The Catechetical Review - Communicating Christ for a New Evangelization

Articles Under: Sacramental Preparation

El tour: Las reflexiones de un obispo sobre la Confirmación Free
“¿Hace esto seguido?”, me preguntaron la otra noche. “Unas setenta veces por año,” contesté para asombro de mi interlocutor. El tema de la plática fue el Sacramento de la Confirmación. De hecho, en cualquier año, puede haber más de cien Confirmaciones en toda la Diócesis. Estoy agradecido con Mons. Daniel Cronin, Arzobispo Emérito de Hartford, quien me ayuda generosamente en confirmar a lo largo y ancho del Condado de Fairfield. También reitero mis gracias para con el Obispo Mons. William McCormick y con el recién fallecido Obispo Mons. Daniel Hart, así como con un gran número de sacerdotes quienes han... Read more
The Tour: A Bishop’s Reflections on Confirmation Free
“You do this often?” I was asked the other night. “About 70 times a year,” I replied to the astonishment of my interlocutor. The subject of the conversation was the Sacrament of Confirmation. Actually, in any given year, there may well be in excess of a hundred Confirmations across the Diocese. I am grateful to Archbishop Daniel Cronin, Archbishop Emeritus of Hartford, who generously assists me in confirming throughout the Fairfield County. I also remain grateful to Bishop William McCormick and to the late Bishop Daniel Hart, as well as to a number of priests, who have administered Confirmation in... Read more
On the Spot: What’s a Sacrament Anyway?
This is a regular feature highlighting some of the difficult questions experienced by catechists, teachers and parents who are put ‘on the spot’ by those they are teaching. How can an understanding of sacramentality help us when we are in dialogue with non-Catholic Christians who can find this central aspect of our faith bewildering? She has been a member of the Church of England all her life – almost sixty years. As a young woman she experienced a conversion which enriched her faith, and since that time she has attended Sunday worship regularly and is deeply involved in many aspects... Read more
The Baptismal Catechumenate as Model for First Holy Communion Catechesis
How might First Communion catechesis be carried out if it is based on the Catechumenal model? Introduction: Catechesis in General Pope John Paul II, in his apostolic exhortation, Catechesi tradendae defines ‘catechesis’ in the following manner: Catechesis is an education in the faith of children, young people, and adults which includes especially the teaching of Christian doctrine imparted, generally speaking, in an organic and systematic way, with a view to initiating the hearers into the fullness of Christian life. [i] According to this definition, catechesis must be Christological in essence. The aim of catechesis is to reveal God’s divine plan... Read more
Catechesis for the Confirmation of Adolescents
Some Theological and Pastoral Considerations Introduction On May 9, 2001, the Congregation for Bishops granted recognitio to the action of the United States bishops regarding the Sacrament of Confirmation. This action was that the sacrament ‘shall be conferred between the age of discretion and about sixteen years of age, within the limits determined by the diocesan bishop and with regard for the legitimate exceptions given in canon 891.’ [i] As a result, there is a diverse practice for the Sacrament of Confirmation in the United States, differing from diocese to diocese and, in some cases, parish to parish. [ii] Because... Read more
The Bishop's Page: Catechesis on the Eucharist Free
On Feb. 22 2007, the Feast of the Chair of Peter, our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, published his post-synodal apostolic exhortation Sacramentum Caritatis (On the Eucharist as the Source and Summit of the Church’s Life and Mission). In no. 64 of this apostolic exhortation Pope Benedict XVI takes up the topic of the character of ongoing catechesis on the Eucharist to enable the deeply interior dispositions required for a fruitful participation in the Holy Eucharist. It addresses what is required for a personal eucharistic piety which is deep and constant. This is a topic which has suffered from some... Read more