The Catholic Vision of Love

1. The Catholic Vision of Love CVOL

2. Topics of discussion in this presentation include: • CVOL • History • Foundational Principles • Goals • Importance of Parents • The Family & CVOL • Grade level Curriculum Outlines • Suggested Resources • Questions

3. History of CVOL • Premise: • The Church offers to the world a great body of teachings on the positive value of human love & sexuality • Understanding & appreciating this teaching is absolutely critical for the development of attitudes and values that will guide good Christian behavior

4. History of CVOL • 1986 – PA Catholic Bishops re-issued their statement on Guidelines for Sex Education in Schools emphasizing the role of parents as primary educators of their children • Urges parents to exercise their right & to fulfill their responsibility to provide adequately for their children in the area of human sexuality

5. History of CVOL • To assist parents in fulfilling their responsibility, the Diocese of Pittsburgh convened an Advisory Committee on Human Sexuality Education on October 19, 1987. • The Committee had more than 40 members of various backgrounds • Teachers • Parents • Physicians • Clergy • Pastoral & legal counselors • Religious & Diocesan administrative personnel

6. History of CVOL • Tasks of the Committee • To prepare an educational curriculum for Catholics, particularly for parents seeking to instruct their children in the area of human sexuality from a Catholic perspective • To make recommendations concerning the scope, content & implementation of an educational curriculum in human sexuality for the young people of the Church of Pittsburgh

7. History of CVOL • Timeline for the implementation of CVOL • 1989 -- The draft, Guidelines for Human Sexuality Education was completed and revised • 1990 – 1991 – Eight parishes were chosen to pilot the program • 1992 – 1993 – Program revised & more pilot parishes were added • 1994 – Pilot program continued, with one entire Deanery piloting the program • 1990-1996 – Program entered the Parish Religious programs and the Catholic Schools Curriculum in grades 5 – 8 • 1998 – CVOL implemented in every Parish school of religion and every Catholic School

8. Foundational Principles Education in love and human sexuality is education that is an integral part of Catholic faith and life. • This education is both instructional and holistically oriented. • Purpose: to move a person to exercise a personal freedom that chooses ways of living that are consistent with the Gospel call.

9. Foundational Principles • CVOL will prepare children and youth to: • Have the ability to make intelligent choices regarding their sexuality • To help them integrate their attitudes toward sexuality with their philosophy of life • To enable them to acquire self-possession • To enable them to exercise authentic freedom

10. Foundational Principles Doctrinal & moral teachings of faith that underlie the CVOL program: • Program emphasizes a positive vision of what human love and sexuality mean • Vision that flows from the Word of God and the teachings of the Church

11. Foundational Principles • Basic Principles: • Viewing the human person as made in the image of God • Seeing sexuality as God’s work – something very good • Understanding sexuality in the context of human fulfillment • We seek to find “enduring love” – a love that gives all of itself to another

12. Foundational Principles • This sexuality becomes a “natural sacrament” or a visible sign of what enduring love means and needs to be among human persons

13. Foundational Principles • It is God that we must first learn to love with all our heart • In learning to love God we learn to love one another

14. Foundational Principles • There are certain major problems that CVOL must face & treat effectively • AIDS • STD’s • Teen pregnancies • Abortion • Variety of promiscuous attitudes

15. Foundational Principles • The primary focus of CVOL is NOT of avoiding certain grave moral evils, but one of POSTIVELY guiding people toward living excellent lives in all that touches love and personal relationships

16. Foundational Principles • Sexual education is primarily the responsibility of the parents • The aim of teachers is to assist parents – to help them communicate with their children in these matters • CVOL is meant to cooperate with parents and not substitute for them • Program focuses a great deal on parental education and involvement

17. Foundational Principles • Catholic Vision of Love program is to be integrated with education in Catholic faith and life generally • Designed to be integrated into the religion curriculum itself

18. Foundational Principles • Only those who can and do agree with Catholic teaching on love and sexuality can be permitted to teach in this program • Catechists must take classes in catechist formation and training prior to beginning the actual teaching

19. Foundational Principles • Additional education and materials is provided for parents and other adults through the Parish Faith Formation Office or by calling 412-882-5023. • Please continue to learn more about CVOL.

20. Foundational Principles • Education in the proper use of media is of primary importance

21. PRINCIPLE GOAL To present Christ’s vision of love and sexuality, and to encourage all to live according to the Good News of His teaching on love, marriage, the family, sexuality, and the freedom of self-possession

22. Goals & Objectives of CVOL • To show that God is the Creator of all our being • To show that our sexuality, when understood in the light of Christ’s teaching: • is God’s rich gift • affects all that we are • serves precious human goods

23. Goals & Objectives • To stress the importance of every person and the essential equality of all persons • To show each person is called to greatness of heart and to friendship with the Lord

24. Goals & Objectives • To teach Christian motives for: • reverence for every person • Healthy self-esteem • To make clear how precious every person is to God • By God’s grace, each is capable of living the excellent ways Christ made known

25. Goals & Objectives • To guide all toward a fuller understanding of what Christ teaches in His Church about sexual morality & self-possession • To assist them in seeing how good Christ’s teaching is • To realize the importance of shaping our consciences to live in Christ’s ways

26. Goals & Objectives • To lead all to understanding & acceptance of all the dimensions of our human lives • Spiritual • Moral • Psychological • Physical • Emotional • Sexual • Intellectual • Social

27. Goals & Objectives To seek to guard all from exploitation by providing a clear understanding of everything one needs to know about sexuality to be secure and fortified to live in the 21st century

28. Goals & Objectives • To support all persons in their efforts to acquire what they need to have confidence and peace in leading chaste lives. • To help them develop the necessary: • Skills • Insights • Virtues

29. Goals & Objectives • To motivate and assist all to follow Christ’s vision of love by: • Heeding the commandments • Living Christ’s Beatitudes • Doing works of mercy

30. IMPORTANCE OF PARENTS • The Catholic Church recognizes parents as the primary educators of their children • While others in the Church may assist them in providing a suitable sexual education for their children, the rights & duties of parents remain primary

31. IMPORTANCE OF PARENTS • CVOL instruction that is offered in Catholic schools and Catechetical programs is by NO MEANS INTENDED TO REPLACE THE WORK OF PARENTS

32. IMPORTANCE OF PARENTS • CVOL is intended to: • Assist the efforts of parents • Support Parents • Provide a certain social support to the words of parents

33. IMPORTANCE OF PARENTS • Parental acceptance & cooperation is indispensable • Nothing can replace parents for many reasons • They have a privileged knowledge of each of their children • Their words and support can in no way be substituted for

34. IMPORTANCE OF PARENTS • Parents are to be fully aware of all that goes on in the CVOL sessions/retreats and regular faith formation sessions

35. IMPORTANCE OF PARENTS • Much of the efforts of CVOL is aimed at helping parents grasp ways of sharing their own faith and their own responsible love with their children

36. IMPORTANCE OF PARENTS • In many matters, especially the more intimate and sensitive ones, parents should be the ones to speak to their children

37. Role of Family PARENTS’ ROLE • Catholic Church recognized the parents as the primary educators of their children • CVOL is not intended to replace the role of the parent, but to assist them & support them • Parental acceptance & cooperation is indispensable

38. Role of Family • Parental love is the most basic element • Qualifies the educational role of the parents • Finds fulfillment in the task of education • Animating principle & therefore the norm inspiring & guiding all concrete educational activity

39. Role of Family • Parents are called to hand on the faith and the Christian life pattern to the next generation

40. Role of Family • Family life needs to be strengthened so that children and youth will derive their values from the home, rather than from undesirable sources outside the home • The Church, especially through the parish, provides an intensified support system for family life

41. Role of Family • Parents have a right to expect the Church community to assist them in this task • Not an assistance that replaces their role • An assistance that fortifies them • An assistance that enables them to do this important parental task

42. Role of Family • Family life seeks to form both the mind and heart of its children • Full personal development requires growth in understanding of our own feelings and affections • Must learn how to shape and direct our affections in ways that are faithful to those we love and to all that is good and helpful in directing our lives wisely

43. Role of Family • The home is where affective education is best provided • U.S. Bishops stress centrality of the family in shaping the whole person and instilling values • Family is a sign to all mankind of fidelity to life and of hope in the future • Sign to believers of the depth of fidelity & hope when these center on God

44. Role of Family • Family does not live closed in on itself, but remains open to the community • Sense of justice and concern for others • Conscience of its responsibility toward the whole of society

45. Integration • Parental Tasks and the Tasks of Religious Educators • Education of children in sexuality is primarily the task of their parents • Parents deserve (and may need) the assistance of others in carrying out their responsibilities

46. Integration • Role of Parents • Speak in personal tones • More intimate understanding and love for their children and those they love • More intimate and personal direction is ordinarily better given by parents themselves or by those the parent chooses to assist them in this task

47. Integration • Role of Educators • Also speak to their children out of faith and love • The voice of the family of faith, broader witness in helping students to realize what they learned from their parents was not singular

48. Integration Sensitivity of religious educators has different focus • Not only deeply personal, but also part of social life • Believer needs the communal witness of facilitators and teachers of faith • Young people get another kind of grasp on the teaching first received from their parents • Helps to deepen young peoples’ grasp on what the Gospel invited them to realize

49. Integration • What Religious Education teaches about love and sexuality: • Sound vision of what it means for us to be men and women • God is the author of sexuality which is good and ordered • Must provide a solid and true account of the meaning of the sexuality God has given us

50. Integration • Part of any complete catechesis must be moral instruction • Must realistically help students to avoid harms, which often follow immoral sexual conduct • Help them achieve the kind of good life God wishes them to have to make them happy