Catechesis and education as a function of building the Church according to Fr. Franciszek Blachnicki (On the centenary of the birth of the great educator)

For Fr. Franciszek Blachnicki, the catechesis was in close relationship with the Church. The most appropriate place for the catechesis as the fundamental formation of Christians (adults, youth and children) is in the Church which is both the subject, goal and object of catechesis. Fr. Franciszek Blachnicki drew the concepts of the Church from studies by German-speaking authors, and above all from documents of the Second Vatican Council. For him, the Church was an intermediary of salvation, a universal sacrament of salvation, a mother, a temple of God, and most of all, a union of God's people, a community in Christ, a community of faith, hope and love. The task of catechesis is, in the first place, the introduction and experience of the Church. The nature of catechesis stems from the concept of the Church. Therefore, if the Church is a community, the aim of catechesis is to introduce it to the faithful so that they may not only participate in it, but above all create it. It is also important that catechesis serves the process of Christian initiation, discovering the Church as a place of fulfilling the mystery of life, salvation and healing. Therefore, Fr. Blachnicki put a strong emphasis on the relationship between the liturgy and catechesis, because the most complete process of initiation takes place in the liturgy. Another task of catechesis is its function of awakening and developing faith. For faith is the foundation for the Church and the primary goal for catechesis. It is to be both personalistic and social in nature. Father Blachnicki claimed that cathechesis educated faith was not an individual faith but the faith of the Church. Many Christians, even including those most zealous, live their Christian lives alongside the life of the Church, but not in the Church. In the meantime, every Christian is the Church, because the Church is the whole Christ, the head and members, and we are its members. For that reason, the life of the Church grows in so far as the life of faith of each member grows.

The Role of the Altar and Tabernacle in the Catholic Church Interior in the Light of Post-conciliar Recommendations and Architectural Arrangement of the Church Interior

The article defines the role of the altar and tabernacle in the contemporary architectural sacred interior treated as domus ecclesiae, designed to fulfill liturgical functions in accordance with the post-conciliar renewal of Vatican II. The article takes into account the problem of celebrating Holy Mass. by the celebrant with his back to the tabernacle located centrally behind the post-conciliar altar. With reference to the irreversibility of the liturgical renewal, apart from the ordinary form of the Roman rite, the existence of the extraordinary (Tridentine) form of this rite, also accepted by Vatican II, is taken into account. By presenting the presence of the post-conciliar altar brought closer to the zone of the faithful, the meaning of the Code of Canon Law is defined. The article, defining the irreversibility of the liturgical renewal, presents the location of the tabernacle separated from the altar, built architecturally in the nave or chapel of the church. At the same time, the aesthetic beauty of the liturgical interior furnishings is determined, when all this exists in accordance with the post-conciliar ordinances and serves to build a community of faith.

Experiencing Religion

At each of Graham’s revival meetings a modern, lived, and transnational community of faith formed, connecting believers to past and future crusades. By following the audience to the meetings themselves, this chapter shows how they experienced the “modern” faith that had featured prominently in the contemporary religious debates discussed in Chapter 1. In the complex interplay between the sacred and the profane in the meetings’ orchestration, this faith became tangible. At the revival meetings, relationships formed within the audiences, and through practices such as singing and praying participants contributed to the charging of the spiritual atmosphere that finally climaxed in the altar call. Several aspects of the revival meetings—the presence of international guests, the awareness of prayers being said around the world for those in attendance, and the translation and accessibility of conversation narratives—enhanced the feeling in audiences that they were part of the transnational community of Billy Graham’s followers.

Christian Holiness and the Sacredness of the New Testament

Because of their intense focus on both the earthly and transcendent figure of Jesus as viewed by Christian faith, the New Testament books have a “sacred” character for the community of faith. But like any other proclamation or preaching, these New Testament portrayals of Jesus are not abstract or speculative. The purpose of their proclamation is to compel the recipients of their words to respond to what they hear, to transform their lives, and to discover the path to individual and communal holiness. The goal of this chapter is not to present a full study of New Testament ethics, but to offer enough examples, especially from the Four Gospels and Paul’s writings, to demonstrate that the books of the New Testament anticipate that the Christian readers will discover within these texts guidance on how to live a life of holiness, both individually and as a Christian community.

Modeling Black Piety and Community Membership in the Virgin of Altagracia Medallions

In the third quarter of the eighteenth century, Santo Domingo archbishop Isidoro Rodríguez Lorenzo (s. 1767–1788) issued a decree officializing the day of the cult for the Virgin of Altagracia as January 21 and made it a feast of three crosses for the villa of Salvaleón de Higüey and its jurisdiction, meaning all races (free and enslaved) were allowed to join the celebrations in church. Unrelated to the issuance of this decree and approximately during this time (c. 1760–1778), a series of painted panels depicting miracles performed by the Virgin of Altagracia was produced for her sanctuary of San Dionisio in Higüey, in all likelihood commissioned by a close succession of parish priests to the maestro painter Diego José Hilaris Holt. Painted in the coarse style of popular votive panels, they gave the cult a unifying core foundation of miracles. This essay discusses the significance of the black bodies pictured in four of the panels within the project’s implicit effort to institutionalize the regional cult and vis-à-vis the archbishop’s encouragement of non-segregated celebrations for her feast day. As January 21 was associated with a renowned Spanish creole battle against the French, this essay locates these black bodies within the cult’s newfound patriotic charisma. I examine the process by which people of color were incorporated into this community of faith as part of a two-step ritual that involved seeing images while performing difference. Through contrapuntal analysis of the archbishop’s decree, I argue the images helped model black piety and community membership within a hierarchical socioracial order.

Why Hong Kong millennial Christians switch from Chinese local churches to international churches: A qualitative study

In the past few years, there has been an observable phenomenon of Hong Kong millennial Christians moving from Chinese-speaking local churches to English-speaking international churches. To understand the reasons behind the movement, 30 Hong Kong millennial Christians who moved from local churches to international churches were interviewed in this study in four focus groups. Reasons for their movement include: local churches feel like formal education, churches emphasize works over grace, and churches are out of touch and irrelevant from the needs and struggles of millennials’ everyday lives. The international churches are more welcomed by Hong Kong millennial Christians as they have more to offer, including vulnerable leadership, approachable worship style, and a stronger sense of community. The results indicate the faith experience and challenges faced by Hong Kong millennial Christians in the postmodern culture, especially in the unique context of Hong Kong where Eastern culture meets Western. The research suggests a set of recommendations for churches wishing to attract and retain millennials, including the importance for churches to understand their congregants, be prepared for changes, be open to embrace and build an authentic genuine community of faith, and to own a clearly articulated vision. These will be truly helpful in cultivating the spiritual growth of our younger generations to find their place in these millennial-friendly churches.

Pneumatological Ecclesiology and Its Relationship with Permanent Ecclesiogenesis. Selected Aspects.

The Christological-pneumatological character of post-conciliar ecclesiology, which appreciates the personal-communal (relational), as well as historico-redemptive and eschatological character of the Church, and restores institutional-social dimension of the Church to its proper place in ecclesiology, opens the possibility of extending the traditional approach to the establishment of the Church as a historico-redemptive set of Christ’s actions. Deepened theological reflection on the pneumatological-personal (communio) character of the Church allows us to speak of its permanent personal-pneumahagic process of constant birth in the baptized ones and in the community of faith. Constant presence and influence of the Spirit in the community of the Church and its activities include its offices, evangelizing mission and means of sanctification, but also various gifts (charisms) of the Holy Spirit, as well as development or renewal of the faith life of individual Christians and the community. Aspects of permanent ecclesiogenesis can vary in intensity and form, but they all derive from the influence of the Spirit sent by Christ to His disciples, and are based on the personal, communal, event-oriented (historical) and processual character of faith as communio with Christ and brothers. The forms of permanent ecclesiogenesis can be seen in eschatological Church-directing tension dynamism between ‘already’ and ‘not yet’ of the Kingdom of God, in event-donative nature of faith as a communion with Jesus and its processual character, in life-giving character and fruitfulness of faith, in generating new ecclesial realities, clearly beyond human possibilities, in moving towards the missionary future, theological openness, and universality of the Church.

A Place of Belonging: Including Individuals With Significant Disabilities in Faith Communities

Faith is central to the flourishing of so many children and adults with significant disabilities and their families. For congregations striving to be a place of inclusion and belonging for their entire community, the theological call to welcome people with disabilities can introduce a host of questions: What does it mean to be a community marked by belonging? What strategies and supports should we adopt to include people well? How can others assist us in this essential endeavor? This article presents a framework for reflecting on the practices and commitments of local congregations that contribute to belonging within a community of faith.