Workshop challenges catechists on ministry

Religious educators, priests and deacons gathered in Latham last week to discuss the challenges they face in their ministries -- as well as to be challenged some more.

The Albany diocesan Office of Evangelization and Catechesis sponsored "Evangelization and Catechesis: Rich Traditions Breaking New Ground," a workshop that drew more than 125 people.

The presenter was Rev. Thomas DeVries, pastor of Ss. Peter and Paul parish in Milwaukee, and the former coordinator of assessment and research for the Office of the Catechism of the United States Catholic Conference.

'Hard times'

According to Father DeVries, religious educators face many challenges, including recruiting and forming catechists, and dealing with a culture that treats religion as superfluous.

"The ministry of religious education has gone through hard times," he said. "At times, it seems the ministry is forgotten through budget cuts. You need to hang in there. You are critical to the Church entering the next millennium."

Additional challenges and opportunities lie ahead for religious educators, he continued.

Paired

The General Directory for Catechesis, a Vatican-produced guide that provides religious educators with a blueprint for their ministry, links catechesis with evangelization. In previous Vatican documents, evangelization and catechesis were distinct and separate.

Catholics may not be comfortable with this pairing, Father DeVries said.

"Evangelization is a word we've been using, but we don't know what it means," he said. "We're more comfortable with catechesis. The Church has always evangelized but hasn't called it that."

Spreading the Word

According to Father DeVries, evangelization means carrying forth of the Good News of Jesus Christ to every sector of the human race so that it may enter into the hearts of the people.

It is, he noted, a process with several stages. The first is the primary proclamation. This is usually missionary activity, which is geared toward non-believers and those who live in religious indifference. The next stage is the initial catechetical activity, which is structured and comprehensive. The third stage is pastoral activity or continuing catechesis.

Catechesis, he said, promotes and matures initial formation. It promotes faith in the person of Jesus Christ, surrender to God and an assent to what God has revealed. And its goal is the formation of a Christian identity or personality.

Conversion

One of the challenging aspects of catechesis is that people approach it with different degrees of knowledge and belief, Father DeVries said.

"We're never sure where that conversion process is," he said. "The first step is to ensure initial conversion."

Conversion, a word Catholics must become comfortable with, "is a life-long process," he said. "Some come to conversion from head knowledge and some from activity. This makes it both exciting and a little sloppy. But everything we do can lead to that initial conversion."

Conversion is one of the challenges facing catechists. He said parents have come to him concerned because their children have gone away to college and joined evangelical churches. When Father DeVries speaks to the college students, they tell him that the evangelical churches shared aspects of the Gospel that they hadn't been exposed to before.

Proclamation

Father DeVries said it is important that catechists are trained in the primary proclamation of the Gospel since it plays an important role in the conversion process.

The primary proclamation of the Gospel, Father DeVries said, is: "We are called to come to know God in Jesus Christ and that Jesus Christ came as Savior."

Community is another challenge catechists face. While there is the formal ministry of catechesis, all Catholics serve as catechists. Father DeVries said he often hears "I don't go to church because it's full of hypocrites." That feeling demonstrates that everyone in the pew has a responsibility to catechize.

Culture can also present a challenge to catechesis. Unless the Church knows the culture people are living in, it can't reach the people. "The culture provides us with symbols, examples and the environment to find God," he said. "People are evangelized within their culture."

Catechists' role

The catechist, Father DeVries said, plays a critical role in evangelization and catechesis.

"I believe the catechist is key to developing and moving people through the conversion process," he said.

In order to help others understand conversion, Father DeVries said parishes must help catechists understand their own spiritual development and conversion. In the past, women religious served as catechists and had the benefit of experiencing spiritual formation. The laity, he said, haven't had that privilege.

"If we're going to be about conversion, [spiritual development] must be part of our catechist formation," he said.

Recruitment

While catechists play a critical role in the process, parishes often have a difficult time recruiting them. "Filling slots with warm bodies may get us through the year, but it won't do anything for our ultimate goal," he said.

Those involved in the ministry of religious education must take responsibility for promoting this vocation. "You need to be challenged to prepare the way and call forth the next generation," he said. "You need to continue to invite people to this vocation."

He suggests that parishes begin with a small group of catechists and build on it each year. This group should be provided with spiritual development.

"Adult formation is key," he said. "You need to be helping adults understand their faith."