NZ Catholic Education Convention 2018: Shoulder My Yoke and learn from me: Catholic Education and the Art of Accompaniment

Shoulder My Yoke and learn from me: Catholic Education and the Art of Accompaniment

David Wells, director of Adult Formation and Youth Ministry, Diocese of Plymouth

“ The spoonfool of honey” – take aways from this convention

Why Now?

Life wasn’t meant to be loved on our own. Accompaniment – pastroal approach of Pope Francis.

“ We need a healthy dose of self-criticism” (Pope Francis) – it could be better than this.

“Healthy dose of self-deception” (photo)

Beware of Idealisation  - Be Careful - It’s too perfect

“Excessive Idealization...has not helped to make vocatin more desireable and attracive, but quite the opposite” Pope Francis

The world thinks – that we think...that those of us who go to church are better than them (even though we don’t think that) – means to them, that those who go to church are good.

I’m not here because I am holier than you, better than you – I am here because I love it. Someone gave me the opportunity to be here.

If we are a church that’s too tidy, people will feel uncomfortable.

Be careful what you think holiness looks like.

Catholic teaching is a station of Maps (photo) – people don’t live in a map, they live in confusion,etc. This pope is asking us to draw on one and keep our feet in the other.

Catholic schools don’t expect perfect children on perfect parents.

Families are not a problem – they are the opportunity.

1.    You are not alone

Teach with me, not about me – we are going to do this together. There is no education outside f God = accompaniment

“To teach means not only to impart what we know, bu to impart what we know, reveal who we are by living what we believe”

(Yoke picture – 1st century is a two person yoke) – photos – we were not born to do this journey on our own.

Accompaniment – “we begin by creating a sense of belonging for thise who feel excluded”

Lighten up! It’s Church! You are going to heaven – not by your own virtue, but by the one who came before and paid the price.

If our teaching becomes anxious – the meaning of or teaching is lost anyway.

Walk with people – you are only accompanying them to the next step, not to the end game.

Our school built to take a child into adulthood, take the next step in the journey – stop beating self up if they don’t reach fulfilment when you have them.

Stop bringing best behaviour to church – that’s why we have the penetential rite – to think about when we’ve stuffed up.

Friday night meets Sunday morning (photo) – british TV series with glamour girls spends time with nuns – the programme doesn’t turn out as expected. Because the women got accompanimaent, they start to fall in love...

2.      The women in the order lighten up, and become less sries

3.      The glamorous women start to loose their make-up

We are there to be the great virtues of our faith beside our young people, and we will get there. In our hands it will be alright.

·        Be hopeful every time you look at a child

·        Avoid judgment and don’t tidy up too much

Faith – has us running into our liife

Love – running in to accompany others

Hope – brings us home safely

We are good news to others. We could be for the catholic church what the All Blacks are for rugby!

Keep going to meetings – don’t replace your enthusiasm with your own cynicism.

Ours is a noble, sacred task – we give life to people.

·        Days we doubted self

·        Days – rude letters from parents

·        Days when read the headlines

This is a noble professional – thank you for choosing it!