Author:
Gloria A. Kalbfleisch, Momentum
February/March
2005
|
|
| Tom
Cummings gives a presentation on STEP to members of the
Diocese of Marquette.
Loreene
Zeno Koskey Photo, Courtesy of the U.P. Catholic |
Parish
visits, online theology courses, ministry institute and support
for schools bring Gospel message to a scattered population
Big
and little, large and small, dense and opaque, the Upper Peninsula
of Michigan is the sum of it all. Ships coming into harbor at
the Presque Isle loading docks are long and massive, powerful
and mighty. They forge through the icy and unforgiving waters
of Lake Superior. The local Maritime Museum displays pictures
and artifacts telling tales of the hearty sailors who fought the
aquatic rage of these deep and icy waters.
All
one has to do is set out for a drive across the peninsula to appreciate
the immense forests that cover approximately three quarters of
the land mass, most of which is protected as national and state
forests. Water areas, now known as the Great Lakes, served as
passages for Native-American canoes. Jesuit missionaries arrived
during the mid 1600s, embracing the challenge of bringing the
Gospel message to the reservations of the Native-American tribes.
Many suffered and died as martyrs at the hands of those who did
not accept their message of salvation and redemption.
In
1853, the Holy See appointed Most Rev. Frederic Baraga to be the
first bishop of the newly created Diocese of Marquette. The people
and the peninsula captured the heart of this priest and he dedicated
years of his priesthood as a missionary to the people of the Upper
Peninsula. Stories tell of his heroic treks across the frozen
landscape, characteristic of the winter months, encompassing more
than 300 miles from the east at Sault Ste. Marie to the west at
Ironwood, on Wisconsin's border.
Diocesan Mission
The
Diocese of Marquette covers approximately 16,419 square miles.
A part of the Upper Peninsula is in the Eastern Time Zone and
the western part of the peninsula is in the Central Time Zone.
This is a challenge when planning for meetings and trips spanning
the immense forests during the winter snow season. We remain sensitive
to those who would find it necessary to rise by 4:30 a.m. CST
to arrive at an event scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. EST, logging
a three-hour drive to the location.
The
66 priests who attend to the faith formation and education, pastoral
and sacramental needs of 66,954 registered Catholics in 73 parishes
and 23 missions come from the United States, Africa and India.
"A Future Full of Hope, Planning in a Time of Challenge,"
a diocesan initiative, was begun to plan for 15 fewer priests
by 2010. A letter from the Most Rev. James H. Garland, bishop
of Marquette, to his people emphasized the urging of Pope John
Paul II, at the beginning of the third millennium, to "put
out into the deep for a catch." With these words of Jesus,
the pope called us to engage in an effort of pastoral planning.
And in doing so we should have gratitude for the past, enthusiasm
for living in the present and confidence in looking to the future.
Department
of Faith Formation and Education
The
Department of Faith Formation and Education approaches its ministry
and mission with a similar outlook and attitude as our predecessor
and first bishop. Intergenerational catechesis, restoring the
order of the sacraments of initiation, catechist certification,
youth ministry and leadership development, design and development
of the new Ecclesial Ministry Institute and the development of
parish ministers all comprise areas of concentration within the
Department of Faith Formation and Education.
Other
areas of immediate concern are evangelization and stewardship,
catechesis and youth ministry formation, as well as demonstrative
models addressing instructional practices in restoring the order
of the sacraments of initiation, concluding with whole-church
catechesis. This is a mouthful and a heart full. I acknowledge
the members of the department for the tireless efforts and enormous
energy that they bring to their work. As a team, we meet every
morning at 9:30 a.m. to go over schedules, needs lists, successes
and disappointments of the preceding day (or week). We pray, we
rely on the power of God and the movement of the Holy Spirit in
guiding our work, and we find Jesus Christ very much alive in
our midst.
By
accepting the challenge to go out to meet pastorally with the
people of this diocese, we commit to travel with snowshoes, snow
shovels and scrapers in the back of our SUVs. Toting emergency
provisions, extra blankets and apparel for unexpected and severe
weather, the seasonal obstacles are met with far more sophisticated
gear and provisions than those available to Bishop Baraga.
Recognizing
that isolation is imposed on people who experience great distances
between homes, churches, communities and the opportunity for social
and educational renewal, the focus of meeting folks where they
are is paramount. Giving them a place to interact, interface and
intermingle with like parish communities has become a priority
in the work of faith formation and education. It is imperative
that those involved in parish life be given the resources, instruction
and experiences necessary to grow personally and communally in
their Catholic faith and its traditions.
Come
With Me into the Fields
Most
recently, the initiative, "Come With Me into the Fields,"
offers a new paradigm for instruction in the diocese. The educational
and faith formation thrust is to bring a contemporary understanding
of the teachings of the church and its traditions. The parish
leadership and all involved in parish life are enriched and encouraged
by the planning of a day-long event that considers the needs of
those who work full time, have small children at home, or have
travel or other constraints that keep them from attending a day-long
session. The idea is to bring the program to the local parishes,
respond to their desires, provide materials and media information
on a CD as a resource and share a hot meal together, like a family.
Until we get out there and meet people, we cannot build personal
relationships.
The
September sessions were received with appreciation and bravado.
The invitation to return and continue this style of service has
been encouraged and supported by the parishes and communities
that we visited. Department members were scheduled to go into
the field again in January, responding to interest surveys, participant
input and requests for specific sessions in adult faith formation.
Ecclesial
Ministry Institute
In
fall 2004, the new Ecclesial Ministry Institute (EMI) was launched
to offer spiritual formation, scholarship and community to adult
members who have expressed a desire to learn more about their
faith and to prepare to serve the church and the diocese in parish
ministry. The EMI curriculum has a strong theological emphasis
and is designed to meet the future needs of the diocese.
An
overview of coursework offers church history, the conciliar and
post-conciliar documents of Vatican II, Christology, ecclesiology,
sacraments, moral theology, Old Testament, New Testament, Mary
in the church, and virtue ethics. The 15 students, who range in
age from their 20s to their 70s, meet one weekend a month to learn,
to study, to share writing assignments and to discuss articles
from Catholic periodicals. We attend Mass as a community during
the monthly weekend sessions, pray the Liturgy of the Hours and
enjoy quiet time for personal reflection. The EMI offers pre-diaconate
academic preparation for those discerning God's call to the diaconate.
With
an emphasis on the spiritual formation of lay ecclesial ministers,
three days of reflection and one retreat are planned annually
over the two years of formation. The students take their commitment
to the Diocese of Marquette seriously as they prepare for future
needs in parish life, administration, faith formation and education,
and pastoral care that will bring out the deep down, yet untapped,
talents of our future lay ecclesial ministers. These talents will
be much needed. While there were 66 priests in 2003, projections
for 2010 indicate 51 priests will be available to serve the 73
parishes and 23 missions in the diocese.
Theology
Online
Geographical
limitations, isolation and a sense of disconnectedness that comes
with the separation of miles between parishes, towns and households
are being bridged with the ability to access theology online with
the Satellite Theological Education Program (STEP)
offered by the University of Notre Dame. For residents in Rudyard,
Engadine, Sidnaw, Ewen, Watersmeet, or in the Copper Country and
the Keewena, distance learning is available to everyone who has
access to the Internet and is a registered parishioner in the
diocese.
This
offering is a response to the many people who have said, "I
just want to know more about my faith but I cannot travel to attend
a class; my work schedule does not allow for the time of the class
schedule; course affordability is a factor." All members
of the Diocese of Marquette who participate in open enrollment
or limited enrollment courses receive a 20 percent tuition discount
because of the diocesan investment and partnership with the Institute
for Church life at Notre Dame.
The
online courses will facilitate the training of those who have
discerned a specific role in parish ministry and positions in
leadership as a pastoral associate, youth minister, faith formation
coordinator, liturgist/musician or business administrator. We
are applying the national standards and competencies for certification
in ecclesial ministry as set forth by the United States Confer-
ence of Catholic Bishops.
Catholic
Schools
Catholic
identity, the spirituality of principals and teachers, student
recruitment and school marketing and the development of a Catholic
comprehensive teacher evaluation and supervision instrument all
have the attention of school leaders in the diocese.
A
copy of The Religious Dimension of Education in a Catholic
School (Sacred Congregation for Catholic Education, 1988)
was given to every principal and teacher in our 10 diocesan schools
at the annual educators' workshop in autumn 2003. The commitment
to provide a comprehensive Catholic formation experience to all
students continues to be the beacon to understanding what it means
to form a Catholic school environment with an emphasis on formation
and practice.
All diocesan principals meet monthly in Marquette with the superintendent
of schools. The day includes a three-hour learning and work session
under specific State of Michigan Department of Education guidelines,
which give professional-development credit for the work with which
we are involved. A member of the clergy joins us for prayer and
scriptural reflection during a 45 to 60 minute faith formation
and spirituality time. In October 2004, the first three-day Principal's
Retreat was held at Marygrove, the diocesan retreat center. The
principals decided unanimously that they would return to Marygrove
with their combined faculties. They want to offer this experience
to their teachers and staff as spiritual development.
Clergy,
parish leadership, parents, teachers and principals all had the
opportunity to attend a two-day workshop to learn strategies and
techniques to increase enrollment and promote their school in
the local community. They were given instruction in how to apply
professional marketing concepts and direction in how to use resources
and electronic media in the applications. The event was sponsored
by the Michigan Association of Non-Public Schools. All of the
diocesan schools were represented at the workshop and now have
formed committees that are involved in the marketing programs
at their individual sites.
An initiative to develop a comprehensive teacher evaluation and
supervision instrument began a few years ago among diocesan principals.
Some members of the original team remain, while new members bring
new inquiries, perspectives and emphasis on best practices desired
in a Catholic school teacher. Two areas of focus are Catholic
identity and technology, with its uses in both teaching and learning.
The text resource chosen is Principal Formation Program--A
Self-directed, Self-paced Discernment Process by William
J. Campbell, SM, Ed.D. (2002). The author joins in our work by
further extending the instrument with the development of a rubric.
We look forward to this collaboration with the author in working
with his material and facilitating the development of new applications
specific to our document.
Conclusion
Marquette
is a small mission diocese located in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan
where the economic base is defined by the mining, logging and
fishing industries. Tourism in this part of the country demands
a mastered skill base in survival and endurance. This is not an
area for the novice sports person. The elements are as challenging
as they are pleasing to behold. Three state prisons, at Kincheloe,
Baraga and Houghton, offer employment opportunities that bolster
the local economies. Three institutions of higher learning reside
in the Upper Peninsula: to the east, Lake Superior State University;
to the west, Michigan Technological University; and at the center
in Marquette, Northern Michigan University. Amidst all of the
geographical, topographical, meteorological and social challenges
is an ethos, a spirit, an enormous heartfelt camaraderie among
the inhabitants. The Spirit of the Living God has dwelled in our
Upper Peninsula since the beginning of time. Someone once said,
"When you seek a beautiful peninsula, look around you!"
References
Campbell,
W. J. (2002) Principal formation program-A self-directed,
self-paced discernment process. Washington, DC: National
Catholic Educational Association.
Sacred Congregation for Catholic Education. (1988). The Religious
Dimension of Education in a Catholic School. Vatican City.
Gloria
A. Kalbfleisch, M.Ed., is executive director of the department
of faith formation and education for the Diocese of Marquette,
Michigan. She is an NCEA Catechetical Scholar (2003-2004) and
a doctoral candidate in educational policy and leadership at Marquette
University
(gkalbfleisch@dioceseofmarquette.org).
