Catechism and Character Formation

Catechism and Character Formation:

Little ones begin to cultivate a strong work ethic as soon as they are able. It seems that the lower in the birth order they are the sooner they are asking for chores to do. They see the older kids working, and must be able to recognize the good in it, even when the older kids have momentarily forgotten its benefits.

They learn to pray starting at the meal table, thanking God for the food, praying for the poor souls in purgatory, and Our Lady's Rosary after dinner. They are required to eat whatever has been prepared for them, which provides frequent opportunities to mortify their appetites, and fortify the virtue of obedience. Lucky for them mommy's cooking's not too bad.

Through weekly participation at the Traditional Latin Mass, as well as being shielded from any sight of irreverence towards God's house and the Blessed Sacrament, they learn piety, and fear of the Lord--fear of offending such a loving and generous creator. Attendance at the Traditional Latin Mass has also prepared them for the study of Latin in the upper grades. They are taught the prayers of the Rosary, Grace Before Meals, and liturgical hymns in Latin, too.

Their catechism comes primarily from Socratic discussions at the dinner table. But much, too, is learned from The Catholic Child's Treasure Box, Mary Fabean Windeatt's Lives of The Saints Series, The Vision Book Series, Know Your Mass, Leading the Little Ones to Mary, and the Catechism for Children. I've hung an over-the-door apparatus in their bathrooms in which I tuck old issues of Catholic Hearth, and books such as the Catechism in Examples, which is currently out of print. Perhaps Anecdotes and Examples for the Catechism is a good alternative.

In the older years they read all of the Fr. Laux 6 Book Course in Religion, and the books that accompany their history studies round out their overall catechesis. In highschool they study Following Christ in the World, from Seton, and Mere Christianity, by C.S. Lewis.