mission paths

Teachable Moments

New course gives undergraduate theology students a chance to teach the Catholic faith to young people.

By Francis Villalpando

This past fall, junior Rebecca Christian left the LMU campus every Sunday for class at St. John the Evangelist Church in Los Angeles. But she wasn’t going there to study; she had a class to teach.

Christian and nine other LMU students were enrolled in “Teaching Religion to Youth,” a new service-learning course in the Department of Theological Studies. The class was taught by Michael G. Lee, S.J., assistant professor of theological studies in the Bellarmine College of Liberal Arts. At St. John’s, Christian helped 21 teenagers with their Confirmation preparation. They talked about the sacraments and introductory concepts of the Catholic faith. Back on campus, the LMU students met with Lee to discuss theology, education philosophy and teaching methods.

“There is a certain kind of magic to be [seen in] college students, who can use modern language, gestures and expressions to identify and connect with younger religion students,” Lee explains.

Christian plans to be a screenwriter, but she enrolled in the course because she is committed to being a lifelong volunteer in religious education. She had never taught before, but she was able to create a setting in which her students felt at ease sharing their thoughts on ethics, sexuality and liturgy.

“Teenagers know more than we think,” Christian says. “The traditional way of running religious education programs needs to be more dynamic if we want to retain kids in the faith.”

Lee believes his course is an example of LMU’s commitment to the service of faith and promotion of justice, one of the university’s mission goals. He worked with staff members from the Center for Service and Action and Campus Ministry to identify churches where students could experience parish life in underserved communities. In addition to teaching at St. John’s, LMU students worked at St. Augustine Catholic Church in Culver City, Church of St. Mark in Venice and Visitation Catholic Church in Westchester. Not only did the students see firsthand one of the greatest challenges facing the Archdiocese of Los Angeles — its tremendous ethnic diversity — but they also discovered an opportunity to help change lives by participating in what Lee calls “teachable moments.”

“Students did this out of the goodness of their hearts,” Lee says. “Many of them will continue volunteering to see their students through the completion of their sacraments.”

Terri Palmer, who is the director of religious education, Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults and faith formation at St. Augustine’s, was in the process of implementing changes in the parish education programs when the LMU students arrived to help this past fall. “It was refreshing to have these LMU students come in,” Palmer says. “By sharing their faith and enthusiasm, they served as an example for our students to follow.”

Photo: Ten LMU students taught religion at nearby parishes this past fall as part of a theology class offered by Michael G. Lee, S.J. Among them were (back row) Rick Marrari ’09, Helen Alexander ’09, Matt Sablan ’09, (front row) Teresa Badel ’09, Brittany Ybarra ’10 and Rebecca Christian ’10. (Photo by Glenn Cratty)