As a Director of Parish Formation (religious education), I usually spend a lot of the month of May evaluating the last school year and planning for the next year. Each year, I struggle with ending religious education classes because faith formation is continual, life-long, never-ending, ever-present. As I was praying about my frustrations with our focus on faith formation as a "class" process following a school year model, the Holy Spirit blessed me with a thought that I now want to share with all parents: Bedtime Faith Formation!
Here's how Bedtime Faith Formation works:
At the end of each day, parents prepare their children for bed. Most families have a bedtime process. When my daughters were young (they are 18 and 20 now), after dinner as I cleaned up and put the dinner things away, they would play. I let them out of dinner clean up because I felt they needed some play time, especially after they started school. After dinner clean up and play time, they each had a bath. When they were small and I still bathed them, we would play water games. I loved to wrap their wiggly wet bodies into dry towels and carry them to their rooms to put on their pajamas. Then we would have a snack, maybe watching a good TV show or video. Then we would head to one of the bedrooms for a bedtime story. Usually, it was Mom's and Dad's bed because it was the biggest. After story, we said our prayers. Then lights out and quiet. (Well, sometimes there were some silly words and giggles shared or some "Mom, I'm thirsty" after lights out.)
For us and for most families, bedtime is a ritual. In fact, "experts" say that having a bedtime ritual helps children wind down so that when they are finally in bed, they are ready to sleep without the "Mom, I'm thirsty" syndrome.
We could say that our bedtime rituals are traditions. Our Catholic faith is a lifestyle of traditions. Liturgy is a tradition. Sacraments are traditions. Reading the Holy Scriptures is a tradition. Praying shared prayers, like the Our Father and Hail Mary, is tradition. Bedtime Faith Formation incorporates our faith traditions into our bedtime rituals.
As you give your child his bath in the evening, remind him of his baptism. When you pour water over his head to rinse his hair, say something like, "You know, when you were baptized, the priest poured water over your head and said, 'I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.'" Ask your child, "When do we pray these words, 'In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit'?" Do this often enough and he will associate water and the Sign of the Cross with remembering his baptism.
As you put your child's pajamas on her, talk about all the things for which you are thankful: Clothes, pajamas, Mom and Dad, grandparents, siblings, food, etc. For each thing, give thanks to God. This will help your child to recognize that God is the giver of all good gifts and that it is good for her to give thanks to God every day.
As you share a snack, talk about the things that happened to family members that day. Give thanks to God for the good and fun. Ask God for guidance and comfort for the difficult and sad.
Mix Bible stories into your bedtime stories repertoire. Your child will begin to call for his favorite Bible stories along with his other favorite stories.
As you tuck your child into bed, share prayers together. Say "Thank you" to God (you can never give God too much thanks); pray for family members, friends, and neighbors; ask God to take away fears and hold your child in His hand as she sleeps.
I believe that if Catholic parents incorporate some faith formation into their bedtime rituals - and other daily activities - children will grow up to know and believe that their Catholic faith is special, precious, life-long, never-ending, ever-present, and a wonderful gift. Then religious education will be primarily a household/family activity, and parents will become their children's best and most favorite catechists.
