Commentary
This model evolved in the late 1970s as a way to make religious education more appealing to youth, and to reverse the decline in attendance many parishes were experiencing.
In a typical Super Sunday, an aspect of the gospel message is proclaimed to young people through interactive, exciting, high-energy programming. The format usually consists of a block of time on a Sunday afternoon and/or evening on a once a month basis through the school year (e.g., 3-7 p.m.). A late morning through early afternoon schedule is also sometimes used (e.g., 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.). Activities may include: icebreakers and community building activities, fun skits, witness talks, slide shows, small group sharing and discussions, a major presentation (speaker or video), Eucharist (or prayer service) and dinner/refreshments. Monthly sessions typically revolve around one topic or theme, e.g. drugs/alcohol, sex and dating, parent/family communication, decision-making, or an article of the faith. These once-a-month sessions are supplemented with other activities and programs offered throughout the week for those youth who wish to explore their faith in more depth.
Advantages of the Super Sunday Model
- Large gatherings of young people are attractive to adolescents. Often, youth will come to an event solely because their friends are going.
- Highly interactive community-building activities, a key element in this model, respond well to the adolescent need for peer interaction.
- The evangelizing nature of this model assists in leading young people to conversion experiences that, in turn, challenge them to move toward more in-depth catechesis.
- Teenagers see the Super Sunday as something different, novel and exciting. The program lends itself to being publicized as an “event,” rather than just another religious education class.
Some Concerns about the Super Sunday Model
- Since Super Sundays typically take place once a month, a youth who misses one or two sessions may go without some form of religious education for months at a time.
- Super Sundays typically have no scope or sequence, that is, no coherent progression from one topic to the next. A program on “dating” could well be followed by a session on the Stations of the Cross. There is a tendency to choose a lot of topics which will grab attention rather than focus on a very few topics which are explored in depth.
- Weekly or bi-weekly in-depth catechetical sessions must supplement this program for young people to grow in faith and discipleship.
- At the end of four years, youth have received a smattering of teaching on many unrelated subjects. It is questionable whether a young person would have a solid grasp of basic catechetical themes if only exposed to Super Sundays.