The Catechetical Review - Communicating Christ for a New Evangelization

Articles Under: Articles from Bishops

From the Shepherds — Learning From the Charism of St. John Bosco Free
In the Latin language there is a saying that could also be applied to our work as catechists: nomen est omen . This means that the name also reflects the inner essence of a person or a thing. In other words, the name speaks for itself. The name of St. John Bosco has become synonymous with good and holy catechesis. In this sense, all reflection on his inspiring life and work can show us what transmitting the faith should look like. Bosco lived in Italy in the 19th century. He was born and grew up in poor circumstances, and from... Read more
From the Shepherds: Serving the Poor: Taking Five Steps with Two Feet Free
When I served as director of André House, a ministry of hospitality to the poor and homeless in downtown Phoenix, we often spoke about “the two feet of service”: direct service to those in need and working for justice and a long-term solution. Both are important, and each one informs and strengthens the other. Inspired by Dorothy Day and under the patronage of St. André Bessette, André House leaned heavily on the foot of service. We labored all day to bring comfort, food, water, safety, and hospitality to the hundreds of people who came to us daily. We argued that... Read more
From the Shepherds: Bearing Fruit Free
Shortly after his election as pope, His Holiness Pope Francis wrote the apostolic exhortation Evangelii Gaudium ( The Joy of the Gospel ) , which is the programmatic document for his pontificate. [1] It follows the lines of thought of the Aparecida Document, which was written in response to the difficulties the Church in Latin America was having in transmitting the faith from one generation to another. Both documents call for the formation of missionary disciples. The Holy Father dreams of a missionary Church—a Church that “goes forth” to evangelize. [2] In Evangelii Gaudium Pope Francis offers some characteristics of... Read more
From the Shepherds: A Half Century of Progress – The Church’s Ministry of Catechesis Part Five
Catechetical Committees of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, 1992–2012 This series of articles seeks to explore an extraordinary fifty-year period in the history of the Church’s catechetical mission. We have already looked briefly at the outcomes of the International Catechetical Study Weeks, the General Catechetical Directory (1971), Evangelii Nuntiandi (1974) and Catechesi Tradendae (1979), Sharing the Light of Faith: National Catechetical Directory of Catholics in the United States (1979), The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (1987), and the Catechism of the Catholic Church (1993). In this article, we will turn our attention to the remarkable developments within the... Read more
The Spiritual Life: How the Eucharist Catechizes about the Meaning of Life Free
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops is currently undertaking a Eucharistic revival. The idea for it began in 2019 when the bishops decided that we needed to respond to the moment of crisis in belief in the Eucharist in which we find ourselves—not only the discouraging results of the 2019 Pew study that reported that less than 30 percent of Catholics believe in the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist but also the yet-unknown impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Eucharistic practice of Catholics. [1] The response to the idea from the body of bishops has been... Read more
From the Shepherds – A Half Century of Progress: The Church’s Ministry of Catechesis, Part Two
International Catechetical Study Weeks (1964–1968) We continue this series from the last issue of the Catechetical Review here in the From the Shepherds department because of its reflections on the writings of the bishops of the universal Church. The five decades between the Second Vatican Council and the publication of the third general catechetical directory in 2020 have been an extraordinarily important period in the history of modern catechetics. During this time the Church’s catechetical ministry has been afforded unprecedented support in documents of the universal Church as well as those of the bishops of the United States. This series... Read more
El RICA adaptado para las familias: todo tiene que ver con los padres de familia: Segunda Parte: Desarrollar un proceso
"Y le anunciaron la Palabra del Señor a él y a todos los de su casa" Hechos 16,32. En la primera parte establecimos la razón fundamental por la cual el sabio proceso del RICA debe de tomar la delantera de nuestros esfuerzos por evangelizer y catequizar a familias enteras. Guiándonos del Directorio para la catequesis , nuestro enfoque es “una catequesis de inspiración catecumenal para aquellos que han recibido los Sacramentos de Iniciación Cristiana, pero que aún no están suficientemente evangelizados o catequizados, o para aquellos que desean reanudar el camino de la fe” [1] . Este artículo explora los... Read more
From the Shepherds: The Paradigm of Mercy in the New Directory for Catechesis Free
On June 25, 2020, the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization, headed by its president, His Excellency Archbishop Rino Fisichella, presented for the Universal Church a new Directory for Catechesis . The first directory, named the General Catechetical Directory , was issued on April 11, 1971, by the Sacred Congregation for the Clergy and approved by His Holiness St. Paul VI. The second directory, named the General Directory for Catechesis , was promulgated by the same Congregation on August 15, 1997, and was approved by Pope St. John Paul II. In 2013, His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI... Read more
Perspectivas sobre el nuevo Directorio para la catequesis – Estímulo para el contenido: apertura a los signos de los tiempos Free
El 25 de octubre del año en curso, El Pontificio Consejo Vaticano para la Promoción de la Nueva Evangelización publicó el nuevo Directorio para la Catequesis . Este es el tercer documento apostólico explícito y oficial sobre la catequesis en tiempos recientes. El primero, el Directorio Catequístico General de 1971, hizo hincapié sobre los resultados del Concilio Vaticano Segundo, mientras que el segundo, el Directorio General para la Catequesis de 1997, se refirió extensivamente al Catecismo de la Iglesia Católica que había aparecido unos años previos en 1992. En esta nueva edición, se ha destacado a la catequesis como proceso... Read more
Perspectives on the New Directory for Catechesis – Encouragement for Content: Openness to the Signs of the Times Free
On June 25th of the current year, the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization released the new Directory for Catechesis. This is the third explicit apos- tolic and official document on catechesis in recent times. The first one, the General Catechetical Directory of 1971, emphasized the results of the Second Vatican Council, while the second one, the General Directory for Catechesis of 1997, referred extensively to the Catechism of the Catholic Church that had appeared some years before in 1992. In this new edition, catechesis as a process has been underlined even more than in previous... Read more