By Kelley Kepler
Catholic Herald

Renee Sonnek called to catechetical ministry

BIRCHWOOD --Since retiring in 1996, Renee Sonnek has been enjoying small town life. Her husband of 46 years built their house on a lake, and she calls her home "paradise." Yet, her happiness is not enough, says Sonnek, unless she shares her blessings with others.

At 68, Sonnek is beginning her sixth year as coordinator of religious education at St. John Parish. Prior to moving to Birchwood, she was a catechist at St. Peter Parish in St. Paul, Minn., for 28 years and was director of religious education during her last seven years there.

Now that she works parttime, mostly out of her home, and no longer has to cook for her 10 children, Sonnek said she is in the process of "cutting back." She said working at St. Peter's was overwhelming after she became involved in so many things. Now she is happy to work with 176 families, versus the 2,300 at St. Peter. Nevertheless, Sonnek remains highly dedicated and committed to religious education.

In her years at St. John, Sonnek has started several new religious education programs. "When I ask myself 'What is God's purpose for me?' I think it's to share with the cluster another way of doing things," said Sonnek. "It's not the way, it's just another way based on things that have worked for me in the past." She added that Fr. David P. Oberts has been a great support because he gives her the freedom to make changes and valuable contributions without questioning her work.

Sonnek is the driving force behind the Birchwood-Haugen-Dobie cluster's annual confirmation retreats. In the past, confirmation students went to TEC, but that isn't really a confirmation retreat she said, so they started their own in 1998. Confirmation students in 12th grade are required to attend, and the retreat is optional for 11th graders.

Since 1985, Sonnek has been successful at organizing confirmation retreats. She developed a program based on criteria outlined by Jan Michael Joncas, associate professor of theology and Catholic studies at St. Paul Seminary. Joncas said every Christian should possess the following five attributes, and Sonnek uses his criteria to determine whether or not students are ready to be confirmed:

* Children should be people of prayer.

* They should have a good understanding of scripture and find value in it.

* They should have a commitment to corporate worship (Sonnek focuses especially on peace and reconciliation.)

* They should experience being part of a Christian community

* They should be people of service.

Sonnek breaks the confirmation retreats into these categories by having five speakers give talks on these topics. The students, who are separated into small groups named "gold apostles," "red martyrs," "purple passionists" and "green disciples," are given time for reflection after each speech and write their thoughts in a journal. Then they discuss their ideas in their groups. Since there is so much content packed into a weekend retreat, Sonnek said she makes sure to schedule time for games, skits and other fun activities so that the students leave feeling happy and good about themselves.

This year's retreat, held Aug. 18-20 at Luther Park Bible Camp in Chetek, went especially well, according to Sonnek, with 30 students and 11 adults attending. The students were exceptionally receptive and mature, and Sonnek said it is a big change from her experience in St. Paul where she often encountered students with discipline problems. She continued to add that since she works with wonderful teachers and students, the biggest challenge she faces with her job has nothing to do with the people, but with driving at night on roads that aren't well lit.

In her office, Sonnek showcases some treasured objects from the retreat. One is the 'Y' shaped confirmation stick, a symbol that represents the students saying yes to Jesus. Each student brought a colorful piece of cloth from home that represented his or her personality and tied it to the stick. Sonnek said her husband Harry, a retired carpenter who now builds houses through Habitat for Humanity, makes crosses out of walnut as gifts for all confirmation students. At the end of the retreat, the students receive a cross with their name on the front and the date of the retreat on the back.

Sonnek values education and says learning is a lifelong process. She teaches an adult theology class she calls "Scripture in the Woods" at her house on Monday nights and Thursday mornings. She is also attending a three-year theology course through St. John's University and said she was surprised at how much she has learned, especially when doing research for a term paper. Sonnek also attends many workshops to share her wisdom and learn from others. In fact, she said many of the ideas she incorporates into her programs are not original, but rather a compilation of things she has read and of suggestion presented at a number of workshops.

She also enjoys directing plays and calls them "community builders." Sonnek talked about the time she put on a play at a poor Catholic school in Kentucky. Afterward, the priest was so pleased with her efforts and the efforts of the students that he surprised Sonnek by building a stage in the church basement. The townspeople chipped in and made the drapes. In addition to plays, Sonnek enjoys reading and wants to write her own family history.

Sonnek enjoys what she does at St. John's and hopes to continue there as long as she can. "It is a privilege to work here," she said. Confirmation, set for Oct. 13, is quickly approaching, and Sonnek said she is looking forward to meeting with teachers and starting another exciting year.

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© Superior Catholic Herald, 2002