Scaling the Heights of Heaven: Sister M. Rosalia Walsh and the Use of Story in the Adaptive Way

The work of Sister M. Rosalia Walsh and the Mission Helpers of the Sacred Heart gave impetus to the reemergence of the use of story in catechetical materials designed and published in the United States during the first half of the twentieth century. Focused on catechetical needs of Catholic children who did not attend Catholic schools, The Mission Helpers' Adaptive Way method also systematically addressed the training of the catechists who would teach them. This article examines Sister M. Rosalia Walsh's contributions against the historical backdrop of the catechetical renewal movement that began in Europe in the late nineteenth century and made its way to the United States in the early decades of the twentieth century. It is in this transitional period that a wider use of story returns to Roman Catholic religious education following a centuries-long hiatus. Sister M. Rosalia Walsh was a pioneer in catechist training, bringing to light once again the power of the use of story in the Christian formation of children.