Catechetical Plan: Understanding Amoris Laetitia

1. Topic 9-session program for adults (Summary of Chapter Five of Amoris Laetitia)

2. Intended Adult Audience

At Sacred Heart parish, we developed a program to help couples get more involved in the church. The program was based on the Liturgy on Sundays Eucharist and teachings from the Church about families.

3. Overall Plan

a. General goal for the program: The goal of the program is to explore Pope Franciss teaching on fruitful love via Chapter Five of Amoris Laetitia, and in so doing to help couples learn more about the Faith and how it affects their lives. The program involves meeting with a mentor couple who will take you to church on Sundays and discuss what was talked about during the service. It is hoped that this will help couples to figure out how to solve the difficulties and challenges of their family life, and live in harmony, with the help of what the Church teaches about being part of a family.

b. Number, time, and length of sessions: Adults and couples will attend this program of five meetings, which will last for two hours every Wednesday evening for one month. Each hour will be devoted to one session.

c. Location: Sacred Heart parish hall.

d. Collaborations: Two volunteers will be helping me prepare for the meeting. They will set up the tables with water, coffee, and snacks. During group sharing or discussion, they will help participants with materials and activities. At the end of the meeting, they will also help me clear away the tables and put up the chairs. They will also be part of the feedback process, as we discuss participants and speakers.

e. Adult learning principles to incorporate: The couples should attend every meeting and listen to what is being said. They should also share their thoughts and ask questions. If the couples are parents, they will be encouraged to bring their children as well. I will present a Power Point presentation of Chapter 5 of Amoris Laetitia along with handouts and a video clip so as to help the adults. Adults tend to be self-starting, self-sufficient learners in general and typically like to be given material that they can review on their own.[footnoteRef:2] Thus, material will be available for them to review on their ownincluding the printed out copy of Chapter 5 of Amoris Laetitia and a printed out copy of my Power Point presentation. [2: Forrest III, Stephen Paul, and Tim O. Peterson. "It's called andragogy."Academy of management learning & education5, no. 1 (2006): 113-122; Hase, Stewart, and Chris Kenyon. "From andragogy to heutagogy."UltiBASE In-Site(2000)]

4. Program Outline:

Session 1: chapter one: In the Light of the Wordgoal is to see the Word in the teachings of the Church and Amoris Laetitia.

Session 2: chapter two: The experiences and challenges of familygoal is to recognize that family life is difficult but rewarding.

Session 3: chapter three: Looking to Jesus: The vocation of the familygoals is to understand why God gives us families.

Session 4: chapter four: Love In Marriagegoal is to see what is meant by fruitful and responsible love in marriage between spouses.

Session 5: chapter five: Love made fruitfulgoal is to see what is meant by fruitful love in children.

Session 6: chapter six: Some pastoral perspectivesgoal is to see what the Church gives in the way of guidance on family life.

Session 7: chapter seven: Towards a better education of childrengoal is to see what is meant by education of children in the Faith.

Session 8: chapter eight: Accompanying discerning and interesting weaknessgoal is to see where we can strengthen our bonds.

Session 9: chapter nine: The Spirituality of Marriage and the familygoal is to review and understand the spiritual teachings on marriage and the family.

Outcomes: to identify, validate, and accept the challenge of being part of a family, to use the teachings of the Church and Pope Francis in particular to engage with that challenge in a positive and meaningful way, and to help families participate in the Word of God at their own homes.

5. Session Plan: Session 5chapter 5: Love Made Fruitful

a. Goal: to help couples learn more about the Faith and how it affects their lives, and in particular what is meant by fruitful love, i.e., how love begets children.

b. Outcome: to identify, validate, and accept the challenge of being part of a family, to use the teachings of the Church and Pope Francis in particular to engage with that challenge in a positive and meaningful way, and to help families participate in the Word of God at their own homes.

c. Theology: To use the teaching of Pope Francis in Amoris Laetitia

Scripture: Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the wayof sinners, nor sit in company with scoffers.Rather, the law of the LORD*is his joy; and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted near streams of water, that yields its fruit in season; Its leaves never wither; whatever he does prospers. . (Psalm 1:1-3).[footnoteRef:3] [3: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/1]

i. Lord, may our delight be in YOU, may we meditate on Your law day and night. When we do so, our marriage and our family will be like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields FRUIT in its season and whose leaf does not wither.

ii. God tells us that when we draw near to Him or include Him in our lives, we will have good fruit; and this is especially true in marriage, for where God is families are sure to grow.[footnoteRef:4] [4: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/1]

d. Learning environment: parish hall

e. Prayers environment: Welcoming and focused; begins with a prayer to the Eternal Father, to the Mother of God and to the Holy Spirit for illumination.

6. Detailed Session outline

a. Gathering, welcome

a. As couples arrive, I will invite them to be seated and when the time begins, we will make the sign of the cross, say the Our Father, Hail Mary, and Come Holy Spirit prayers. For those who dont know them there will be holy cards available for reading them. Following this, I will give a handout outline of what we will cover in the session.

b. Opening prayer

a. Our Father

b. Hail Mary

c. Come Holy Spirit

c. Life to Faith to...…are perceived as bothersome or a threat. Such isolation, however, cannot offer greater peace or happiness; rather, it straitens the heart of a family and makes its life all the more narrow (AL 187).

Video

The name of the video is This Catholic Family Is an Inspiration and it shows a Catholic family where the parents teach the Faith to the children. With this video, I can emphasize the importance of parents passing on the teachings of the Church to their children.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_jEwoi9RCs

Integration activity

Following the video, I will break the participants into small groups so that they can reflect on what they saw. The goal here is for them to be able to share experiences with one another, and as they share, I will be able to connect these experiences and memories to the doctrines that we covered in the session.

Even in the digital age, there are still many benefits to sharing experiences and memories with others in person. Families can bond over shared stories and laughter, and children can learn about their heritage and family history. However, organizing these types of events can be challenging, especially for larger families, so it is helpful that we go over this together in a session so that we do have that opportunity to open up and explore and refresh.

Of course one way to make it easier is to create a "memory book" that everyone can contribute to. This can be a physical book that everyone writes in, or it can be an online document that everyone has access to. Family members can add photos, stories, and other memories as they occur, making it easy to keep track of everyone's experiences. By taking the time to share experiences and memories with others, families can create lasting bonds that will be treasured for years to come.

This memory book will actually be a collective book for the whole of the sessions, and everyone can contribute to it so that we all learn to see that we are the Body of Christ and one big family in reality.

Participant take-away

I will say to the participants: I am the way and the truth and the life. (Lk 14, 6) and then invite participants to share how Christ is present in their lives. The big take-away is that participants feel that they are part of the Body of Christ, and that their families are gifts from God to them.

d. Closing prayer

a. Our Father

b. Hail Mary

c. Glory Be

e. Evaluation of the session by the presenters

a. When evaluating a presentation session, it is important to consider the overall quality of the presentation as well as the speaker's delivery. In terms of quality, you should assess whether the material was well-organized and appropriate for the audience. Was the information engaging and presented in an accessible way? In terms of delivery, you should assess the speaker's ability to engage with the audience and present the material in an engaging way. Did they use appropriate body language and vocal variety? Were they able to answer questions confidently? Overall, a good presentation should be well-organized, relevant, engaging, and delivered in a confident and engaging manner. By considering all of these factors, you will…