[franky]

###"Now when do we have to bring her back to start classes for Confirmation?" Aaagh!"###

It is a case of blind leading the blind. I feel sorry for the kids as their parents are no more catechized than the children.

I taught CCD high schoolers, well after they made confirmation. This of course was back in the late 1950s early 1960s and there was some semblance of teaching at home and in the schools.

I also taught for 1 year a confirmation class in the mid 1970s and I received no Church material. I was left on my own but at least the Holy Spirit was with me to relay His truths to the kids. We even had a pizza party after the year was over.

What a difference in these generations.

[Tax-chick]

I taught 9th graders (pre-confirmation) about 3 years ago. I was amazed at how little they knew. They weren't even familiar with the Gospel stories (and most of them couldn't read worth a darn, either!)

However, they were teachable. They were fascinated by the church history material I brought in, how the early Church were literally killing one another over the definitions in the Nicene Creed, and the loved they modern persecution stories from Voice of the Martyrs (especially when we sat on the floor in the dark to read about it), and they participated in prayer exercises with enthusiasm.

Today's teenagers aren't a loss by any means, but they need teachers who are passionate about the Faith and materials with some blood-and-guts and life-and-death emphasis.