The Three Keys of Catechesis

This article is adapted from one originally published on the Mark 5:19 website in early 2025. You can see the original post here. Please note the original post includes a link to an expired email address. Please use the contact form on the main page of the Designed for Discipleship website to reach out!

The human brain is a responsive and ever-changing organ.  It creates new connections and prunes old ones regularly based on our experiences, relationships, and environment. It holds an incredible amount of conscious and unconscious information, responsible for everything from our basic survival as a species to our ability to thrive and reach our full human potential. 

God designed our brains to work in an intricate and beautiful way for our physical, psychological, social and spiritual health. Over the last half of a century, modern imaging and neuroscience have given us a glimpse into how the brain processes, stores, and recalls information in distributed neural networks. These networks help us marvel once again at the beauty of God’s creation and the wonder of the human person!

We know that the way that children learn and their primary tasks of development change over their lifetime.  Along with this, the way that they interact with parents and their community changes.  It makes sense that the most effective way to learn also changes.  It would be difficult to cite all of the best ways to help students retain and learn new information in a catechesis setting–so taking what we know from the way human brains develop, we offer three keys of catechesis that fit into to these growing minds at different ages and stages.

While the facts and foundations of catechesis (the what) do not change based on age alone, the best mode for learning them does.  It might help to think of it as adjusting catechetical learning experiences to target the expectations of the brain at different ages and stages.  The three keys provide a natural connection point for learning experiences.

During the period described by Key 1, young people are easily learning and absorbing the traditions of faith shoulder to shoulder with their family and community.  This involves little direct teaching and much opportunity for modeling both in the home and at the parish. The difference in the brain as a result of this naturally absorbed information at age 7 for a child who experienced Mass weekly for the first six years of life is significant.

Entering into the elementary years having achieved a level of fluency in written and spoken language, students described by Key 2 are developmentally ready to engage language to enter more deeply into their Catholic faith. They thrive in an environment of storytelling, readily provided through scripture and the stories of the saints.  They are able to make big picture connections between their own lives and the lives of other local, global, and historical faith models.  They can employ the language of imagination to enter into prayer in new ways.

As for Key 3? Adolescents move through periods of increased independence on their way to healthy interdependence. They have a keen awareness of the plight of others in their community.  Social justice is a strong theme across their lives, and focusing on the corporal works of mercy during this time frame allows catechesis to relate with students in a way that is consistent with instead of in contrast with their natural drives. 

By changing the experiential entry point to catechesis at different developmental ages and stages, we can more easily and quickly motivate the brain and open it up to the knowledge and skills we wish to provide.

What do the three keys of catechesis look like in practice?

A quick example before I close, because this is less complicated than it may appear. As the Eucharist is the source and summit of our faith, let’s use awareness of the true presence of Jesus in the Eucharist.  How do we enter into that conversation across different stages of brain development, while applying the keys?

Key 1–  Think quiet teachable moments during any visit to a church.  Building awareness of the tabernacle.  Noticing the tabernacle light. Showing reverence. Focusing on the elevation of the host during the Eucharistic prayers.  Saying “Hi to Jesus”.

Key 2–  Where is the Eucharist in scripture?  Who are the saints who have done heroic things to protect the Eucharist?  What are our tradition’s Eucharistic miracle stories?

Key 3– The Eucharist is a meal. Jesus feeds us. Jesus’ food gives us strength and healing to help more people and calls us to serve our community. People are hungry.  We can feed people. Jesus feeds people through the Eucharist and us as the Body of Christ.

Get the idea?  In many cases it isn’t about changing what you teach, but what you focus on first to help students make meaningful entry to and connections with the topic through the experiences provided by each of the keys (Mass, Storytelling, Corporal Works of Mercy). 

In the example above, the focus is still the same (the Eucharist) but the way the topic is presented in a catechesis setting is shifted from what most of us are familiar with. As a catechist, it becomes about looking at a desired topic and asking how it relates to the Three Keys of Catechesis–then using the relevant key as a catalyst for learning.