|
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).
