out that the parish of St James in Bootle has something like 700
children involved in our parish schools, on an average weekend we might see about 50! I have
to honestly wonder if many of that 700 would come to extra formation classes after formal
school hours. However, as I will point out in the concluding reflections, we live in a very
different situation to the USA and have a differing history in our approach to Church/State
relations.
Due to the pressure of time, I was unable to actually see how the programme at Our Lady’s
worked in practice, but I was able to join in a similar programme in the Sacred Heart parish in
the town of Hollister, to the north of the diocese. This parish does have its own primary school
with 230 on role-not all students would be parishioners as 40% are registered as not being
Catholic. In the US, as in the UK, faith schools have a good reputation and they will accept
students from other faith backgrounds if there are places. One has to remember that Catholic
schools in the States are private and have to find all their income from fees or endowments.
Thus the large Hispanic population of Sacred Heart would not, in the main, be able to afford the
fees and send their children to public schools. Once the regular classes in Sacred Heart School
finish, the parish director of Catechesis, Maria and her team move in, taking over classrooms
for the Religious Education programme and await the 800 children that attend over three
evenings during the week. Maria has one room at the entrance to the school which acts as her
office, store room, supply cupboard and meeting space. When I arrived she was cheerfully
greeting parents and children, switching from Spanish to English with ease in her
conversations. There was a great buzz and sense of life about the whole encounter and
nothing seemed to phase or worry her. Her approach is simple and, in my opinion, Gospelbased: she welcomes people where they happen to find themselves. She is offering 13 classes
in Spanish with 18 catechists, 10 classes in English with 15 catechists, while there are 13
classes preparing young people for the sacrament of Confirmation with a staff of 22 catechists.
One must remember that Maria is the only one who receives a salary as the Director, while the
catechists are all volunteers and do the work for love of their Church and for the good of the
children. Interestingly enough parents are expected to sign a contract with the parish to say
that they will send their children to the programme, as well as making a financial contribution. It
must be stressed that all money raised goes to the buying of the materials and consumables
that are used. Maria makes it clear that money is never an excuse to exclude children from the
programme; she is well known within her community and she is very aware of individual family
circumstances.
I called in to visit various classes and met both catechists and children; as you would expect in
any educational setting some classes were livelier than others, with a variety of teaching styles
34
and aids being used. Maria assigns her staff with great care and thought to ensure that the
children will get the most out of the experience; she will also assign new catechists with
another who act as a mentor and share good practice. In all the classes I visited there was
evidence not only of good solid work being done, but a real sense of enjoyment. As with all the
catechists I have met in the US there was a great sense of amazement of how Catholic schools
(along with all voluntary aided schools) in the UK are funded. Despite dealing with so many
numbers in the programme, this does not translate into a similar number of families celebrating
the parish liturgies at the weekend. As I have already indicated, Sunday is a totally different day
today than it was 50 years ago; while it is easy to blame Religious Education for poor Church
numbers, we must take account of the huge social changes that have taken place within our
communities, in the UK and USA.
At this stage I feel it is important to thank Bishop Richard Garcia of Monterey for allowing me to
have access to his parishes and schools. However, I must thank him for his genuine friendship
and warmth. As the Bishop of Monterey he exercises his role with great humility, humour and
honesty. His initiatives against the culture of gang violence, especially evident in the urban
communities in the diocese, show a deep concern for his people and the pain that they are
suffering. In Bishop Richard, we see a pastor committed to walking with his people on that
Emmaus Road, even if their story is one of suffering, pain and tragic death.
Bishop Garcia DD of Monterey
In a US Church that is still reeling from the horrible revelations of clerical sexual abuse and the
subsequent cover-up by some Church leaders, I have found a humble and open experience in
the Monterey area. Along with the needed changes in the whole area of child protection in the
US Catholic Church, we have also seen a greater re-claiming of their birthright by lay Catholics
in the pew as the parishioners have become more educated and rely less on the power of the
priest. The vile actions of a relatively few group of clerics has shamed the Church and forced
us to re-think ways of interacting and dealing with people in a more humane and, ultimately,
Christian way. Throughout the country one can witness a greater sense of involvement in the
life of the Church, such as organisations like ‘Voice of the Faithful.'41 Unlike the Irish Church,
where anger and frustration at the crimes and cover-up, has led to people leaving the Church in
large numbers and giving up the external practices, the Church in the US generally is
experiencing no major backlash by people in the pews. However, there is a call for greater
41
See www.voiceofthefaithful.org
35
involvement to ensure that it does not happen again and bring shame to the Roman Catholic
community. The Church in the US is similar to the experience within the Catholic community,
especially in the Western world. It can be typified, perhaps unfairly, as a divide between
traditionalists, who want to return to the sure Church of pre-Vatican II and those who want to
ensure that the vision of that Council is not lost. I personally believe that the Church is an
INCLUSIVE and not EXCLUSIVE community and should reflect all shades of Christian opinion.
Bishop Garcia, as a Bishop in the Roman Catholic tradition, is responsible for all religious
education/faith formation in his diocese. Within his diocese of Monterey there are twelve
Catholic schools run entirely by the Diocese, two run by religious orders, one that is held in a
join-trusteeship and one that is totally private, but the Bishop does visit. All these schools must
charge fees to survive, although the Diocese is able to offer some financial assistance in order
to reduce fees or help families in extreme need. Thus the focus for all the schools is how they
are going to raise income in order to offer a quality education. The Director of the School’s
department is Dr. Kim Pryzbylski; she comes from a solid background in education and made it
clear that Monterey Catholic schools offer educational standards and an ethos that are the
hallmark of quality education. As early as 1977, a Vatican document was able to put so well:
One must recognise that, more than ever before, a Catholic school’s job is infinitely
more difficult, more complex, since this is a time when Christianity needs to be clothed
in FRESH garments….when a pluralist mentality dominates the Christian Gospel is
increasingly pushed to the sidelines42
Therefore, the Monterey Catholic School System follows the state guidelines on educational
standards in all subjects. There has to be clear evidence of curriculum mapping and following
of the state curriculum; each teacher needs an education to Bachelor level and must be
accredited by the Californian Board of Education. As you would expect similar child protection
standards are in place to that in the UK, both on a state and Church level. As regards the
Catholic Religious Education curriculum, the schools follow the guidelines issued by the
Western Catholic Education Association.43 Bishop Garcia will visit every school in the course of
any academic year and is a very visible presence, while the Director visits all the schools on a
regular basis, ensuring that extra support is given when it is requested or needed. The
Education Team of the Diocese conduct on-site visits that would approximate to the OFSTED
Section 40 inspection that is used in England and Wales.
It is left to individual parishes to offer what support they can to Catholic schools that serve their
area-this will depend on the relative wealth and resources that a local parish can offer. Carmel
Mission parish operates the Junipero Serra elementary school and the parish Faith Formation
Team facilitates a programme of retreat experiences for the various classes. The opportunity
for a ‘retreat’, to take time out form the hectic pace of life is something that is central to
Christian spirituality, drawing its inspiration from the times in the Gospel when Jesus withdrew
by himself to pray.44 I was invited by Lynn, the Director of Youth Ministry to join a Grade 9
Retreat during my time in California. I joined them at the Mission’s Chapel of St Francis located
in Big Sur on the famous Route One; this is the original highway that hugged the Pacific coast
from Los Angeles to San Francisco. Big Sur is a popular tourist resort and the Chapel of St
Francis offers worship facilities for tourists and the mainly Hispanic workers who serve the
42
43
44
‘The Catholic School’ Congregation for Catholic Education 1977 no.66-my emphasis
See www.wcea.com
Mark 1: 35
36
hotels and restaurants of the area. The Chapel is set among huge Californian redwood trees
that have been there for centuries and a small river flows at the back. Lynn organised a very
full and meaningful experience for the young people; it allowed them to commune with nature
and to take time out to reflect on their experiences. She sees it as a time to gather the young
people together and so enable them to know each other and themselves better in the context of
growing closer to Christ. She structures the day in such a way that an activity exercise can then
lead to a reflection. I found the stone activity very meaningful: the students picked up stones
from the dried river bed and then wrote on them the barriers or obstacles that keep them from
entering a wholesome relationship with God or others. The stones are then thrown into the fast
flowing waters of the river so they can be cleaned-this is presented as need was all have to
overcome those barriers to growth within our own lives.
As a Chaplain to a busy high school as Savio Salesian College, I am very lucky that the
principles of John Bosco can be practiced in a way that is relevant to young people in 2010.
Like Lynn in Carmel, I can offer a programme of residential and day retreats. However, for a
group of largely unchurched high school students, it is the daily work that I do in the Chaplaincy
that is important. I have been lucky to have the parishioners of St James’ agreement in
restructuring the day to allow time for me to be in both the primary and secondary schools; I am
also indebted to the Bootle Salesian Community, especially the Rector, Fr Tom Williams sdb
for their support in taking services and home visits that make up the life of an average parish
priest in the UK. Tom is the local Superior of the Salesians in Bootle and a member of the
leadership team of the Salesians in the UK, known as the Provincial Council. In the parish he is
also officially given the title of ‘parochial vicar’ and his remit is to concentrate on finance and
maintaining the fabric of a Church building that dates back to 1885. However, he is also a fine
preacher and liturgical president, bringing with him years of experience as a residential social
worker and being very involved in an outreach to those with AIDS/HIV. Tom’s grasp of finance
and the fine details of building a brand new heating system is something that I would find not
only difficult but also draining. Thus, in parish, we look to build on the strengths that individuals
can offer. It is a luxury that most RC pastors in this country do not have; however, given the
Salesian nature of our parish and our need to work as a Community, it does free me to do work
in an area that is for us, Salesians, essential, lying at the heart of what we vowed on our first
profession day.
The Chaplaincy timetable is based on a vibrant model offered by a wonderful Salesian priest,
Fr Michael Duggan sdb who acts as ‘parish catechist’ and enables the Baptism and RCIA
programmes to be delivered in such an efficient and life giving way. He is a former full-time
Chaplain at Savio and was able to develop a very Salesian approach in the ‘Prayer ‘n Play’
model of chaplaincy. In consultation with the Head of Religious Education, Mike Bennett, we
identify various classes who will come down to the Chapel area with their teacher in an
established RE lesson. I am very lucky to have a large and adaptable space that can offer all
the latest audio/visual technology, as well as an office that can be used for small groups and
private conversations. I must also register my thanks to the Head of the school, Fr Gerard
Briody sdb who is also a member of the St James’ Salesian community; his support for the
work of the Chaplaincy is untiring and I am lucky to work with him, as he understands and
endorses our work. I tend to work on specific themes according to age groups and spend
roughly half the session in reflection, usually using a visual or audio stimulus such as a scene
from a popular movie or listening to a particular piece of music. I may get them to do a paperbased exercise, but I try to avoid making it too like a classroom activity. We always finish with a
prayer and themes chosen for the Spring Term 2010 include, ‘John Bosco’, ‘The Haiti Disaster’
‘Holocaust Memorial’ and ‘Reconciliation’ based on the Ash Wednesday rite.
37
In October 2009 the History and Sociology Departments at Savio Salesian College took a
group of Year 13 sixth form students to Krakow, Poland as part of their studies. A very moving
part of the experience was the visit to Auschwitz and the sister camp at Berkenau; over seventy
years ago these were part of the evil Nazi plot to murder millions of Jews and those who
objected to the plans of National Socialism.
They saw the cells, the barbed wire and huts that housed men women and children before their
murder. The group were privileged to meet a survivor and hear of his experiences; these young
people were so moved by their visit that they came home and produced a video that was used
in all our assemblies during the week of Holocaust Memorial. In our Chapel times, I then was
able to use a small section from the movie ‘Schindler’s List’ that detailed the lengths that
children went to escape the clutches of Nazi murderers. Both experiences hopefully helped our
young people to see the dangers of bullying and racial/religious hatred. I ended the reflection
with the fitting prayer of Pastor Martin Niemoller that shows our need to stand up to injustice
and wrong doing:
First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out—because I was not
a communist;
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—because I was
not a trade unionist;
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew;
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak out for me.45
Whatever theme is used in these Chapel sessions, the second part of the lesson is spent in our
on-site youth centre, ‘The Don Bosco Youth Centre’, known locally as the ‘Donny’. This allows
the students to relax and enjoy anything from snooker and pool to table tennis and board
games. It also allows the teacher to see the young people in a less formal setting and for the
children to see that ‘Sir’ or ‘Miss’ is not that bad at pool either! It is this informality that Bosco
saw as very special; a repressive system of education can lead to fear, whereas, if children
actually enjoy school, then effective teaching and learning can take place.
45
Part of a speech given by Pastor Niemoller at the Confessing Church meeting in Frankfurt on
January 6th 1946
38
Don Bosco recognised that formal education was one way out of the poverty trap for the young
people he worked with. But he recognised that education was a much wider reality than the
classroom, it was a “matter of the heart”. In Don Bosco’s vision “school” was more than formal
education. The main place where learning happens is within the group of young people and not
the physical classroom. He believed that if the network of relationships is right, young people
learn the deeper lessons of life: who they are, what their gifts are and what limitations they
have. They learn their own style of being themselves, test their dreams, and teach each other
skills for coping and growing to maturity. The aim of education for Don Bosco was more than
academic results. For him it should fulfil the gospel promise “I have come that they may have
life, and have it to the full”46. For Don Bosco everyone is potentially a teacher. In a school it
may be the dinner-ladies or the caretaker that help a young person to learn a vital lesson in life.
In a parish setting the old person sitting quietly at the back who talks and smiles to young
people may be a profound teacher of wisdom. Most of all in Don Bosco’s mind, so often it was
young people themselves who were the best teachers speaking with an honesty and
immediacy that few adult friends could match.
So Don Bosco found ways of making every situation a learning experience, games, domestic
work, fights in the playground, friendly encouragement and even major problems. In his talks to
young people he would often ask them what could be done about problems. In sharing their
conclusions, they learnt together and Don Bosco learnt with them. The role of the teacher is
dynamic, one moment teaching, one moment listening, always learning. We need a deep
respect for this process of learning because it links us moment by moment to the Spirit of God
moving through the group bringing maturity, deepening wisdom.
46
John 10: 10
39
An informal moment between children and youth leaders in the St James’ Youth Active Group,
Bootle
As a Chaplain, I cherish these daily interactions that I have with so many young people, many
of whom are parishioners of St. James’ Bootle. It also allows me to get to know so many young
people so that if anything serious does happen, such as bereavement, then there is a real
relationship that allows me to offer a more formal way of helping. Don Bosco’s approach to
education in the nineteenth century finds echoes in modern educational practice, as the
Salesian historian John Dickson sdb points out:
At the heart of the Salesian tradition of education is the so called PREVENTIVE SYSTEM.
This is the name given to Don Bosco’s style of education after a lecture that he gave to
French co-workers in 1887 in which he contrasted the Preventive System with what he
characterised as the Repressive System. Empowerment is a modern term used in
educational discussion to focus on enabling the learner to become independent and
self-motivated.47
Dickson W J “Prevention or Repressive-Reflection on Salesian Education”
www.salesians.org.uk/dbuk/spirituality.
47
40
Faith Formation in the Anglican tradition: All Saints
Episcopal Church, Carmel by the Sea.
I was given a wonderfully warm welcome by the Anglican community in Carmel-a town forever
associated with the Hollywood actor Clint Eastwood who acted as mayor of the town (1986-88)
and owns a popular restaurant and bar in the area. The town itself numbers just over four
thousand people, but the population is boosted by the thousands of holiday makers who use
the high end chic boutique style hotels. For such a small town it is noted for its theatres and
galleries; indeed during my short stay in the area, a South African Ballet company, the British
comedy actor John Cleese and the folk singer Joan Armitrading all played to packed houses.
The annual “Carmel Bach Festival” uses various locations around the town, including the
beautiful setting of the Carmel Mission. Close by are several world-class golf courses including
Pebble Beach, home to the 2010 US Open Championship. Therefore, in such an obviously
wealthy setting it was pleasing to meet this community rooted in its mission statement of
“Glorifying Christ—Living for Others”
As an active parish within the Diocese of El Comino Real, All Saints parish sees itself as very
much part of the Anglican tradition in a Diocese founded in1980 as the older Diocese of
California was broken up. While the administrative offices are in the town of Seaside, just
outside Monterey, the Cathedral is at Trinity Church in San Jose. All Saints, Carmel is just one
of 51 communities gathered along the first major transport artery of the region, the King’s
Highway (El Comino Real) from San Jose in the south to San Luis Obispo in the south.
Although numerically small, the 2003 census puts the membership of the Diocese at around
16,000 members; the Diocese does exert a great influence in the area. As a result of the 2008
Lambeth Conference, the Diocese formed a formal twinning arrangement with the Diocese of
Gloucester in England and the Diocese of Western Tanganiyka in Tanzania.
Bishop Mary Gray-Reeve
In 2007 Mary Gray-Reeve became the third Bishop of El Comino Real; she is a lively and
energetic pastor as her schedule shows. She has a strong commitment to social justice and
seeks her community to be inclusive:
Our Diocese is very diverse. We move from the complexity of the Silicon Valley to the
fast moving and at least partially poor fields of agriculture and everything in between.
You cannot do ministry one way in this Diocese-we are not homogeneous! It takes all of
41
us in our various local contexts to build the citizenry of our Church, to reach out to the
stranger and to include others in the household of God. It takes us all.48
Rev Rick Matters leading worship
The Pastor of All Saints is Rev Rick Matters and he has been in post since 2007, combining his
role as the Spiritual Leader/Chaplain at the All Saints Day School. I was lucky enough to be
invited to both parish and school to have a close look at the formation programmes. All Saints
parish is lively and has a lot going on; Rick is lucky to have an Associate in Rev Daniel Green.
The clerical dimension of the parish is further supported by Rev Jan Wood, the associate
priest, Ven. James Booth who acts as Deacon and Rev Holy Hudson-Louis, an associate priest
and the co-chaplain at All Saints Day School. As is the case in the USA, all Churches rely on a
mix of paid and volunteer support staff covering areas from grounds’ maintenance to book
keeping and secretarial work.
As I have mentioned Carmel by the Sea is a beautiful area, reflected in the very high price of
housing; however, All Saints maintain an outreach with Epiphany Lutheran and Episcopal
Church in a coastal community called Marina to the north of Monterey. Marina is known as one
of the most culturally diverse communities in the entire USA and has its fair share of socioeconomic problems. Epiphany Church, together with All Saints sponsors a raft of initiatives that
show this practical concern and outreach such as the Thomas Carman Pantry that distributes
food to those in need. One has to remember that here we are in one of the richest nations on
the planet and in one of the wealthiest States, yet people ARE literally hungry.
….and the righteous will say to the King, “When, Lord did we see you hungry and give
you something to eat?”….and the King will reply, “as long as you did it to the least of
these brothers or sisters of mine, you did to me.49
The people are All Saints see the importance of this parable of Last Judgement in the day to
day living out of their Christian lives.
48
49
Bishop Mary Diocesan Convention Address 24th October 2009
Matthew 25:37 & 40
42
I was invited to join the community for their regular Sunday worship while I was in Carmel and
was struck by the level of genuine welcome and fraternity. As with the other Churches I visited
there was a genuine love for Britain; this had a lot to do with the fact that the British Army are
working so closely with their US counterparts in places such as Iraq and Afghanistan. Also, on
a very simple level, Americans actually like things British-even if it is down to the fact that we
speak the same language! However, as anyone who has to drive in the USA has experienced
with their luggage in the TRUNK and stopping for GAS, we might agree with Oscar Wilde, “we
have everything in common with America these days except, of course, language.”
The Morning Eucharist followed the Alternative Order of Service and so the readings that I had
experienced at an earlier Mass at the Carmel Mission, were familiar. While not wanting to
compare homilies, as I was presiding at the earlier Mass, suffice to say that I used some of
Rick’s ideas in a quickly revised homily for the evening Mass at the Mission! Rick spoke well
and with conviction; I was struck by the fact that there were few children and families present,
but was reminded that they were at their own liturgy in the nearby pastoral centre.
GODLY PLAY
It was Rick and the community at All Saints who introduced me to the concept of “Godly Play”,
though I am especially indebted to a young lady called Clare who was the group leader for that
day and took me through the elements of her class. Clare was only nine years old, yet had an
amazing confidence and obvious love for scripture as she retold the parable of the Good
Samaritan. The concept of Godly Play is rooted in the long established tradition of story telling
that lies at the very heart of what it is to share the human story. Some years ago I was awarded
the Farmington Fellowship in Religious Education and was privileged to be given space and
time to study popular British soap opera and how it could be used in religious education
programmes at key stage three.50 The soap opera combines the art of story-telling with modern
media and can get people hooked on following that programme whether it is “Eastenders” or
“The Archers”. Coming from a strong Irish background, I have always been keen on the art of
story-telling. Indeed, it can be argued, that most villages had their unofficial story-teller whose
purpose was to entertain. With the advent of radio, cinema, television and the digital age,
O’Shaughnessy G “Influence of Popular British soap operas in the religious thinking of young
people at Key Stage Three” Farmington Institute Oxford 1997
50
43
perhaps the story-teller does not assume such a high profile anymore. However, it is interesting
to note that the highest rating programmes on TV are the so called ‘soaps’-programmes that
tell a continuing story.
The concept of Godly Play was devised by an Episcopal priest, Rev Jerome Berryman; he saw
that children were becoming increasingly unable to enter into the ritual narratives that lie at the
heart of Christian liturgy. The Eucharist is a call to ‘remember’ and call to mind those events
that are, for Christians, central to their faith. He was seeking an active participation in liturgy
along the lines that I was alluding to earlier when speaking about Vatican II in the Roman
Catholic tradition. Berryman was well aware of the Montessori movement in education and
sought to use some of their principles in creating Godly Play.
In the All Saints’ session, Clare used little models on a play mat to tell the story of the Good
Samaritan; her use of the models made the story come alive as the children were able to see
and hear the parable in a way that was accessible to them. Through this ‘play’ Clare was then
able to delve deeper into the parable:




How did the person attacked by robbers feel?
Why did the priest pass by?
What was a Samaritan?
How were his actions so amazing?
The children were able to use the models to create their own version of the story and explore,
at their own pace, who the ‘Samaritans’ of Carmel were and why Jesus’ parable was so
ground-breaking? Through their own creativity and imagination, children were coming into
contact with the Divine. Berryman sees that children can become rooted in their own specific
tradition and have an increasing understanding and respect for it, while be open to others and
to their futures in new and ever creative ways. It is interesting to note how Jesus saw the
importance of children in his ministry and the need to ensure that they are welcomed and made
to feel part of the community. Indeed, Christians are told that unless “you become like children,
you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven.” As Berryman writes:
Jesus did not define the child he told us to be like. To discover what we are to be like if
we are to be spiritually mature we must consult Jesus parabolic sayings and actions in
scripture, take a deeper look at the children around us and inquire into our own
childhood…..it is the experience of that discovery, which prepares us to enter God’s
domain.51
For a full theological exploration of the importance of Godly Play, please see the work of Dr.
Marcia Bunge.52 Essentially the work of Godly Play is to ensure that the story is shared in an
active and creative way. As we have already seen, Jesus, on that road to Emmaus, first
listened to the story of his disciples before he shared his story with them. I was very impressed
with the sense of community at All Saints and it is obvious that, through Godly Play, children
and their families are cherished and valued members. Without a doubt, in my opinion, Godly
Play is a way to encourage and develop faith in both children and adults. It encourages children
to enter into a real ‘faith conversation.’ Erikson sees the need to ensure that church
Berryman J “Children and Mature Spirituality” Center for the Theology of Childhood, Houston
2005
52
Bunge M. “The Child in Christian Thought” Chicago Press 2001
Also: Weber H “Jesus and the Children” Weber Press 1994
51
44
communities encourage these conversations, in a way that that can be seen in the
“Generations of Faith” programme; he sees that children should be able to learn from their
‘elders’ who pass on the faith tradition, wisdom and dignity, instead of seeing them as just old
people.
All Saints Day School, Carmel Valley
Rick is also the Chaplain to the parochial school in Carmel Valley, a community about six miles
from the parish church, ably assisted in this role by Holly. All Saints Episcopal parish sees the
school as an intrinsic part of its mission and outreach and has an energetic and inspirational
Head in Michele Rench, who joined the staff in 2007 and is a Roman Catholic. It is the mission
of All Saints’ Episcopal Day School, in keeping with the Judeo-Christian tradition of love of
God, neighbour, and self, to provide each child the opportunity to develop his or her highest
potential to learn, in a nurturing environment of spiritual growth and service to others. The day
begins with an obviously religious assembly taken by one of the Chaplains; I was struck with
the ease at which students took part and how Rick, in this case, was able to elicit from students
a good response. The students were in no doubt that this was a liturgical event as Rick wore
his alb and stole as he would at a Eucharistic celebration. The school was preparing for its
annual dramatic production of “Twelfth Night” and he chose to bring out to the front the
students who were looking after lighting and sound. The main point of this assembly was that
we all contribute to the great drama that of life; some might be centre stage and be the ‘stars’,
but without the sound and lighting crew, we would neither see or hear the so-called stars.
Rev Holly leading an assembly
At Chapel time/assembly the School community comes together to share its joys and
successes and, occasionally, its failures and frustrations. Parents are invited to join in and
there were a good number present the day I shared with them. They gather to sing, pray, and
hear what is happening in the school community. Our order of service is an opening prayer, a
song, birthday blessings, intercessory prayers, and announcements. Wednesdays are Patriotic
Days and the Pledge of Allegiance and a patriotic song is added. This might seem unusual to
the British way of doing things, but it amazingly effective in the context of all the schools that I
visited.
45
I pledge allegiance to my Flag and to the Republic for
which it stands, one nation indivisible, with liberty and
justice for all
The pledge was actually devised by a Baptist Minister, Francis Bellamy in 1892; the idea was
to have a short ‘prayer’ that was non-denominational and could be used in the public school
system. At this time, especially in the big cities, boats from Europe brought thousands of
immigrants into the US on a weekly basis. This was an attempt at social cohesion; to help
these children realise that they were now citizens of a new nation “indivisible with liberty and
justice for all.” In the modern USA with immigrants, legal and illegal, from practically every
nation on the earth, most will agree that this daily pledge re-enforces the idea that these
children are part of a new nation. They might speak Spanish or Ibo at home with the parents,
but the children see themselves as citizens of the United States.
The second half of the Assembly at All Saints is a talk or presentation, usually interactive rather
than just talking, in that the presenter invites student participation by posing questions or openended conversation.
Sometimes the presentation is a homily by the school Chaplain, with a time for students to
reflect upon a Scripture Lesson or special topic; other times it is led by students, faculty
members, or outside speakers. Topics include Church holidays, Holy days, and Saints' days;
major celebrations in other religions; talks and plays about the school’s Outreach projects;
special topics such as poetry and music; and international week. They share monthly Holy
Communion and Morning Prayer. Thursdays at All Saints' are a school-wide Songfest using
their songbook, using much original and unique material.
The Chaplains are also responsible for the delivery of the religious education curriculum.
Although the school offers classes from nursery through to grade eight, it does mean that Holly
and Rick do have to be in school on a time-tabled basis to meet the demands of teaching nine
class groups and fit in with the schedules of the faculty. I was very impressed with the fact that
each class group concentrates on a particular saint over the course of an academic year. This
saint not only becomes the class patron, but the children can explore facets of that person’s life
in a way that a single lesson would not allow them to do. While they do follow an established
Religious Education syllabus, this constant revisiting of ‘their’ saint helps them to develop a real
understanding of that saint. It is certainly an idea that I brought home with me to All Saints RC
Primary in Bootle where I have a similar chaplaincy type role, though do not deliver formal RE
lessons. I thought the idea would help our children learn about the saints and parish
communities that made up our school. When I moved to Bootle eight years ago, we had three
distinct parishes, each with their own primary school. From June 2009, we have one school
46
serving one parish; the name ‘All Saints’ was chosen to reflect the merger of traditions, but
there is a danger, in my opinion, that we forget our history. With each of our classes having a
patron saint, they could then remember not only our founding saints of James. Joan of Arc,
Richard and Winefride, but also others such as Don Bosco, Dominic Savio and Francis De
Sales that lie at the heart of our Salesian spirituality.
I accompanied Rick to a grade 3 class whose patron was St Francis of Assisi; he really is a
master teacher as he energetically told the story of Francis’ major conversion from his family
wealth and power to a life of poverty and taking on the humble robes of a friar. The lesson
moved with pace and the children certainly were involved; by the end of the lesson they had
learnt that Francis wanted to give strong witness to a life of total poverty and that he had a
great understanding of the world of nature. In the Northern Californian great respect for the
ecology movement one can see the Franciscan ideals still flourishing; as the founders of those
original Missions were Franciscan themselves, it is hardly surprising.
The campus of All Saints School in the beautiful Carmel Valley
Community service is an essential part of All Saints' Day School educational programme. Their
Outreach work has developed out of the school's mission statement, "...a nurturing
environment of spiritual growth and service to others." All Saints' Day School's Outreach
achieves community service by involving students at every age in significant service projects
appropriate to each grade level. In addition, there are many opportunities to participate in a
wealth of school-wide projects. For the older children at seventh and eight grades this outreach
is demanding as it does make them aware of the needs of others within their community and
beyond. Every seventh grader spends time away from the beauty of Carmel to the more
industrial location of Salinas. They actually serve lunch to the homeless at ‘Dorothy’s Kitchen’,
which is part of the inspirational ‘Dorothy’s Place’. It is named after Dorothy Day who founded
the Catholic Worker Movement with Peter Maurin; she is considered by many to be a modern
saint for her work among those on the very edge of society; central to her philosophy of care is
to offer places of real Christian hospitality to the economically poor. Thus her ‘Place’ in Salinas
offers a real place of refuge and practical help to those in need.
47
Students helping to prepare the meals.
The Kitchen serves the marginalized of the Salinas area. Many of these folks live on the
streets, some in camps near the Salinas River, in cars or in motels. The majority of the guests
are men; however there is a steady stream of women and children who are also served. They
see many mothers with children, especially in the breakfast service, walking from
neighbourhoods in East Salinas. They see many old aged pensioners that come to eat and
socialize with the people they know and trust. They have served approximately 1.7 million
meals since the kitchen first opened in April 1982.
I am amazed that eleven or twelve year children could not only cope with this experience but
speak quite openly about it in a non-patronising way. Such a positive experience of living faith
is bound to stay with these young people as they grow older. I found that emphasis is placed
on courtesy, respect and caring as the students set up for lunch, help cook, serve meals, and
clean up the kitchen. This is religion where they actually get their hands dirty and become
involved. It is also an excellent way of helping these young people to become more aware of
the poverty that exists within their own area-no matter how it is hidden! This opportunity to
serve those in need has been an enriching experience for students in previous years and by far
their favourite outreach project during their All Saints’ career. It is also a fine example of
ecumenical dialogue between an Episcopal school and a Roman Catholic charity.
The eight grade students at All Saints’ Day School are required to complete 10 hours of
community service, the 8th Grade Service Day serves as a “kickoff” to motivate, educate and
assist the students to the possibilities and rewards of serving the wider community. Community
service hours may be earned by working for non-profit organizations such as ‘Dorothy’s Place’;
participating in community-organized beach, park, or street cleanup or beautification projects;
48
assisting in senior citizen centres; helping at preschools; volunteering in classrooms;
volunteering at community holiday dinners; and participating in projects sponsored by the
community. The school is very keen to ensure that this does not just become a ‘charity’ project
where rich kids spend a little time with their poorer counterparts. For the school and All Saints
parish this is an issue of real social justice. The goal is to help the children grow from an
understanding of Outreach as charity and duty to an understanding of Outreach as social
justice and a life long commitment to service. Their many projects acquaint students with
the joy of serving others and help them realize there are many people in their community and
around the world, including other children, whom they do not know personally but who still need
their help. It must be remembered that this Outreach is undertaken at EVERY grade level,
including the nursery but in a way that is appropriate for the children. Given the many proper
rules and regulations concerning child protection and health and safety, I cannot see any
school programme in the UK offering such an experience to their students at this age. All
Saints' commitment to community service is embodied within each Outreach project and is the
foundation upon which each student's lifelong commitment to service is built.
I would like to thank Bishop Mary for giving me the permission to work in the All Saints
Episcopal community with such willing grace. I thank the parish, school and clergy for their
welcome and obvious interest in what I was trying to achieve.
The Monterey United Methodist Church is situated in down town Monterey; the Spanish
explorers and the Franciscan missionaries came into Monterey Bay to found their second
Mission in 1770. As we saw earlier, the Friars soon moved their Mission to Carmel while the
official seat of Government and the Presidio Church was established in Monterey-this Church is
now the Cathedral of San Carlos, arguably one of the smallest Cathedral Churches in the
world. Monterey United Methodist Church is part of the United Methodist Church which is the
second largest Protestant community in the USA. The community has its roots in the
evangelical revival of John and Charles Wesley and it was in the New World that the Church
found a fertile ground for expansion. It is interesting to note that the evangelical movement in
the USA owes a lot to the Anglican ‘missionaries’ who came on preaching tours from England.
In this new nation they were able to witness a lot less rigidity, and a greater sense of practical
ecumenism, than perhaps was the case in their motherland. It must be said that a lot of this
ecumenism was based on responding to the needs of their time. When Rev. George Whitfield
was summoned to meet his fellow Anglican clerics in September 1740 after a preaching tour of
the new colonies, he was condemned for actually sharing Eucharist with the Baptist
community! There certainly was no way in which these urban based clerics, mostly from
England themselves, could understand the religious and liturgical needs of the many and
varied small rural communities dispersed throughout the colonies. Whitfield saw a real need to
work together and not become restrained by the liturgical practices of the various
49
denominations. In his defence Whitfield uttered these words that many Evangelical Protestants
see as start of their work in America:
"It was best to preach the new birth, and the power of godliness, and not to insist so
much on the form: for people would never be brought to one mind as to that; nor did
Jesus Christ ever intend it." 53
The Methodist community is served by ELDERS and DEACONS; the main difference between
them is that elders, in a priestly function, connect the people to God, while deacons, in a
servant leadership function, connect the people of God to service in the world. In the priestly
function, the elder has the authority to preside over the two sacraments of Baptism and Holy
Communion, while deacons are to assist in the leadership of these sacraments. Elders tend to
have a ministry to many different communities; they are appointed to a place of leadership at
the decision of their bishop. Deacons are also appointed to a place of service by the bishop,
but they are not itinerant. Deacons choose a place of service and request appointment from the
bishop. Deacons whose primary appointment is beyond the local church also have a secondary
appointment to a worshiping congregation. (The United Methodist Book of Discipline spells out
these distinctions.)
United Methodists are organised according to an ‘Annual Conference’ which is roughly
equivalent to a Diocese with the Anglican or RC communities. Clergy are then members of that
Conference rather than a localised community, such as Monterey. The Monterey Methodist
community were very warm and welcoming and certainly lived up to their vision statement:
To make God's love visible by nurturing spiritual closeness to Jesus Christ, deepening
knowledge of the Word, and reaching out to all. Please come and worship with us as we
celebrate the joy of the Lord.54
Pastor Linda Ford looks after the community and is in the leadership role here, while also
travelling around the Conference to fulfil preaching roles. Deacon Alice Ann is responsible for
the day to day upkeep of the community. For their regular Sunday Morning they offer a choice
of more modern along with the traditional, with contemporary music bands opening the session
at 10.30am leading on to the Worship session. They try to be creative such as ‘Humour
Sunday’ where the celebrate the gift of laughter.
…and Jesus laughed!
53
54
Whitfield G response to the Committee of Anglican Clergy, Boston Ma 19 th September 1740
See www.montereymethodist.org
50
Another popular service is ‘Chocolate Sunday’ which celebrates the goodness of God through
the gift of chocolate and ‘Worship in the Park’, an open-air morning of praise incorporating the
blessing of animals-a very Californian/Franciscan theme
St Francis of Assisi and the animals.
Monterey is a beautiful city, with its own busy harbour giving access to the Pacific Ocean; in a
recent video conference,55 the children of Monterey spoke about their very healthy outdoor life,
with much time spent on the beach or hiking in the hills. Monterey was once the centre of a
vibrant sardine industry, but the Cannery Row, where John Steinbeck was inspired to write his
novel, is now a tourist trap with shops and hotels occupying the old industrial plant.
Modern Monterey.
Monterey is also home to the US Naval Post Graduate School which offers excellent study
facilities not only to US Navy graduates but to naval students from across the world. As a result
of this mini united nations, congregations like UMM can attract temporary members from many
different countries. Monterey is also home to a campus of California State University,
specialising in Marine Biology, as well as five other third level colleges. Therefore, as you
would expect there are many young people living in the City, especially during term time.
55
Video Conference between All Saints RC Primary School, Bootle and San Carlos Elementary
School, Monterey on 17th March 2010.
51
While I was there the US government were discussing the whole area of public health care; the
Churches have long been involved in the provision of quality health care and operate some of
the finest hospitals in the world. However, like their schools, these places are private and so
need funds to operate and function properly. Thus health care insurance is essential for US
citizens as they have no equivalent to the British National Health scheme. The Obama
administration is trying hard to ensure that the millions of Americans who cannot afford proper
health insurance are looked after. For many in the US, especially in the religious right, this is
seen as a form of ‘socialism’ which is anathema to them. Deacon Ann reminded the
congregation of their Methodist roots where John Wesley provided free clinics in London to
ensure that the poor working class were cared for. There was no doubt that this community
were made very aware of their social and Christian responsibility to the 127,000 people in
Monterey country who have no health care cover. It was very interesting to then sit in on a
discussion about preventative medicine; I was able to share my experience of the NHS as I
have experienced it as both a patient and a pastor. It was good to have somebody there to put
a point of view that much of the American media have chosen to ignore. The NHS is not
perfect, as we well know, but it does help save lives in our nation and it certainly is not the
‘wicked monster’ that the likes of FOX TV News would want the US citizens to believe. The
community were in no doubt as to how the United Methodists should respond to the debate,
especially given their rich tradition of reaching out to those in real need.
Children and young people are made very welcome at worship and they have a Sunday school
experience after the general welcome to the whole congregation. They go out with their
volunteer leaders at 11.15am and share a bible study that is age appropriate, with stimulating
activities to keep up their interest levels. In this way the programme was very similar to the ‘little
church’ experience within my own community at St. James’ Bootle.
I was especially interested to look at their ARK programme as it appeared to be an interesting
way to look at faith development. Assuming Responsibility for Kid’ Ministry (ARK) is a family
approach to faith sharing and seemed very similar to the Generations of Faith programme on
offer at Carmel Mission RC community. The plan is for families to come together in the
Methodist Hall on a Tuesday night for two hours from 6.00pm. Sadly, during my all too brief
stay, the programme was on hold. However, I look forward to perhaps sharing in this
programme on a future visit! On researching the idea further I discovered that this is part of an
effort within Methodism to try an avoid fragmentation in worship; there is a call to involve
families in worship. ARK sees the need to strengthen and enhance the domestic Church of the
home, thus ensuring a strong worshipping community coming together on the Sabbath. This
does have implications for the leader of worship, as he/she will have to ensure that words,
actions, liturgy and worship can be accessed by all, especially the children if they are not going
52
to have their own ‘little church.’ This is an interesting concept and certainly does have
supporters within the RC community. While this may be a good approach for families that
actually do worship and practice their faith together, I feel that it is unworkable with many of the
situations that I find myself in Bootle. I can think of many children who actually come to Church
on their own and do not have that faith background to support them in the domestic Church.
Monterey United Methodist Church
Like so many Christian communities in Central California, the Monterey community operate a
food pantry, showing the real need there is in this wealthy nation to ‘feed the hungry’. Along
with all the people I had the pleasure in meeting, I thank the Monterey Methodists for their
fellowship and warmth.
On my return to the UK I am aware of the great opportunity that the English Speaking
Union American Chapel scholarship has afforded me. I wish to thank all those involved
in the organisation, especially the interview panel I met in Dartmouth House in July
2009. Since being given this great opportunity, I have got to know the ESU-Merseyside
branch very well and through their Chairman, Hilary King JP, I offer my grateful thanks
for their support and help. As I was out of the Salesian Province in the UK, I needed the
support of our Provincial Fr. Michael Winstanley sdb and his Council; I thank them for
their inspirational leadership and deep pastoral care shown in a warm friendship and
concern. I also thank the Provincial of the American Western Province, Fr Tim Ploch sdb
and his confrere for being such gracious hosts. I need to thank my own Salesian
community in Bootle for their wonderful encouragement and help in putting this
presentation together, especially the untiring support of my Rector, Fr Tom Williams. I
could not have undertaken such an ambitious project if I did not have the support of my
wonderful fellow parishioners at St James, Bootle; their kindness, humour and real
friendship makes my ministry a joy. I want to thank our parish schools at All Saints RC
Primary and Savio Salesian College; here I experience life and energy in a most
wonderful way. I would like to thank my Headteacher, Fr Gerard Briody sdb and Chair of
53
Governors, Mr Thomas Lawless for facilitating my leave of absence from my role as
chaplain to the College.
My daily interaction with the young people and wonderful colleagues in both schools helps me
realise what a great jewel we have in the British Roman Catholic voluntary aided school
system. Through these institutions I can come into daily contact with over 700 younger
parishioners and over 200 adults whose sole aim is to provide a quality education for our young
people in an atmosphere that is calm and life enhancing. Both schools provide a quality
education that we can be proud of and help to raise children’s attainment in a spirit of real joy,
care and Christian values.
The official opening of All Saints RC Primary School with Mr P Sherry, acting
Headteacher, children and staff.
I would like to thank all the colleagues that I work with in both schools; their care and dedication
for, often, vulnerable children and young people is exemplary. We had a wonderful Head at the
secondary school called Fr Frank Mageean sdb and he always asked his colleagues to “go the
extra mile with the children” I can honestly say that I have witnessed adults going extra “ten
miles” to ensure that our younger parishioners experience the very best educational
opportunities. I worry about those in the Church who question the value of Catholic schools
today; their argument is based on the fact that they do not see many young people at Church at
the weekend. I hope that this study will answer some of this negative criticism and that our
dioceses continue to fund Catholic education, especially in a time of economic recession. While
we need to be realistic, the official RC Church teaching is clear:
The work of the school is irreplaceable and the investment of human and material resources in
our schools becomes a prophetic choice.56
56
The Catholic School on the Threshold of the New Millennium Congregation for Catholic
Education Vatican 2002.
54
At a recent short-listing meeting for the post of Headteacher for our parish primary school, I
deliberately brought the governors’ selection panel into the parish garden at the start of the
meeting. In the garden were 60 children from our reception classes, with their teachers and
assistants, having a “moon picnic.” The sedate gardens had become, in these children’s minds,
a lunar landscape in which they could play, explore and have their party. I saw that this was
essential for governors to take part, albeit for a short time, so that they could then begin the
important work of selecting the people who could offer the vision and expertise of leading these
children and staff beyond that garden. It was crucial, in my opinion that we begin in this rather
unorthodox way so that we could be constantly reminded of why we were doing this exercise
and the need to ensure continuity of inspirational leadership.
I once attended a fascinating workshop on school leadership and the facilitator used characters
from Shakespeare to illustrate his point. The task of excellent school leadership is to inspire
and bring people with you. Therefore, the choice we were given was between The Witches of
Macbeth or Henry V. Did we want people, in leadership, causing trouble and stirring up
bitterness and resentment? Or would a school prefer a leader that you would follow because
you trusted them and knew, in your heart of hearts, that they would only want the best for the
school and its whole community?
The choice is yours!
By using the Emmaus Road model of journeying with our parishioners on their own faith
journeys, we will see that it is not a case of “one size can fit all”. We need to respond to the
needs of individuals as best we can, as we accompany them. I would be wary of any sort of
“Catholic OFSTED” that would want to rate our schools according to some sort of success
criteria; for many clergy that would include attendance at Church at the weekend. I am indebted
to Fr James Gallagher sdb who has given over forty years of service to education and his deep
conviction that we need to hold true to our heritage:
….what do we mean about ‘success’ in our schools, about who we think they are and
about, whether we consider that they are worth the financial cost? It raises the vital
55
issue of how we walk with the young, at primary and secondary level, in the journey of
faith and how we can assist parents with their part.57
I believe that the work of Generations of Faith and ARK can actually help parents to have
greater ownership of their own faith journey. As we have found in St James’, Bootle, if we work
TOGETHER with families at those key sacramental times, then we can experience a real sense
of Church in the context of a living and vibrant community.
I, like many Catholics, worry about the way that the general direction of the RC Church is
going. I perceive there to be a right-wing shift that wants to put the Church into some sort of
safe harbour nestled in a mindset of the 1950’s. As we in Liverpool have discovered, the
Church has to move out of this safe harbour and embrace the modern world in the spirit of
Vatican II. I can appreciate the frustration of great theologians like Fr Hans Kung who sees the
modern Church facing a crisis greater that the reformation; he feels that Church leadership,
especially at Curial level, has forgotten the great insights of Vatican II and are forcing Catholics
into a cul-de-sac of safety. We are a CATHOLIC Church; we are, therefore, INCLUSIVE and
there for weak and strong alike. Indeed if we follow the teaching of the Good Shepherd 58, then
we must reach out to the weaker in society as those children at All Saints Episcopal Day
School showed with such amazing vigour. I feel very lucky to be a part of the Salesian family
and to share in the insights of John Bosco and Francis De Sales that places our young people
at the centre of all we do.
Salesian Superior General, Fr Chavez sdb
…it is the Love of God which urges us on: «The Upper Room where the apostles were
together is not a place for them to stay but one from which to launch out. The Spirit
changes them from fearful men into zealous missionaries who, full of courage, carry the
good news of the Risen Jesus along the world’s highways.59
This pastoral insight of the present Salesian world leader shows that faith formation is dynamic
and we cannot allow this great movement of the Holy Spirit to stop. Everywhere I went on my
scholarship I saw a living and very active witness to faith, except perhaps that Pastor who
would have nothing to do with me! As educators and those entrusted with handing on this
dynamic Christian story, we are called to look at our own witness and ensure that we are doing
all we can to build up, rather than destroy. Fr. Kung makes no secret of the fact that he is a
Gallagher James ‘Are our Catholic Schools Irreplaceable?’ Pastoral Review January 2010
John 10: 11-18
59
Chavez P. “Let us Bring the Gospel to the Young” Letter of Rector Major Rome 2nd June 2009
57
58
56
disappointed pastor; he feels, like many, that the hopes of Vatican II were never given a
chance to come to full fruition. In his recent letter to Bishops, he writes:
Many feel that they have been left in the lurch with their personal needs, and many are in
deep distress over the state of the church. In many of your dioceses, it is the same
story: increasingly empty churches, empty seminaries and empty rectories. In many
countries, due to the lack of priests, more and more parishes are being merged, often
against the will of their members, into ever larger “pastoral units,” in which the few
surviving pastors are completely overtaxed. This is church reform in pretence rather
than fact!60
As a Salesian and a pastor, I feel that I can still offer something to my Church, as well as being
acutely aware of the need to still be open to learn. The experience afforded to me by the ESU
has made me even more aware of the need for the RC Church in the Britain to maintain its
network of schools, but ensuring that they are seen to be an INTRINSIC and ESSENTIAL part
of the ministry of every parish. I am so grateful for the educational insights that I received from
the communities that I had the pleasure of working with in the Central Californian Coast. I am
grateful for the other wonderful opportunities that have been afforded to me such as listening to
the amazing Sr. Helen Prejean and her ministry on Death Row, made famous by the film “Dead
Man Walking” I was able to take part in an amazing workshop on ‘Human Trafficking’ in
California and share the pain of the people of Salinas as Bishop Garcia led an initiative to stop
gang violence that claims the lives of so many young people needlessly. I was able to attend a
‘Strengths’ Workshop to help me see what my particular strengths in ministry are and how I
could use them with others to enhance our work in a real spirit of collaboration. The
Scholarship enables one to do far more than the chosen topic of study; it allows you to
immerse yourself deep into a different culture and appreciate the fact that one is part of a
universal Church. Therefore, the ecumenical dimension of the study is essential and prompts
me to continue that conversation at home.
I thank Sheliah Lynch, Tish Scargill and Fr Roy Shelly for being my special guardian angels
during my stay in California and being able to take me the length and breadth of the area that I
chose to study; one of our road trips down to Arroyo Grande took two days-they went the extra
470 miles! I thank them, as do the people of our parish in Bootle; the work they accomplished
with Patrick back in 2007 is still bearing fruit in our community. God bless you all!
While I understand the pessimism of Fr Kung, I do rejoice in the optimism that should be
essential to the spirit of St John Bosco. My work with the young people and families of Bootle is
rooted in reality. It is a reality on which the Christian community is founded, as Fr Timothy
Radcliffe OP can express far more eloquently than me:
From the beginning and throughout history, Peter has often been a wobbly rock, a
source of scandal, corrupt and yet this is the one (and his successors) whose task is to
hold us together sp that we may witness to Christ’s defeat on Easter day of sin’s power
to divide. And so the Church is stuck with me whatever happens. We may be
embarrassed to admit that we are Catholics, but Jesus kept shameful company from the
beginning.61
60
61
Kung H ‘Church in Credibility Crisis’ Irish Times 15th April 2010
Radcliffe T. “Should I stay or should I go?” The Tablet, London 10th April 2010.
57