The role of Catechism class in the nurturing of our national heritage in promoting the Croatian national education standard

Abstract

The author commences by discussing the role of today's schools in the education of our children, argumenting that Catechism class plays a vital role in nurturing our national, but particularly our cultural and religious heritage, and stressing its importance in passing on knowledge about our spiritual, historical and cultural roots. The second section of the article includes a list of catalogued topics for elementary school Catechism which are rich in such content. In the third and final section the author suggests methodical approaches and various methods especially appropriate for the teaching of national heritage topics in Catechism class. Results point to the immeasureable role of Catechism class in passing on knowledge about and in preserving the national, particularly the cultural and religious heritage of our people, and its integrational role in matters of faith and culture. Catechism class enables the student to build and preserve his national identity as he treads the path leading to a total humanization of the self, and as he develops the competence to shape his own life and to give form to fundamental human values in light of the Christian faith and based upon the cultural-historical and spiritual heritage of the Croatian people. The value of Catechism class on the school curriculum today is inestimable due to its role in the realization of educational and socialization goals. The accomplishments made on the pedagogical level, which include also the acquisition of knowledge about the Croatian national heritage, are both an aid in preserving the cultural-historical and religious identity of our people and a guarantee that the same will not be lost.