I am a product of twelve years of Parochial School education, so I really didn’t have much in the way of experience with CCD (which is what we called it back in the day). That all changed when I was in college and my mother became a catechist at our local parish. She asked if I could come in and help keep order in the classroom. She was having trouble with one particular student who was creating a discipline problem for her. Within just a few classes, the discipline problem was no longer an issue, and I was hooked. I helped my mom prepare lessons, and together we thought of ways we could get the students more engaged. More importantly, by the end of the year, this young 13 year old boy, who once was a source of chaos in the classroom, was now a model student. At our last class meeting, he brought me a handwritten note thanking me for being his catechist and telling me how, for the first time, he actually looked forward to going to CCD on Sunday mornings. My heart soared, and I continued teaching alongside my mom until I finished college.
Fast forward fifteen years, and I’m married with three children of my own, and we are living in a new town a thousand miles away from my family and friends. I’ve just quit my job after my husband and I decide we are tired of having other people raise our children. So, I’m a stay at home mom for the first time!
Still adjusting to my new role, I realize that summer had come and gone and I had failed to send in the kids’ registration forms for Religious Education. I would now need to hand deliver the forms to get the kids enrolled before the first class meeting. Our Director of Faith Formation took full advantage of the situation and called me into her office to chat. She explained that they were still short a few teachers and asked if I could volunteer to teach a class. She threw in the extra bonus, that the Church would waive the fees for my children if I were to teach. Of course, I quickly explained that I simply could not spare the time, at which point, she looked me squarely in the eye, and said, “Really Susan, you can’t spare one hour once a week?” By this time, I was so embarrassed that I could no longer look at her, and my eyes fell down to the floor. I acquiesced, well at least that’s what it felt like at the time. Now I have a very different perspective. I believe that God sends us little nudges to help show us what He wants for us or which way He wants us to go. This was definitely a nudge, and looking back I’m so grateful for it.