Joshua Bennett
The Catholic Church's struggle with inadequate catechesis has been well-documented in recent years, with polls showing that many Catholic adults do not believe in the Church's teachings. In response, some Catholic schools have implemented daily Mass, which has reportedly transformed the spiritual lives of students and the broader community. To address the issue of poor religious education, the Sophia Institute, a Catholic non-profit, has developed the ARK tool, which measures the effectiveness of religious education programs through surveys. These surveys, which cover various topics, including sacraments, liturgy, and morality, are taken by students, including Catholic 8th graders, to help schools identify gaps in their religious instruction. This has led to the creation of quizzes, such as Are you smarter than a Catholic 8th grader?, which aim to test an individual's knowledge of Catholic teachings and morals.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Purpose | To test knowledge of Catholic morals and teachings |
| Target Audience | People with the same level of knowledge as Catholic 8th graders |
| Topics Covered | Sacraments & Liturgy, The Creed & Salvation History, Morality, Prayer, Virtue, and Living Discipleship |
| Example Questions | What are the holy days of obligation in the US? What is sacramental? What is confession or penance? |
| Example Answers | Six holy days of obligation in the US; Sacred signs or objects instituted by the Church; One of the seven sacraments where Catholics confess their sins to a priest |
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Sacraments & Liturgy
The Catholic Church recognises seven sacraments, one of which is Reconciliation, also known as Confession or Penance. This involves a Catholic confessing their sins to a priest, who then provides absolution, meaning that the person's sins are forgiven by God through the priest. This is based on the belief in the power of Jesus to forgive sins through his apostles, as described in the New Testament. Confession is required by Church law at least once a year, although polls suggest that 35% of Catholics never go to confession.
Another sacrament is Confirmation, which Catholic 8th graders prepare for. After confirmation, Catholics are responsible for understanding, owning, and living the Catholic faith daily.
The Sacred Chrism oil is used in three sacraments: Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Orders.
Sacramentals are sacred signs or objects instituted by the Church to prepare people to receive the fruits of the sacraments and to sanctify different circumstances of their lives. Examples of sacramentals include rosaries, relics, medals, crucifixes, and scapulars.
The Catholic Church designates holy days of obligation in addition to Sundays, on which Catholics are required to attend Mass. These holy days are: The Feast of Mary, the Mother of God (1st January); Ascension Thursday (40 days after Easter); The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (15th August); All Saints' Day (1st November); The Feast of the Immaculate Conception (8th December); and Christmas Day (25th December).
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The Creed & Salvation History
The Apostles' Creed is a statement of Christian belief used by Western churches, including Catholic, Protestant, Lutheran, Anglican, Presbyterian, Methodist, Moravian, and Congregationalist denominations. The present form of the creed is similar to the baptismal creed used in Rome in the third and fourth centuries. It likely developed from the questions addressed to those seeking baptism.
The Apostles' Creed is trinitarian in structure, with sections affirming belief in God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The English translation of the creed asks the following questions:
> Do you believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth? Do you believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was born of the Virgin Mary, was crucified, died, and was buried, rose from the dead, and is now seated at the right hand of the Father? Do you believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting?
To each question, the catechumen, or, in the case of an infant, the parents and sponsors (godparents), answer "I do."
Salvation history is the story of God and mankind. It is the story of how God has loved and cherished mankind since the beginning of time, and how mankind has journeyed from Godly riches to rags and back again. It is the story of how we are saved—our redemption in Jesus Christ. Salvation history comes primarily from the Bible, which is a collection of stories with different literary genres, including poetry, prophecy, wisdom/proverbs, epistles (letters), and history.
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Morality
The Catholic Church's teachings on morality are based on the Laws of God and are considered absolute truths that cannot be bent or broken. These teachings are imparted to children through religious education programs in Catholic schools and parishes, with the goal of helping them understand and apply these teachings in their daily lives. One such teaching is that abortion is always wrong and a mortal sin, and that the morning-after pill is also immoral as it can cause an abortion.
Another central tenet of Catholic morality is the belief in the profound love, forgiveness, and healing power of God. This is reflected in the sacrament of Reconciliation, also known as Confession or Penance, which is considered essential to spiritual growth and the maintenance of a relationship with God. The Church also teaches that sin denies our relationship with God and goes against the design of the world. Mortal sins are those committed against God, such as apostasy, and require knowledge, willingness, and a serious nature to qualify as such.
The Church's teachings on morality extend beyond personal conduct to societal issues as well. For instance, the Church has a narrow definition of what constitutes a just war, believing that all war is a failure of God's commandment to love one another. Thus, for a war to be considered just, there must be a just cause, such as protecting against genocide or responding to an attack, and the response must be proportional, not constituting a greater evil.
The understanding and application of these moral teachings are considered essential for Catholic 8th graders, who are often preparing for the sacrament of Confirmation. This sacrament signifies their responsibility to understand, own, and live by the Catholic faith daily. The effectiveness of religious education in imparting this knowledge is assessed through tools like the ARK survey, which helps identify areas of improvement for schools and parishes.
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Prayer
Students in Catholic schools are taught about the importance of prayer and how to pray from a young age. For example, sixth graders learn about prayer in their religious education classes, and eighth graders preparing for their Confirmation are expected to have a good understanding of the Catholic faith and how to apply it to their daily lives.
> Dear Lord, We thank you for this new school day and everything it has to offer. We ask that you give us the strength and courage to do our daily tasks with a positive attitude and an eagerness to learn. Guide us through each lesson and help us understand complex topics that may come our way by giving us the grace we need to remember and retain the knowledge. As we come together from different backgrounds, please help us to respect each other’s differences and work as a team towards academic success. Give us patience and grace when we face challenges in class and equip us with the tools needed to find solutions. Let us be united no matter the situation and never fear being wrong in our answers.
Another example of a prayer that students might use to reflect on Bible passages about joy:
> Students look up Bible passages about joy and answer a question for each passage. They then write a prayer reflecting on what they learned from the Bible passages about joy.
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Virtue
The Catholic Church's teachings emphasise the profound love, forgiveness, and healing power of God. The Church's morals and teachings are essential aspects of the faith that Catholic 8th graders are expected to understand and apply in their daily lives.
One of the key virtues in Catholic doctrine is charity, which is considered a theological virtue. Temperance, on the other hand, is classified as one of the four cardinal virtues.
Sacramentals, such as rosaries, relics, medals, crucifixes, and scapulars, are sacred signs or objects that the Church uses to prepare individuals to receive the sacraments and sanctify their lives. These sacramentals are an integral part of the Catholic faith.
The seven sacraments recognised by the Catholic Church include Reconciliation (Confession or Penance), Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Orders. For example, in the sacrament of Reconciliation, Catholics confess their sins to a priest and receive absolution, believing that their sins are forgiven by God through the priest's ministry.
The Catholic Church also recognises the validity of the priesthood and the celebration of the seven sacraments in the Eastern Orthodox Church. However, deacons, who are considered clergy, are not permitted to celebrate Mass or hear confessions except in emergency situations when a priest is absent.
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Frequently asked questions
ARK tool.
Sacraments & Liturgy, The Creed & Salvation History, Morality, Prayer, Virtue, and Living Discipleship.
The Feast of Mary, the Mother of God (January 1st), Ascension Thursday (40 days after Easter), The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (August 15th), All Saints' Day (November 1st), The Feast of the Immaculate Conception (December 8th), and Christmas Day (December 25th).
Inadequate catechesis, for children and adults.
Confession or Penance.
