The identity, mission and formation of parish catechists for child catechesis

Abstract

Throughout the centuries the Church has given great importance to the passing on of the tenets of Christianity to the faithful. Teaching about our faith is crucial for the transmission of knowledge and the survival of the Catholic faith. Thus, one can perceive the importance of the role of the catechist for the renewal of our Church. Consequently, the identity and the formation of catechists takes paramount importance, more so as we are experiencing what Baumann (2016) terms as the “liquid society”. Secularization, fast change, and individualism, aided and abetted by an ever-important social media, have changed the rules of the game. Recent studies (Census 2017, Faith and Church Attendance Survey Report 2018) reveal that there is a dwindling participation of the faithful at religious events, such as Sunday mass. Furthermore, the number of catechists has undoubtedly diminished. This indicates that the Church needs to re-evaluate fundamental aspects of the way it is reaching out to the faithful. More importantly, it means that the Church must analyse, evaluate and, if necessary, rethink the way in which it is transmitting its teachings to the younger generation, in this case, children. Hence, the crucial role of the catechist comes into the foreground. The Pontifical Council for Promoting new Evangelization, in its Directory for Catechesis (2020) and the Apostolic Letter of Pope Francis Antiquum Ministerium, emphasizes the importance of the formation of the catechist. It goes on to highlight that in a rapidly changing social culture, along with the plurality of cultures enmeshed in our daily narratives, the catechist needs to be firmly grounded in his or her formation and at the same time, keep constantly updated on concepts, processes and basic aims in order to keep up with this all-encompassing change. The Catechetical Scholar Jayne Ragasa-Mondoy, in her article Three-Dimensional Formation of Catechists, stresses the importance of balance between knowledge, attitude and skill, for any individual. This is more so for the catechist. Ragasa-Mondoy matches the cognitive with knowledge, affective with attitude/being and behavioural with skill. This study will focus upon the importance of call, mission and formation of the catechist. It will contribute towards a greater understanding of the identity, mission and formation of Catholic parish catechists, whilst supporting the spiritual growth of individuals within the Catholic faith community through: Examination of the theological foundations; Outlining the responsibilities; Discussing the necessary skills, and; Analyzing formation initiatives.