Catholic Studies Supplement --- time frame?

[DiannaKennedy]

I know that the MP Catholic Studies supplement was a long range project. There are some folks asking over on Facebook about the time frame. Do we have an estimated date for publication? Beta?

(don't throw tomatoes --- Some of the MP groups don't ever check the forums for current info, despite much gentle urging)

[Katie]

Re: Catholic Studies Supplement --- time frame?

I know that the MP Catholic Studies supplement was a long range project. There are some folks asking over on Facebook about the time frame. Do we have an estimated date for publication? Beta?

(don't throw tomatoes --- Some of the MP groups don't ever check the forums for current info, despite much gentle urging)

Wondering the same..
I am not on FB so I solely rely on this forum for info. I haven't seen an update for a while. But I am a sporadic forum checker too

[pschaeffer]

Re: Catholic Studies Supplement --- time frame?

Sadly we don't. We've gone back to the drawing board so many times that we haven't made as much progress as we expected.

[Katie]

Re: Catholic Studies Supplement --- time frame?

Sadly we don't. We've gone back to the drawing board so many times that we haven't made as much progress as we expected.

Are you able to share your ideas? Is this something that is different for each grade core or covers all grades?

I would be willing to "help" plan and if several Catholic users would want to help too..maybe many brains could make light work It's not like you all don't have enough to do around there!

[AimeeM]

Re: Catholic Studies Supplement --- time frame?

Are you able to share your ideas? Is this something that is different for each grade core or covers all grades?

I would be willing to "help" plan and if several Catholic users would want to help too..maybe many brains could make light work It's not like you all don't have enough to do around there!

Same. I'd be happy to help plan.

[Anita]

Re: Catholic Studies Supplement --- time frame?

I just sent an enquiry about this very thing this morning. Simply Classical needs one, too. If I had a skeleton of needs and goals to be met, I could put some meat on it. Count me in for one of "many brains." (Not hands, alas, mine will be pretty full for a few months. But I would write about anything you want if it gets the ball rolling.)

[Anita]

Re: Catholic Studies Supplement --- time frame?

I just sent an enquiry about this very thing this morning. Simply Classical needs one, too. If I had a skeleton of needs and goals to be met, I could put some meat on it. Count me in for one of "many brains." (Not hands, alas, mine will be pretty full for a few months. But I would write about anything you want if it gets the ball rolling.)

PS This is a hot-button advocacy issue for me, and very close to my heart as we struggle to find any parish assistance for our kids. I am greatly moved to help other families in need who might not have the tools to put a program together themselves. And when I'm "moved"...? Get out of the way. It's *gonna* happen.

[Katie]

Re: Catholic Studies Supplement --- time frame?

PS This is a hot-button advocacy issue for me, and very close to my heart as we struggle to find any parish assistance for our kids. I am greatly moved to help other families in need who might not have the tools to put a program together themselves. And when I'm "moved"...? Get out of the way. It's *gonna* happen.

I gather materials and put together a plan for my own kids each year..I am more than happy to help other families as well.

Anita, we are very close to a Catholic family that has a child with special needs..he is high school age now but I'll pick her wise brain and see what she could recommend or what has worked for them. He is beautifully faithful and knows his faith better than any adult that I've met!! (Besides his mom)

[MyLittleWonders]

Re: Catholic Studies Supplement --- time frame?

I'd love to help too. Plus I have a young one in SC B & C, and am already gearing up to talk with our parish about Sacrament prep (in other words, not doing it with the parish).

By the way Anita, I have this for Kate and plan on starting it whenever I get my act together. This is the one for younger kids; there's also one for older kids, which I'm thinking I'll buy in a year or so for her.

http://www.amazon.com/about-Catholic...catholic+faith

[Anita]

Re: Catholic Studies Supplement --- time frame?

I gather materials and put together a plan for my own kids each year..I am more than happy to help other families as well.

Anita, we are very close to a Catholic family that has a child with special needs..he is high school age now but I'll pick her wise brain and see what she could recommend or what has worked for them. He is beautifully faithful and knows his faith better than any adult that I've met!! (Besides his mom)

Thank you!

Here is where I get up on my soap box:
It's not that we are having trouble finding materials -- we are currently using Emmanuel Kindergarten and it's going okay. It's not MP, though, so I still have to modify and make things mesh, which is a hassle.

The biggest issue here is literally NO PARISH RESOURCES for our children with special needs -- no Sunday school; no assistance to approach the Sacraments, nothing. We've been told it's simply our job to figure it out on our own. While I understand that in a small parish, with limited appropriate volunteers and a small number of special needs kids, it's not going to be raining resources, there has literally been no attempt by anyone in our parish to assist us beyond wishing us luck. It's a very out-in-the-cold experience -- much like I experienced when we set out to homeschool. There's nothing substantive for Special Needs Catholic kids that is open-and-go. We need to change that.

I do not want another parent to go through this kind of alienation and frustration. My children LOVE Mass; they know the order of the Mass; they love Jesus; they want to receive the Eucharist; they know their prayers and devotions; they know what's right and what's wrong; they want to go to confession; they want to belong to the Family of Christ. There are too many barriers hindering them from this experiece at the very place where they should be known, loved, and honored -- just like every other child. They should be able to attend Sunday school with their peers and have a chance to make friends. As it stands now, that is not the case.

I can supplement their MP education with catechetical items from a buffet of other resources. But it's yet another thing I have to do on my own. (And that is a loooooong list for a homeschooling mom with multiple special needs children -- it's the most rewarding, but most exhausting, work I've ever done.) Why? Essentially, just because my kids are different. I am sure there are people who care about this issue and feel it should be changed. However, in our area, so far, all we have encountered is a collective shrug.

There needs to be an inspiring, gentle, appropriate, resource for moms and dads with step-by-step guidance and a Plan on how to prepare their children to receive the Sacraments and to integrate them into the heart of the Church, regardless of whether their parish supports them or not. Too many parents don't even take their kids to Mass anymore because they don't feel welcome or embraced. That is totally against the teachings of Christ and the Magesterium of the Church. A special needs supplement may not be able to change parish politics, but it would change lives for families with children who have special needs. And the way special needs children shine when they succeed would definitely change hearts and minds about this issue.

I'll get down now
(Carefully, I'm REALLLLLLY pregnant! LOL!)

[MyLittleWonders]

Re: Catholic Studies Supplement --- time frame?

No need to get off your soapbox Anita! I know our parish would welcome Kate. We have one other little one with Down syndrome at our parish who is a couple years older than Kate. And the mom who volunteers for our 3-5 year old Sunday school is my littlest's godmother. But we choose to keep Kate in Mass instead of have her in the class (partly because she's still quite non-verbal, and partly because she can't have dairy or gluten).

I know our parish has this resource from Loyola: Sacramental Prep for Individuals with Special Needs. But the religious ed. teacher who was going to see how to make it work with Kate while in the regular prep class isn't our parish anymore. Our priest is pretty good about letting me homeschool instead of attending religious ed., and in some ways, I'm glad they don't tell me what to use (I really don't like what they use in RE; mine have attended off and on since we converted 4 years ago). But I feel I need to start talking with my priest now even though Kate won't be in first grade until fall '17.

Our DRE is wonderful too. But I've spoken with her and both of us aren't sure what to do. I think I might ask to borrow the above linked materials to see how they work and go from there. In my spare time. Which is next to non-existent right now.

[Anita]

Re: Catholic Studies Supplement --- time frame?

No need to get off your soapbox Anita! I know our parish would welcome Kate. We have one other little one with Down syndrome at our parish who is a couple years older than Kate. And the mom who volunteers for our 3-5 year old Sunday school is my littlest's godmother. But we choose to keep Kate in Mass instead of have her in the class (partly because she's still quite non-verbal, and partly because she can't have dairy or gluten).

I know our parish has this resource from Loyola: Sacramental Prep for Individuals with Special Needs. But the religious ed. teacher who was going to see how to make it work with Kate while in the regular prep class isn't our parish anymore. Our priest is pretty good about letting me homeschool instead of attending religious ed., and in some ways, I'm glad they don't tell me what to use (I really don't like what they use in RE; mine have attended off and on since we converted 4 years ago). But I feel I need to start talking with my priest now even though Kate won't be in first grade until fall '17.

Our DRE is wonderful too. But I've spoken with her and both of us aren't sure what to do. I think I might ask to borrow the above linked materials to see how they work and go from there. In my spare time. Which is next to non-existent right now.

We were in this boat a few years back in our home state. Winston was fundamentally non-verbal and I was assured by our Director of Religious Education (DRE, for anyone following along) that there would be volunteer(s). Then, that changed to one volunteer. Then that went away as well. It was just the luck of the draw that year. We didn't even get a chance to meet anyone to chat about a "plan" because no one stepped up. The help just wasn't there. Our pastor (who is godfather to my younger son) didn't know what to do either. He believed in the idea, but didn't know how to make it work practically.

So I sat in a room with Winston by myself and taught him from the book all the other kindergartners were using. We also spent a good deal of time in the church alone before the Blessed Sacrament. Adoration was always on that weekday evening, so some weeks we would "do Sunday school" and some weeks we would adore and participate in Benediction (which I miss now in our new parish). About 30 minutes before classes ended, we would walk over to the buiding where regular religious ed was going on and join the K class for their craft. Sometimes Winston did well, sometimes he didn't. The point was to get him to meet the children and the teachers and to interact with them and see if we could make some gains for him, little by little, in a regular classroom -- with the end goal of total integration. I didn't expect it to happen overnight (and it didn't!) but I wanted the chance to try. We were given that with love and charity. It wasn't ideal, but we made it work, in our own way.

We looked at the Loyola materials and our DRE even promised to buy a set to review, but that never happened. I'm honestly glad, in hindsight, because I'm not a big fan of the Loyola materials. They are not classical. And I really believe that special needs children are not only capable of more as they approach the Sacraments, but that they deserve more. The Loyola materials might meet the minimum requirements for the Sacraments, but they aren't beautiful or particularly inspiring. There's no sacred art (all the illustrations are done in cartoon) or beautful music. The Loyola materials do not teach passages from the catechism, lovely prayers, devotions to the Saints or ask the child to hide God's word in their heart, for example. From what I've seen, the Loyola materials simply explain the difference between the Eucharist and ordinary food and show a little chart for naughty and nice to be used at confession. As an illustration to my point, here are the components of the Eucharist prep kit:

"My Picture Missal Flip Book" and "Mass Picture Cards" are for use at Mass. They help the individual maintain focus and actively participate in the Mass.

"Bless Yourself Sequence Puzzle" helps the individual learn how to make the Sign of the Cross. This activity can be paired with parent or catechist modeling so it becomes a gross motor imitation task.

"Who Is Jesus? Instructional Card" introduces the individual to Jesus as the Son of God and relates God’s family to the individual’s family.

"Communion Is Not the Same as Food Matching Puzzle" helps the individual distinguish between the Eucharist and ordinary food.

"How to Receive Communion Sequence Puzzle" shows all the steps of receiving Communion reverently, providing a guide for the individual to practice. This learning tool may be taught with sequencing or modeling.

"I Receive Communion Instructional Story" reinforces the reverence and proper steps of receiving Communion.

"Helper Guide" includes tips on how to use the kit.

A backpack is included so the individual can transport the items from home, faith formation sessions, and Mass.

Of COURSE that doesn't mean I am passing judgement on parents who use Loyola -- don't anybody (following along) misunderstand! I am saying that, as a parent, there is no classical Catholic resource available for a family who wants more. (We classical home educators are gluttons that way -- we cannot be satisfied with the minimum -- we want ALLLLLL the Truth and Beauty for ourselves and our children. Like Scrooge McDuck, rolling in his money. )

Honestly, the biggest gains we've made with Winston (and his siblings) have been since we started Simply Classical. I truly believe in Classical Education for every child -- special needs children ESPECIALLY! There is no more effective, systematic, thorough way of teaching them. If they had a classical catechetical resource, they would succeed even more in the parish setting, because they would (ideally) have the advantage of having a systematic, beautiful education in Simply Classical as well as a catechetical one in a good Simply Classical Catholic supplement. The two would work beautifully together.

For a parish with few resources, if they had a copy in their hands of an open-and-go PLAN, it would help the parish help the parents, while (hopefully) getting everyone to dialogue for the spiritual well-being of the child and their family. So even if the parish didn't have qualified volunteers or a way to integrate the special needs child -- I realize there are some children who will just never be equipped to handle a classroom setting, no matter what -- the parish could at least extend the olive branch of systematic help along with an expression of inclusion and acceptance. They could at least offer a Plan and ask parishioners for a volunteer to help mom and dad at Mass or in the classroom setting with the Simply Classical Supplement materials -- you know, so mom and dad don't feel like they've been pushed in a back corner and ignored? (That would have gone a long way with us, I know.)

The congregation at large loves seeing my kids at Mass -- they've seen how far they've come since we joined the parish and they see the simple, sweet love and devotion my kids give our Lord. But no one in leadership is invested in teaching them the Faith. No one even thinks it's a genuine concern. They just think special needs = "too much trouble to teach" -- or "why bother". That's dismissive and condescending, honestly. These kids (not just mine!) are capable of SO MUCH! They just need the opportunity of being exposed to Truth, Beauty and Goodness. We can and should feed their hearts, minds, bodies and souls with quality Food -- that is, the Bread of Life. We should be given the opportunity to do that. There are so few oragnized opportunities -- that's all.

[KF2000]

Re: Catholic Studies Supplement --- time frame?

Anita,
I was informed and inspired by your post, and I agree with you completely that the lack of good Catechetical resources for special needs children is high. It truly makes a difference in the lives your these children.

But I would like to offer a caution to your conclusion that the leaders are not concerned at all - whether that is the DRE, the pastor, or whoever. I wonder if they feel as helpless as you do. The number of children who require special prep will always fall below the children in the standard programs, and therefore is a quantitatively smaller need. Not that these children are personally less in any way. But just that leaders feel the same helplessness that you do.

I have known and been close friends with DRE's all over the place - one is Godfather to two of our children. I also have so many priest friends who share the challenges of addressing the youth of today. There is so much they want to do, but are often stymied by what is available to use even for the standard kids. When I was reviewing materials to help with the Catholic supplement, most of the time I felt as you did about the Loyola materials - ranging from sad to angry that this is the dribble that kids are given.

We have never had our kids in PRE (parish religious education) because of that. We have always done our own Sacrament prep, usually returning to faithful parishes for the celebration of their first Sacraments when we lived in not-so-faithful dioceses. It is really sad, but it is a crisis of the Church at large, and one that has no quick fix.

So I commend you for the task you have identified, and I pray that it will bear fruit, as I do for all of our efforts.

AMDG,
Sarah

[Anita]

Re: Catholic Studies Supplement --- time frame?

Anita,
I was informed and inspired by your post, and I agree with you completely that the lack of good Catechetical resources for special needs children is high. It truly makes a difference in the lives your these children.

But I would like to offer a caution to your conclusion that the leaders are not concerned at all - whether that is the DRE, the pastor, or whoever. I wonder if they feel as helpless as you do. The number of children who require special prep will always fall below the children in the standard programs, and therefore is a quantitatively smaller need. Not that these children are personally less in any way. But just that leaders feel the same helplessness that you do.

I have known and been close friends with DRE's all over the place - one is Godfather to two of our children. I also have so many priest friends who share the challenges of addressing the youth of today. There is so much they want to do, but are often stymied by what is available to use even for the standard kids. When I was reviewing materials to help with the Catholic supplement, most of the time I felt as you did about the Loyola materials - ranging from sad to angry that this is the dribble that kids are given.

We have never had our kids in PRE (parish religious education) because of that. We have always done our own Sacrament prep, usually returning to faithful parishes for the celebration of their first Sacraments when we lived in not-so-faithful dioceses. It is really sad, but it is a crisis of the Church at large, and one that has no quick fix.

So I commend you for the task you have identified, and I pray that it will bear fruit, as I do for all of our efforts.

AMDG,
Sarah

Of course DREs and priests care -- I said as much in the last thread. I'm not condemning anyone. And I hope I didn't give the impression that I was. Parents, clergy and DREs have a huge task educating typical children in the Faith -- add in special needs and the mix gets even harder to handle. But, to your point, with so few quality resources for even typical children, and almost none for special needs kids, most families and staff involved have no idea where to start when asked to help catechize a child with special needs. Which is why MP would make a great addition to the catechetical field in developing this supplement for regular AND SC users -- it would be a benefit to families across the board. On that, you and I wholeheartedly agree.

We are, unfortunately, in a situation where the size of our parish and the way it is supported are incompatible with special needs children. That's just a fact. Our parish would never use anything like the Loyola materials; were our children "typical" I have no doubt they would be getting a solid catechesis from our parish educators. In order to help anyone following along understand a little better, I offer a personal account -- not to whine, grouse, or point fingers at anyone, but to highlight the issue a little better.

In numerous conversations with clergy and religious education leadership, no effort has been made (or even suggested) for the parish to make any resources available to further our special needs children's religious education. Our pastor has outright said, "No," to allowing Winston to even try to learn First Reconciliation, even though he has never had a conversation with my son or spent more than a minute or two with him.

The teacher for Religious Ed kindergarten will not allow us in her classroom, despite my sitting with both my older children and helping them through the entire class. We were allowed in about three classes last year. My kids were not disruptive, harmful, or disrespectful. They sometimes had a hard time understanding what was going on or following directions and they vocalized that through questions or observations to me. My son also got up to touch something across the room because he thought that's what he was being asked to do (I gently guided him back to his seat). But after that, we were asked not to return to class. I was told in no uncertain terms that we could not attend. *Scouts honor*. That's all it was.

I never complained to the pastor, I never said anything to anyone in the parish. I didn't return to class and quietly continued our home catechesis. I also went out of my way to smile and greet the kindergarten teacher every time I saw her at Mass. But when I spoke with our pastor a few months ago about continuing options for the children's catechesis within the parish, he again said, "No," and wished me luck. (I was reminded that St Bernadette didn't receive Holy Communion until she was 13, something that didn't address my concerns at all, honestly.)

No one has once said to me, "We know how hard this must be. What can we do as a parish to help? How can we make your family feel more comfortable or included?" (Because special needs families are always worried that they are bothering the parish when their children even squeak at Mass -- we got our share of dirty looks and comments when we started attending our current parish; no, not making that up.) No one has said, "What are your children's strengths? What are their challenges? Do you need prayer?" Or even, "This is beyond our scope of expertise, but here are some resources for guidance and comfort. Please keep us posted as to how you are doing and how you are adjusting to worship and community here."

Faced with such an experience, the conclusion is not a hard one. I'm not angry -- I get it. People are imperfect -- even clergy. And they likely mean well or simply do not know how to help or how hard it is to be in our situation. So, again, I'm not condemning anyone. But if I can help make things better for other families, I will. No one should have to carry the double burden of rearing children with special needs and feel marginalized for it. That's just wrong.

In a perfect world, people would reach out to one another, help one another and offer emotional support when practical support is beyond their abilities. But I'm under no illusion that we live in such a world! So in the meantime, a supplement would be a useful asset. It would also, likely, help another family who finds themself in a similar situation.

I'm passionate about this. Which is why I might sound confrontational. I'm not. I've just seen too many families suffer needlessly over this issue. It's not right. I'm not always a fan of the USCCB (another imperfect body of people, just like me!) but they got their declaration on the dignity of people with disabilities right, and they were clear about the Church's obligation -- especially on the parish level -- to help them: http://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-tea...sabilities.pdf

Almost 40 years after this proclamation, however, not much has changed. I want to do my part to change it, however small, with humility, charity and courage. The best way to do that is to rear my own children well; secondary to that is showing other families how to advocate for their own children and to help them feel welcome in the Heart of the Church.

Thank you for your kind words and support. Greatly appreciated. My best to you as well. You're quite the advocate on your own, my dear!

[jbflick3]

Re: Catholic Studies Supplement --- time frame?

Anita,

Thank you so much for sharing all this. I just started teaching catechism at my church this school year (as I mentioned in another thread where I was asking about using Christian Studies in Sunday school), and it looks like I'm going to be a co-leader for the whole program for the near future. I'm new to this, having only ever taught my own children, and want very much to reorganize the program according to some standards--which as far as I can tell, has not been yet done with any kind of consistency at this church up to now--but also make it very friendly and approachable for everyone. I really appreciate hearing your experience so that I can make sure I go out of my way to welcome every kind of student who comes our way. I did have one fifth-grade student in my class this year who clearly was a special needs student, but I could not figure out what her issues were, other than she had trouble paying attention and didn't seem to understand everything I said. Her parents mentioned nothing about it, and I tried to gently broach the subject by just casually asking how she did in school and did she ever have any learning issues there, but they would only mention some vision problems. I don't know whether they are in denial, or just didn't feel like discussing it, but they didn't seem shy about talking about their children at all, so I don't think it was reticence. In any case, I decided to just treat her like everyone else because I didn't know what else to do. I mean, what else would there be to do, other than sitting down with her one on one and explaining the lesson more slowly or in a different way? Should special needs students have their own catechism classes, or be with the rest but not required to do as much?