The Catechetical Review - Communicating Christ for a New Evangelization

Articles Under: Articles from Bishops

From the Shepherds— Hope: A Call to Responsibility Free
The Cries of the Oppressed “What is our sin that God punishes us with such a trial? Where is the just God? Does he not see the injustices inflicted upon us? What fault have these children committed to be left without a roof to shelter them as they sleep? What is the fate of our children, who have been deprived of everything, even their schools?” These were the desperate cries of families who sought refuge at St. Joseph Cathedral on the night of August 7, 2014. They were fleeing the brutal attacks of ISIS, faced with an impossible choice: renounce... Read more
From the Shepherds— Four Pillars for Building a Eucharistic Life Free
At the end of his public life, Jesus sent his apostles into the world to preach, teach, baptize, and share the life he had given them (see Mt 28:16–20). This is the divine model: people are called to God to be formed by him and then sent to bring others to share in that joyful life. Teachers of the faith in particular enjoy both the joys and the responsibilities of living and sharing that life. The Church in the United States finds herself in a similar position as those first disciples in this, the final year of the Eucharistic Revival:... Read more
From the Shepherds— The Rosary & The New Evangelization Free
The joy and youthfulness of the Catholic priesthood never fade. The passing years only increase a sense of wonder at the grace and power of the priesthood, not least in the daily offering of the Mass and in a life dedicated to the service of countless souls in the light of the Eucharist. A priest needs look no further for the source of his life and joy. On the 40th anniversary of my ordination, I traveled as a pilgrim to Lourdes on February 11 th which celebrates a moment when “the Mother of Christ made her presence felt and her... Read more
From the Shepherds — A Broad View Makes for Fruitful Ministry Free
Given the vast richness of the Catholic Church, we run the proverbial risk of failing to see the forest for the trees. At any given moment, there are great things happening in a parish, diocese, province, region, or the Church universal. For instance, in addition to the Synod on Synodality taking place in the Church universal and the National Eucharistic Revival and Congress happening in the United States, the Archdiocese of Indianapolis is engaged in a pastoral planning process, while several of its parishes have their own special projects going on. If we are to be true to our profession... Read more
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