The Office of Education hosted an event for those who teach the faith, March 21 at the Cathedral of St. Catharine of Siena, Allentown.
Teachers from grade schools and high schools across the Diocese, along with DREs, homeschool parents, and catechists, were invited to the Cathedral for a day of intellectual development and learning.
Presented by the Sophia Institute for Teachers, the program, “Encountering God’s Love in the Sacraments,” provided nearly 50 educators with tools to make the Sacraments more accessible to students.
Attendees heard a talk by Jose Gonzalez, Senior Director of Professional Development for Sophia Institute for Teachers. Gonzalez, who has been working with Sophia Institute for Teachers since 2014, spoke on how teachers can bridge classical art and modern entertainment together to teach students about the Sacraments.
Drawing on his 10 years of experience as a high school teacher, Gonzalez provided participants with practical examples they could use in their classrooms. From using videos from “Toy Story” and “Star Wars” to putting sacred art side-by-side for comparison, the teachers were shown how each item could be used to illustrate the Sacraments and develop faith formation practices.
“George Lucas was probably not thinking, how can I connect this to the Catholic thing?” said Gonzalez. “I like saying anything that is true or beautiful is Catholic whether the artist intended it to be or not. So if you can find truth, meaning, and goodness in something … use it to make a point that speaks to your kids.”
The second talk of the day, “Encountering God in the Sacraments,” was presented by Father Thomas Dailey, an Oblate of St. Francis de Sales and John Cardinal Foley Chair of Homiletics at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary, Ambler.
Father Dailey encouraged those in attendance to understand how Jesus is present in the Eucharist. Through this, Father Dailey emphasized that God, while a mystery in one sense, also was present as a person.
“Back in the day, thousands of years ago, encountering God happened in person. Can you imagine?” he asked.
Father Dailey led a discussion about how the participants felt in Mass. He then reminded everyone that, no matter what happens or what people feel, four things always happen when Mass is celebrated: God comes, He dies, He rises, and He is with us.
“Regardless of the quality of the praise, the people, the church, the music … God is there. If we go into worship recognizing that, it’s going to change our experience.”
After Father Dailey’s talk and a brief break, the program reconvened for Gonzalez’s second talk titled “The Eucharist and the Passover.” Focusing on the prefigurements of the Eucharist in the Old Testament, Gonzalez drew parallels between the Jewish tradition of Passover and how it points directly to the Eucharist.
Mass, celebrated by Father Dailey, served as the spiritual center of the day. His homily echoed meeting Jesus in the Sacraments. “Every time we come to Mass, we are invited to be with the Lord,” he said.
In the final talk of the afternoon, Gonzalez guided participants through a reflection and exploration of the parable of the prodigal son. Using this as a cornerstone to his talk, Gonzalez focused on the importance of a relationship with God that is grounded in the Sacraments.
Through the Sacraments, especially Reconciliation, Gonzalez explained, students can build a friendship with God. Events like this formation day equip those who teach the faith with both the knowledge and practical tools needed to help others encounter Christ more deeply through the Sacraments.
Photos by Ed Koskey.
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