This past Monday, we gave an end-of-the-year assessment to our 8th graders that covers all of the basics of the Catholic faith: the Sacraments, the Ten Commandments, parts of the Mass, and so on. First, we spent the week before reviewing, especially the Ten Commandments, which far too many of the kids seemed fuzzy on. Then, we gave the assessment, and, I’m happy to report, they did very well on. There were a handful of perfect scores and most were only 1 or 2 items wrong. Only 3 students did below average (although still a “passing” grade). I’m happy to see that some things “took.”
During the review, I reminded the kids about the importance of knowing our faith. I told them that a class full of Muslim kids of their age would be learning Arabic and memorizing the Koran while a class full of Jewish kids of their age would be learning Hebrew and memorizing the Torah. I told them that in a few years, when they go to college and enter the work force, they will encounter people of many faiths and, unless they understand their own tradition, will feel lost. They seemed to respond well to that notion as it is very real. I know far too many young adult Catholics who resent not knowing how to talk about their faith because of a lack of solid formation in their childhood and youth. The best strategy for healthy ecumenical and interreligious dialogue is for Catholics to know their own faith well enough to be able to talk about it intelligently with those unfamiliar with it.