Dead Theologians Society

“It is time.”
The hooded figure leads the way as fifty to sixty others follow him down a dark stairwell. The animated chatter dies down to a few whispers and is replaced by the ominous sounds of Gregorian chant. The community files past hundred-year-old statues of Mary, Joseph, and St. Francis De Sales, whose faces are barely lit by the rows upon rows of candles. The air has the warm smell of an elderly uncle who speaks his wisdom in the mist of pipe tobacco. An occasional bat adds to the atmosphere, and the teachings begin.

You may think you’ve just stepped into a Celtic monastery of another age. But this is actually youth ministry, DTS style.

DTS, for “Dead Theologians Society,” is the brainstorm of Michael Barone and Eddy Cotter, Jr., two rockers from the eighties. In 1997, they were hired by Fr. Dean Mathewson to bring their love for the Faith to the teens of St. Francis De Sales in Newark, Ohio. Little did Father know he was part of God’s plan that would spark a worldwide rush to start similar chapters all over the United States and even the world!

Mike and Eddy’s first move was to make Sunday school (and even confirmation classes) a matter of choice. Eliminating mandatory classes was their way of bringing the true life of Christ to kids in a radical setting. As Eddy says, “Living the Christian walk is painful enough — learning about it doesn’t need to be painful as well.” Initially, teens were invited to just come to church and have a Catholic Rap Night. In the meantime, Mike and Eddy were mulling over a thought that had been inspired by the hit movie Dead Poets Society. Why couldn’t we do something similar — only Catholic? This was when the Dead Theologians Society was born.

When the two guys stumbled over some old, wrapped-up statues in the basement of the church, they knew they’d found something special. Like two little kids building their own fort, they turned a nasty, wet basement into a place the teens know is their own — statues, incense, bats, and all.
There are a lot of real smart-looking youth programs out there — especially in area Protestant churches. What’s to keep the kids from seeing this as just another work of smoke and mirrors?
Eddy and Mike chorus the answer: “This is real!” Every Thursday night, fifty to sixty kids are gathering to study the lives of the saints for two hours. The guys remind these kids repeatedly that they are part of a history. Here are statues of the Church Triumphant, and reminders of the Church Suffering. “Carpe Diem,” they say — “Seize the day.” It is your turn now, as a teen in this church, to take the place of those saints who have prayed before these same statues in days of yore. It’s time to carry the baton.

Along these lines, DTS has adopted a distinctive mission: to pray for the release of the Holy Souls in Purgatory. They know that by practicing this special charism, they are securing the advocacy of those souls who have entered heaven through their intercession. Purgatory is one doctrine many programs shy away from. But Eddy says that by embracing it, they “tapped into an absolute vein of incredible grace and power. It was the mother load!”

Fr. Dean testifies to its fruits. For example, there’s been an extraordinary increase in good confessions among the teens; they show reverence for the Eucharist in the tabernacle, where before they’d walk by with little or no regard. The program has also brought several converts to the Catholic Church.

Mike, who is also the parish coordinator of religious education, saw the greatest changes in the way the kids approached Confirmation last year. “See, we’d been studying the saints. So the kids were really into choosing their Confirmation names. They understood that they were begging these saints for graces according to the saints’ virtues. There were tears in their eyes as they received Confirmation from the bishop.”

Most of the material for their study is downloaded from the Internet. If they can find actual quotes and writings from the saints, they like to let the saints just speak for themselves. And they never shy away from death, the great leveler. No butterflies and pastels in this program.
The lessons are a precise blend of setting, biography, and Q&A, with a liberal sprinkling of “Catholic Freak Out” stories — something that really makes the kids sit up and listen. Such as the incorrupt tongue of St. Anthony, the mystical marriage of St. Catherine, or the fact that St. Joseph of Cupertino was known to fly.

The guys have successfully used the safety of their dark chapel to lead the teens in intercessory prayer. This is where the community really grows, as kids are hearing needs and sharing needs of their own. Prayer closes with one mystery of the Rosary, which the kids pray on a special DTS chaplet.

Dead Theologians Society members accept the “black hood” of the community and are blessed by Fr. Dean with a relic of the True Cross. This “habit” of theirs is a black, hooded sweatshirt with a gold monstrance embroidered on the front. The “hooding” ceremony is also used as an opportunity to enroll the kids into the Brown Scapular.

DTS kits are now being put together. Kits contain enough material to start a society with twelve members: hooded sweatshirts, DTS chaplets, St. Gertrude prayer cards, scapulars, incense, and a how-to manual. And you can find the teachings they have used posted on the Web. Dead Theologians Society is also benefiting from their new non-profit status: People who like what they’re doing can make tax-deductible donations to help out churches that might not otherwise be able to buy into the whole program.

When asked what is the essential thing to make DTS a success, Eddy and Mike agreed: “You’ve got to have at least one full-time youth minister.” Priestly support also plays a very big role.
The founders of Dead Theologians Society weren’t all that surprised to see this idea catch on. They know that today’s teens are smart. Kids know when something is to their advantage. Although they aren’t required to be here, they are embracing truths that before seemed uncool. While many programs out there are fighting just to get the attention of today’s youth, Dead Theologians Society is relying on the Church Triumphant . . . and leading teens to their heart’s desire.
Their motto: Mortuum Mundo Vivium in Christo. Dead to the World, Alive in Christ.
You can contact Dead Theologian’s Society at 740-345-2120, email: Herringbone@ee.net, or get more information at the Envoy website: www.envoymagazine.com/dts.htm.

Catholic Kids Net

Raising kids in the secular atmosphere of today’s world can be a disheartening task. The Church admonishes Catholic parents to be our children’s primary teachers in the Faith. This responsibility goes beyond the challenge of getting them to school on time, helping with homework, and making sure the PTA knows you’ve already brought snacks on your appointed day this month. Somehow, we must also be involved, daily, in the teaching of faith, morals, and the love of virtue, even in our busy, twenty-first-century lives. How in the world can a parent bring all this together?
Enter Catholic Kids Net with its rallying call: K4J! Kids for Jesus!

Catholic Kids Net (CKNet) is a program designed for children six to twelve years of age. Kids all over North America think it’s cool and exciting. Little do they realize that CKNet is supporting Mom and Dad in teaching the Catholic faith and forming the family in apostolic virtue.

Each month, the folks at Kids Net develop a stimulating “mission packet” that centers on a specific virtue. Games, puzzles, an eight-page magazine, and special prizes are included in the packet. CKNet families learn together how to develop virtuous habits in a fun way. Past themes have been prayer, service to others, responsibility, patience . . . virtues we all need to work on!

There is also a Family Virtue Calendar with stickers and helpful hints so the whole family can develop a love for the Church and each other. Parents award their child with the enclosed iron-on “Mission Badge” when they complete a month’s theme together.

Forming our children at home is only half the battle. How can we take the K4J battle cry out of the home and into our children’s relationships? Well, CKNet has a solution there as well. They believe that even a seven-year-old can learn how to bring friends to Jesus and become an apostle for Christ.

This is where Kid’s Net Teams come into the picture. As you are forming your children at home, team leaders across the nation are working to integrate that formation in mission-oriented meetings outside the home. Kid’s Net Teams are formed with five to ten kids and meet twice a month.
Running a CKNet kid’s meeting is simple, fun, and rewarding. Ohio team leader Mary Rickrich said that she initially got involved so she could bring the Good News to the little guys. But “I was surprised,” she admits, “how much my own faith has grown in bringing the Word to these kids.”

CKNet provides interested adults with a start-up package and the monthly newsletter Team Talk. Team Talk gives leaders creative ideas and fun crafts, games, and other activities that will supplement the lessons they learn at home. Water balloons, Oreo cookies, and even kickball become partners in the faith as children meet and engage in a blend of fun and faith.

By encouraging kids to practice the faith in peer groups, parents “normalize” Catholic life in a culture where materialism and selfishness are the order of the day. As a local Kids Net kid recently said, “This is like having Vacation Bible School all year round!”

Find out how your child can join Catholic Kids Net. Better yet, make your own mark on this world — start a Catholic Kids Net Team in your area today!

Mission Packets are $38.95, with family discounts for multiple children. Contact Catholic Kids Net, P.O. Box 153268, Irving, TX 75015-3268; 1-877-KIDSNET (toll free); www.catholickidsnet.org.

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