Prisms of Faith: Perspectives on Religious Education and the Cultivation of Catholic Identity

Robert E. Alvis · Ryan LaMothe

Dec 2015 · Wipf and Stock Publishers

About this ebook

In Prisms of Faith, a diverse and distinguished group of scholars approach the theme of religious education and Catholic identity from their respective disciplinary perspectives, offering compelling insights of interest to scholars, catechists, and the general reader alike. The first three chapters are more historical in nature, offering targeted studies that focus on the Apostolic Fathers as a resource in the formation of faithful Catholics, the preaching of St. Augustine, and religious education in modern Poland. The last four chapters have a more contemporary focus, approaching current initiatives and challenges in the formation of faithful Catholics. Issues under consideration include the rights and obligations enshrined in the 1983 Code of Canon Law, the catechetical dimension of liturgy, current obstacles and opportunities in the moral formation of Catholics, and a comparative analysis of three dominant approaches to Catholic religious education. Taken together, these seven chapters form a coherent whole, illustrating well the perennial importance of Catholic religious education, the various resources and methods employed in this work, and the stubborn challenges that effective formation entails.

About the author

Robert E. Alvis is associate professor of church history and academic dean at Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology. His publications include Religion and the Rise of Nationalism: A Profile of an East-Central European City (2005). Ryan LaMothe is professor of pastoral care and counseling at Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology. He has authored four books and more than 120 journal articles concerning psychoanalysis, pastoral theology, and pastoral counseling.