The Catechetical Review - Communicating Christ for a New Evangelization

The Six Tasks of Catechist Formation

Authored by Bill Haley in Issue #28.4 of The Sower
Most parishes have some who volunteer to assist in catechesis. These parishioners truly enjoy giving their time, treasure and talent to the Church, and they bring both personal and professional abilities to this service of the Church. For a parish catechetical leader, then, the appearance of volunteers is very welcome. But it also brings challenges with it. Many of these volunteers have not received catechetical formation themselves. How does one begin to go about the task of forming such volunteers? There is a responsibility placed upon catechetical leaders, for as the General Directory for Catechesis rightly says, ‘The quality of any form of pastoral activity is placed at risk if it does not rely on truly competent and trained personnel’ (GDC 234). First, it is of the utmost importance to nourish the spirituality of the catechist. The GDC points out, ‘Every theme covered by formation should feed, in the first place, the faith of the catechist. It is true that catechists catechize others by firstly catechizing themselves’ (GDC 239). Then secondly, as Christ is at the center of the faith, so we might describe the center of catechist formation as ‘to know, to celebrate and to contemplate the mystery of Christ’ (GDC 85), which leads to ‘an aptitude and ability to communicate the Gospel message’ (GDC 235).

The rest of this online article is available for current subscribers.

Start your subscription today!


This article is from The Sower and may be copied for catechetical purposes only. It may not be reprinted in another published work without the permission of Maryvale Institute. Contact [email protected]

Articles from the Most Recent Issue

Teaching the Truth of the Body in a Pastorally Loving Way
By Monica Ashour
Last week, I changed the lives of 36 engaged couples (most of whom are already sexually active) in seven hours. More accurately, God and I changed their lives through Pope St. John Paul II’s theology of the body (TOB). [1] What is it about TOB that reaches others, whether young or old, parent or student, married or single? I’d like to unpack that... Read more
Teaching Variations: How Catechesis Changes in Each of the Four Periods
By William Keimig
The catechetical aspect of the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA) is inseparable from the practical reality it seeks to inform. It is the work of teaching the faith so as to empower people to truly live it in their daily experience. Catechetical sessions cannot be nebulous or theoretical; they must be real and applicable to... Read more
Encountering God in Catechesis— “Bring a Non-Catholic to Mass”
By Catechists' Personal Testimonies
It was a Sunday just like any other. At the end of Mass, the priest said, “Next week, bring a non-Catholic to Mass.” I turned to my wife and whispered, “I have someone in mind.” I had a Chinese coworker whom I will call “John.” He and I often talked about philosophical topics such as the meaning of life. At first, John was an atheist, but through... Read more

Pages