A New Approach to Children’s Catechesis: Come, follow me

At the 2015 St. John Bosco Conference for Catechesis and Evangelization this summer, Sr. Hyacinthe will offer training for this new catechetical program, written by members of the Notre Dame de Vie institute in France, an institute with whom Franciscan University’s Office of Catechetics has enjoyed a close institutional relationship. This article provides an overview of this children’s catechetical program and demonstrates its continuity with the Holy Father’s vision for catechesis. Catechesis is a proclamation of the word and is always centred on that word, yet it also demands a suitable environment and an attractive presentation, the use of eloquent symbols, insertion into a broader growth process and the integration of every dimension of the person within a communal journey of hearing and response.[1] This short but rich paragraph from Pope Francis’ apostolic exhortation encapsulates the essential principles upon which Come follow me catechesis is founded. Come follow me is a catechetical program for children aged 7 to 11 developed in France by Notre Dame de Vie Institute in the last 30 years, and published recently in French and partially in English (Years 1-2). We are now going to take the main aspects of Pope Francis’ description, and, in a brief overview, see how they are applied in Come follow me.