ELEMENTS OF MINIMUM LEARNING COMPETENCIES (EMLC)
In RELIGION (REVISED)

MEANING of the Term

"Elements of Minimum Learning Competencies" (EMLC) in Religion:

The indispensable CONTENT of the Religious Education curriculum/syllabus/program

• for any given level of classes in the school setting, or
• formation program in the pastoral setting.

The EMLC is concerned only with the SCOPE of the Christian Formation (CF) Program, not with the sequence.

The PURPOSE of an EMLC is to offer qualified assistance to:

• Authors of Re-Ed textbooks
• School Administrators and Religion Coordinators
• Diocesan Censors
• Parish Priests and Leaders of parish organizations and charismatic communities

The NEED for an EMLC:

• there are no official guidelines concerning the minimum content of a CF program;
• danger that certain CF programs may be incomplete;

The CCC and the CFC are quite extensive in content and are meant for general readership, not to be used as Religion textbooks.

A certain SELECTION of elements of their content is to be made.

There is a danger that the selection made by the authors of books and programs may not be sufficiently enlightened;

Consequence: inadequate Christian formation.

SOURCES TO BE USED IN THE PREPARATION OF THE EMLC

• Sacred Scripture
• NCDP
• CFC
• PCP II Document
• Pastoral Letters and other documents of local hierarchy (CBCP)
• CCC
• Vatican II Documents
• Encyclical Letters of the universal Magisterium

MAIN PARTS OF THE EMLC

The EMLC consists of two Parts, namely:

1. Basic Common Principles and Features of CF;
2. Essential Content of CF by age brackets or school levels.

BASIC COMMON PRINCIPLES AND FEATURES OF CHRISTIAN FORMATION IN THE THIRD MILLENNIUM

1.1       The EMLC should include the following basic Parts:

• Foundational Elements,
• DOCTRINE,
• MORAL LIFE,
• WORSHIP,
• Final Synthesis.

1.2       The EMLC, though limited to the CONTENT of CF covers the areas of

• clear KNOWLEDGE to be understood and assimilated,
• adequate ATTITUDES to be fostered, and
• consequent BEHAVIOR that translates knowledge and attitudes into a committed Christian life.

The EMLC should be characterized by:

Faithfulness to

• God
• Man
• the Church

Faithfulness to God

·        Rooted in God's Word

• Trinitarian in structure,
• Christ-centered;     

Faithfulness to Man

·        Inculturated,

• Contextualized,
• Integrated,
• Systematic;

Faithfulness to the Church

·        Guided by the Magisterium,

• Community-Forming.

It should follow the dynamic pattern of

INVITATION and RESPONSE

The TRIUNE GOD INVITES, WE RESPOND.

N.B.     This "Invitation-Response"  pattern should be clearly distinguishable in the presentation of all the three dimensions of the Catholic Faith, namely:

DOCTRINE, MORAL LIFE, and WORSHIP/SACRAMENTS.

 

In the dimension of DOCTRINE,

the TRIUNE GOD invites us to accept Him and His plan of love.

WE respond with a free act of FAITH that involves all aspects of our personality

In the dimension of MORAL LIFE,

the TRIUNE GOD invites us to be His partners in the fulfillment of His Plan.

WE respond by LIVING ACCORDING TO HIS LAW OF LOVE

In the dimension of WORSHIP/SACRAMENTS, the TRIUNE GOD invites us to enter into communion with Him.

WE respond with our personal and community PRAYER and liturgical WORSHIP, especially through the SACRAMENTS.

The entire presentation and assimilation of the content of the Faith should be done under a "UNIFYING PERSPECTIVE" that binds all elements together in a dynamic and harmonious fashion that gives it consistency and direction.  

The "Unifying Perspective"

• is rooted in faith, and
• .enables the believers to see meaning in all that they do or happens to them and others in the vicissitudes of life

The "Unifying Perspective" used by Jesus in his preaching and overall attitude in life was that of the KINGDOM OF GOD.

Possible alternative terms to indicate the same reality could be:

• "God's Master Plan"
• "Salvation History"
• The Creed
• " Covenant"
• " Discipleship"