St. Theresa of Avila said, “Christ has no body on earth but yours; no hands, but yours; no feet but yours.”  While he lived on earth, Jesus sent disciples out in pairs to help in his work of evangelization.  We believe that today he is calling adults and teens of our parish to be catechists, co-catechists, and class aides who prepare the minds and hearts of children to hear and respond to the Good News throughout their lives. St. Raphael has been blessed with many dedicated catechists who share our faith with the children and teens of our parish, but we are in need of many more catechists.

Why become a catechist?

• Perhaps you have already been thinking about how you might further answer Jesus’ call to share the Good News.  Perhaps you enjoy mentoring children and helping them to grow in knowledge, love, and service of Christ and his Church.
• Catechists reinforce something which I am also continually learning myself, that teaching others about our Catholic faith deepens my own understanding, appreciation, clarity and love for our faith.
• The Directory for Catechesis rightly notes that “catechesis for adults, since it deals with persons who are capable of an adherence that is fully responsible, must be considered the chief form of catechesis.  All the other forms, which are indeed always necessary, are in some way oriented to it.” #77
• This is why our textbooks include tremendous faith formation resources for the catechist themselves as they prepare each week’s lesson.  The weekly preparation includes a 3-Minute Retreat, Scripture background, notes from our Catholic Tradition, and correlations to Catholic Social Teaching, as well as detailed lesson plans.  In addition, there is an introductory section on how to be an effective catechist.

The Nature of Catechesis

Catechesis is “a dynamic and complex reality at the service of the Word of God, it is accompaniment, education, and formation in the faith and for the faith, an introduction to the celebration of the Mystery, illumination and interpretation of human life and history.” – Directory for Catechesis #55

Goals of Catechesis

“At the center of every process of catechesis is the living encounter with Christ.  ‘Accordingly, the definitive aim of catechesis is to put people not only in touch but in communion, in intimacy, with Jesus Christ: only he can lead us to the love of the Father in the Spirit and make us share in the life of the Holy Trinity.’” #75

Tasks of Catechesis

“In order to achieve its goals, catechesis pursues several interconnected tasks that are inspired by the way in which Jesus formed his disciples: he got them to know the mysteries of the Kingdom, taught them to pray, proposed to them gospel values, initiated them into the life of communion with him and among themselves, and into mission.” #79