Reflections for 9/10/23

“Teacher of the Faith”

During the Baptismal Rite, my husband and I affirmed we were accepting the responsibility of raising our daughters in the faith and that it would be our “duty to bring [them] up to keep God’s commandments, as Christ taught us, by loving God and our neighbor.” But what does that really mean? 

As I grew up, my parents taught us to say grace and our bedtime prayers, they taught us the rosary, and modeled community service and service to the Church. While my parents were not my religious education teachers for formal catechesis, they were Catechists. My mother helped with costuming and supported the Nativity production I participated in. My parents chaperoned Youth Group Retreats and Lock-in’s. They supported and encouraged us when we became Altar Servers, Choir members, and Lectors and even started going to mass twice on Sundays so we could participate in the evening LifeTeen mass. In all of this, formally and informally, my parents supported my development and growth in the faith. 

Now as a parent, my husband and I have decided to model our faith through service. In our volunteerism to support the masses, the parish, and the pastorate. My husband is now a Catechist and I’ve become active with the Parish Council; we both are lectors, I am an Extraordinary Minister of the Eucharist, and at times we’re pinch hitters supporting the Ushers. And now, it’s a common occurrence to see not only my husband and I volunteering but also our oldest. She helps change the decor in the sanctuary with the liturgical seasons, she helps set up and clean up for mass, and you can find all of us supporting various events throughout the year. 

As our children return to the Religious Education school year, it is important for us to remember our responsibility to bring our children up in the faith. How we model and teach our faith is pivotal to how our children will experience our faith for the rest of their lives. – Ashley Letsche