The role of parents in the catechizing of their children in families in Bukuumi Parish

Abstract

This research intends to assess the role of parents in the catechizing their children in families in Bukuumi parish. It examines the relationship between the behavior of young people and parent’s role of catechesis (formation) to children in families, and how to have a respectable and responsible person of tomorrow. It is to answer questions like; What is the role of parents in families and society? To what extent have parents fulfilled their role of catechizing (forming) their children in families today? How can some parents be helped to understand their noble duties to their children in families? How can society be helped to know how to bring up responsible and respective people of tomorrow? What has stopped parents from catechizing (forming) their children as their noble duty? To achieve this objective 8 sub- parishes were studied out of 15 sub-parishes, which make up the parish. The research is effected within two years. From 8 sub- parishes, 80 Christians were sampled for the study, 51 questionnaires were used and 29 people were interviewed. The parish priest and his curate, 4 religious sisters, 1 religious Brother and some leaders of the faithful were among the subjects. Questionnaires were administered and interviews carried out, and the researcher intensively used the observation method and other secondary information was attained through books and previous researches. The data was analyzed using statistical method. It was coded by categorization, qualification and processing. It was then tabulated using both quantitative and qualitative methods. This data was analyzed using frequencies and percentages. The tabulated data was then interpreted in relation to the research problem. The work is divided into five chapters. Chapter one, deals with the introduction, background study, statement of the problem, that prompted the researcher to research, also entails the objectives of the research, significance of the study, theoretical frame work of the study and operational definitions to some key words in the research. Chapter two presents the literature review of the study on some key topics concerning the study from some researches done already by different people, in this you will find; why family catechesis, importance of the family, other education agents and many other questions. Chapter three entails the research design and methodology employed in doing this research, the population of the area under study and the techniques of selecting the population samples under study. Chapter four deals with the presentation of the findings from the research, analyzing it to answer the research questions and to achieve the objectives of the research. Then chapter five entails the recommendations, summary and conclusions of the research. The findings of this research indicate that some parents in Bukuumi parish have not done their duty of family catechesis to their children. This is evidenced in the findings, based on the change of behaviors of some young people, to the worse, not expected by elders in the area. This shows how much attention parents need to pay on this duty of family catechesis. It is expected that from this research, many parents will be helped to know more, what they ought to do with their children in inculcating values both social and religious onto their children, in building an integral human person, useful for tomorrow’s society.