Passing on the faith is a pastoral priority in the majority of parishes and Christian communities in European countries. A crisis is strongly felt in this process of passing on the Christian heritage to the next generation. Biblical stories tell us about the beginning of a religious tradition which used the contemporary cultural background to communicate its message. Multiple changes in the postmodern society, on one hand, deepen the crisis of passing on the faith and, on the other hand, render a better communication possible. The better communication is visible on the side of the agents and listeners, and in the content as well. The process of passing on the faith has important features, in which laymen can make their own contribution to the depth and vitality of the message. Particular attention is paid to family, school, Christian communities and parish. Along with these places, one should also pay attention to means such as catechesis, liturgy, popular devotion and mass media, which seem to be the best ones suited for the objective. In spite of numerous and serious difficulties which we encounter in the process of handing over our faith, the Church will find the key to the new revival of its mission at the feet of its Lord and Master.
In the western catholic church of the sixth century we can observe some crucial changes in attitude to the pastoral care of the previous centuries. The Catechumenal way of Christian formation practically disappeared. A ritual catechumenate as a direct preparation for baptism emerged instead. Mainly children were baptized in the 6th century. The preaching became a general catechesis directed towards the formal teaching of frequently half-converted Christians as exemplified by Cesarius of Arles or the admonitions Gregory the Great. The local church was dependent upon the social support of the German sovereigns. Gregory the Great developed St. Augustines thesis of social classes and created specific class division, ie. preacher (suzerain), friar and spouses (laity). On this basis the established early feudal structure consisted of preachers (ruling), friars and spouses (laity). In the 6th century parishes depended on local secular authorities. The Concordat of Worms in 1222 brought to an end this political intrusion upon local parishes. Peasant farmers (colons) and „servi glebae” made up the larger part of parish worshippers in the 6th century. The pastoral care was concentrated on a liturgical celebration and the preaching of a moralizing catechesis. During this time the veneration of local saints became widely established. The plague of alcoholism and those still existing local pagan cults also constituted important tasks. From this time up to the Vaticanum Secundum, there disappeared the holding sacred of all the baptized by the power of the confessed faith and the baptism. It seems that in the 6th century the sacramental, dogmatic and pastoral essence of the Church slowly faded. Only the second half of the 20th century finally brought the solution to this long-lasting crisis.
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The article informs about the principles of the curriculum didactical theory. This theory is based upon a gradual and elaborate formulation of aims. These aims come out of the needs of a developing human being, then they come out of the needs of the developing society and finally out of the logic of the subject area which appears in the background of the particular subject. It shows the consequences, which this theory has on the conception of the curriculum of religious education with regards to needs of the society (the development of attitudes and personal responsibility) and with respect to the natural relation of the developing personal relationship to the pupil's faith (the way from 1st to 2nd naivety). Basing upon its arguments the authoress differentiates the process of religious education done by teaching this subject in state schools from the process of catechesis activities done by the Church.
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The article deals with the history of the catechesis of the Roman Catholic Church in Moravia in the historical context of the Church and of the political, social and cultural transformations of the Czech nation in the period of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy. The catechesis was aimed at children and young people and realized in the school environment. In the school system the catechesis delivered in the traditional style, coming from the Enlightenment, persisted, according to which religion was looked upon and taught as an aggregate of doctrine which can be learned by heart (such as multiplication tables) and a set of duties towards God and the Church. This concept led to a perception that took deep roots: with the end of the compulsory school attendance the obligatory participation in the divine services and the sacramental life in general ended up as well.
It would appear that the whole Catholic educational project faces an important decision regarding its future development. Decades of support for the vulgarised Rahnerian anthropological vision is now serving as a conduit for the Re-contextualisation perspectives of Boeve and his collaborators, and a parallel effort to re-define the meaning of a successful Catholic educational enterprise. Despite the clear findings of contemporary educational research of eminent and respected theorists such as Hattie, Sweller, Kirschner, Clarke and Lillard (all of whom support a narrowing of the field of study of novice learners), determined efforts are still being made in the field of catechesis to emphasise the symbolic over concrete real; a disparagement of content in favour of process. This continues to find its most damaging application in the denigration of a permanently valid and divinely revealed Deposit of Faith (admittedly, one which continues to be subject to ever deepening understanding). Contemporary students are encouraged to exchange this patrimony for a brave new world of moral and intellectual autonomy, whereby they are encouraged to opt for their own inexpertly constructed, personally validated version of reality, made in their own image and according to their own taste. It can be argued, of course, that such a worldview is neither brave nor new. Students are merely being asked to situate themselves outside the hermeneutic circle of the Catholic faith, and told that they should make up their own minds regarding what they will accept – all based on their own independent inquiries. Catholic schools now face the choice of grounding themselves in an effective epistemology, supported now both by the traditions of the Church and the findings of modern educational research, which is capable of mediating the Christian message with clarity. Further work needs to be done to articulate the practical implications of such a desirable prospect. Alternatively, Catholic schools may choose to adopt a Recontexualising trajectory and widen the gulf between themselves and their traditional roots still further.
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The author suggests an application of Wittgenstein's (1889-1951) theory of language games in catechesis. Catechesis should be more embracing of rules of Christian thinking and action than learning of propositions. Following Wittgenstein's thoughts, D. Z. Phillips (b. 1934) presents such rules in the perspective of philosophy of religion and G. A. Lindbeck (b. 1923) in the field of dogma. Lindbeck demonstrates that this approach is in coincidence with ancient Church catechesis, which was more an introduction to Christian life than a theoretical lecture. Religious education can be compared with the learning of a foreign language. The goal of such education is a skilled speaker (Christian) who is able to distinguish what is possible in a particular language (in Christianity). He/she does not simply repeat sentences or behaviors but he/she is able to create new ones. Lindbeck argues especially against a liberal catechesis. The author of this paper nevertheless rejects the opinion that Lindbeck accepts Wittgensteinian fideism that is contradictory to Christianity.
The author discusses the main catechetical tasks relevant to the motto of the recent pastoral year ‘To be the salt of the earth’ They relate to natural func-tions of salt, as preserving, making fertile and adding taste to food. To preserve means to store and to guard the heritage of Christianity and the truth, which is emphasized in the teachings by John Paul II and Benedict XVI. To make things fertile leads to the building of the foundations of the faith. The author has stresses that one of the drawbacks of today’s religious instruction is lack of the existential element of the message of salvation. Teaching religion today is more doctrinal than existential. A schoolchild today wants to know the purpose of his education and know to what extent it is benei cial for life. Adding taste means discovering the richness and beauty of the faith which can take place only in its natural environment, which is a parish community. That is why the author supports the idea of parish religious instruction.
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The paper deals with the problem of catechesis in contemporary secularized society with respect to Czech conditions, where the view of religion and Church is often very strongly distorted. This reflection is based on the method of a famous 19th century personality, Don Bosco, who perfectly united supernatural with natural, divine with human. His work is considered to be an inspiration for the education of young people nowadays and for the dialogue between the Church and modern society. Catechesis as a presentation of Christian ideals in an attractive and addressing way, or the effort to call a reaction on the Gospel, is the everlasting need.
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