Visible Religion: Catholicism

Module 1: History and Core Practices

What would you say is the central belief of Catholicism? Why is the belief important to a person’s salvation?
What has allowed the church to continue for so long? Consider factors such as money, political influence, continuous adherence to dogma, etc.
How do the sacraments play into the Catholic faith? How do such performative actions affect practitioners of the religion? How do such actions create community?

Students could select one of the seven sacraments to research. They would look into the ritual aspects, traditions, and clothing. The product might be a poster outlining the major actions and meanings of the sacrament.
Students could select one major event in the past of the Catholic Church, such as the Protestant Reformation, Vatican II, etc. The product might be a two-page paper that outlines the event and the effect that it had on the church.

What role do the laity serve in the Catholic Church?
How do the laity relate to the clergy? How does this relationship serve to progress the religion? Do you think that the laity help dictate the church’s teachings? Should they do so?
Even though they are not dedicated religious, there are still expectations for the dress of the laity, especially when partaking in the sacraments. What are some expectations? Why do you think these expectations exist?
What is attractive about the hierarchal structure of Catholicism? How might it benefit the practitioners of the religion? From your study of the history of the church, what are some of the problems that have arisen from the hierarchical nature of the church?
How do the modes of dress worn by members of the clergy identify certain values? What portions of their clothing seem most significant to you?
Reflect on how religious modes of dress (such as a nun’s veil and habit) might make a person feel. What would a nun say to someone who thinks that her dress is a sign of how oppressed she is?

Have the students as a class make a list of questions for someone who is in the religious life (priest, nun, etc.) If it’s possible to set up an interview, have students ask questions and follow up with a paper on what they learned.
Arrange for students to interview a layperson from the Catholic church with the goal of learning how the laity express their religion as general members.
Have the students research and present on the different modes of dress for different members of the clergy. Then relate those modes of dress to the higher ideals of Catholicism and show how the clothing represents those ideals.
Students could research the priesthood shortage in the Catholic church and ask interviewees about consequences of this situation.

Photo credit

2015_05_21_Nyeri_Beatification_Preparations_JPEG_RESIZED_0006 by Flickr user Make It Kenya, public domain; cropped from original.