Catechesis Supplement
Longtime catechists feel ‘blessed to walk with people on their faith journey’
Youths from several parishes, including St. Michael in Bradford and St. Bernard in Frenchtown, enjoy a day at the Cincinnati Zoo after participating in a mission trip. Deacon John Jacobi, director of religious education and youth ministry for both parishes, is standing at far left in the back row. (Submitted photo)
By Natalie Hoefer
In our supplement on catechesis, it is fitting to shine light on those who pass on the faith in an official capacity in central and southern Indiana.
This article highlights three longtime parish catechetical leaders in the archdiocese: Deacon John Jacobi of St. Michael Parish in Bradford and
St. Bernard Parish in Frenchtown; Maurica Clouser of St. Jude the Apostle Parish in Spencer and St. John the Apostle Parish in Bloomington; and Stephanie Whitley of Holy Angels Parish in Indianapolis.
Each has been involved in catechetical ministry for 30 years or more. Each feels passionate about their calling to teach the faith. And each feels it is a blessing to walk with others in their faith journey.
‘How blessed I am’
Deacon John Jacobi felt a call to catechesis from a young age, but “I just didn’t know what to call it,” he said.
“I’ve always felt very close to the Church,” he said. “Growing up in the Church was always something I was very comfortable with. I loved taking part in Church activities and going to Mass with my family.”
Deacon Jacobi now serves as director of religious education (DRE) and youth minister at St. Michael Parish in Bradford and St. Bernard Parish in Frenchtown. He was ordained to the permanent diaconate in 2017 and also serves as deacon at both parishes.
He became active in catechesis 31 years ago as a volunteer teaching the faith to eighth-grade youths at St. Michael. Four years later, the parish DRE position opened.
“Our pastor at the time asked me if I could finish out the year by opening and closing the building in place of the DRE, who left in February,” he recalled.
He agreed and also expanded his catechesis to include all middle school youths as the parish searched for a full-time director of religious education.
Meanwhile, Deacon Jacobi was preparing to start a new position at a grocery store where he worked.
“But I felt very much called to the DRE position,” he said. “My wife and I prayed about it. I applied, and I got the job.”
He went back to school, earning a bachelor’s degree in pastoral ministries from Spalding University in Louisville, Ky., and a master’s degree in theological studies from Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology in St. Meinrad.
As he received more education, the parish gradually added youth ministry then Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) to his responsibilities.
Eight years ago, Deacon John was also hired as DRE and head of youth ministry and RCIA at St. Bernard.
He noted that the faith remains the same when it comes to catechesis.
“But efforts to reach out to children and youths and adults change as culture and technology evolve,” he added.
“We’ve tried really hard to reach out to families. We’ve done some different family gatherings around Advent and Lent and sacramental prep. It’s not just about passing the faith on to children—it’s about forming the family together.”
The same is true for Deacon John’s own family. His daughter, Stephanie Willis, serves as DRE and youth minister for St. John the Baptist Parish in Starlight and St. Mary Parish in Lanesville.
“She was 2 years old when I started as DRE,” he said. “She went to all the youth events I led.
“Now we talk shop. We show up at the same meetings sometimes. It’s fun being able to share that.”
And now that Willis has a 2-year-old son, Jacobi tells her she has to take him to all the events “so we can get three generations of catechists going!”
Recalling his more than three decades in ministry, Deacon John feels blessed.
“I just think of how blessed I am that I get to walk with people on their faith journey, and how God allows us [catechists] to enter into their lives in good times and sometimes not so good times—even if it’s just a small part—being able to share the faith.
“And my own faith just continues to grow along with those I teach. I think there’s a lot of blessing in that as well.”
‘I want them to know everything’
Like Deacon Jacobi, Maurica Clouser holds more than one position at more than one parish. For one, she serves as secretary for her home parish, St. Jude the Apostle in Spencer and for St. John the Apostle Parish in Bloomington.
Clouser has also served as administrator of religious education (ARE) at St. Jude the Apostle since 1993. And last year, she began teaching religious education for first- and second-grade youths—including sacramental preparation for first Communion—at St. John the Apostle.
This newest role is almost identical to Clouser’s first experience as a catechist. It was 1989, and her home parish needed a catechist for children in first through third grade.
“At first, I resisted,” she admitted. “I was approached the year before but was pregnant with my second child and already had a baby.”
Add in frequent trips to visit her family in Louisville, and “I just thought it would be too much,” said Clouser.
But she also understood the importance of preparing children to receive their first Communion, so she agreed to volunteer.
“If you know me, then you know it’s all about the sacraments and especially first Communion,” she said. “Having the opportunity to teach about the Blessed Sacrament is a blessing.”
When Clouser became ARE for St. Jude the Apostle in 1993, her first task was taking a group to World Youth Day, held that year in Denver.
“Even though we were a small parish, we had a fairly large group go,” she said. “That experience still inspires me.
St. John Paul II had such zeal for the faith. … I attempt to have that same zeal, at least a small part of it, when I teach.”
Clouser structures her religious education classes by teaching all of the students first before they are separated into groups by grade.
“I am a natural teacher and love to teach,” said Clouser. “Sometimes I get on a roll, and I have to apologize to the other catechists for stealing the entire class time.
“I can’t really help myself—I want them to know everything there is to know about the Lord. My most enjoyable moments are when I see a certain look of understanding or enthusiasm in the students’ eyes.”
She called her first year instructing at St. John the Apostle “memorable.”
“The highlight besides first Communion was having weekly adoration during religious education,” Clouser said. “I was able to take my students into church for the last 10-15 minutes and let them get to know the Lord in a most special way, and even lead prayers before the Benediction.”
There are some challenges, Clouser acknowledged. She still makes frequent trips to Louisville, sometimes driving “late at night or very early the next morning to make it to class.”
Some years, there have only been a few students to instruct—“but those few are worth it,” she added.
Clouser said the biggest struggle is when catechesis is not reinforced at home.
“That is when I count on the Holy Spirit to bring the child’s spark back,” she said. “I just hope and pray that I have helped Christ along the way.”
‘Love and meet people where they are’
Stephanie Whitley admits that she wasn’t always active in the Church.
But as she matured in faith, she “had the burning desire to learn more,” said Whitley. “It was the love of the faith that made me want to actually share that [faith].”
And it was seeing the domino effect of a time of poor catechesis within the Church that made Whitley “passionate about teaching the faith to young ones and trying to flip that around.”
To make that change, Whitley volunteered as a Sunday school teacher about 30 years ago at her parish, Holy Angels in Indianapolis. Soon she was also leading Bible studies for the parish’s youth ministry.
In 2001, Whitley joined the staff at Holy Angels as director of religious education.
“I oversee everything related to faith formation—teaching sacramental preparation and children’s [kindergarten through eighth grade] religious education, faith formation in youth ministry, coordinating RCIA,” she said.
When Whitley began her role as DRE and started preparing high school youths for confirmation, she saw another way to “flip” the effectiveness of catechesis.
“We changed the six-month formation period to a year and included a mission trip out of state for a week, serving hands-on in communities, showing the love of Christ through the works that [the youths] did. They were finding it was more powerful to show their faith by what they did for the marginalized.
“These young people started coming back to church after confirmation, where before they said, ‘Confirmation is done, I’m done.’ They were finding they had a responsibility through their sacrament to give and to be a part of the one body of Christ. It’s just been beautiful to see.”
Whitley still enjoys teaching the faith to young children. And she enjoys learning from them as well.
“We adults have our logic and reason, but children are very basic,” she explained. “When I hear them talk about Gospel readings, they bring it to the basic core of what it means with no fluff.”
After three decades as a catechist, Whitley still enjoys “planting the seed of faith.”
“The beauty of it is when I see the a-ha moments of not only children but adults, when they say, ‘I never knew that’ or ‘I never thought of it that way,’ ” she said. “Then their eyes open to things in their lives where they can say, ‘That’s where God was present’ or ‘I see now it was faith that got me through that situation.’ It’s just planting those seeds.”
Whitley said she has learned that sometimes a catechist “is blessed to see those seeds germinate and grow.” But not always—and that’s OK.
“Our job is to plant and water,” she explained. “How that seed grows is God’s responsibility.”
Catechesis takes patience, Whitley acknowledged.
“Sometimes we’re very impatient when we give instruction and share the faith and don’t see those ah-ha moments. Be patient,” she advised. “Because the key to catechesis is to love and meet people where they are. Don’t pull them or push them, but walk with them, accompany them.”
Such love, patience and accompaniment make catechesis far more effective than “throwing out just book-learning,” said Whitley.
“It’s that love of the faith that helps you and helps them walk through the faith and get that faith we’re all longing for.” †
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