The mission and vocation of being a catechist
In The Pope Video for December 2021, the Holy Father invites people to “pray for the catechists, summoned to announce the Word of God: may they be its witnesses, with courage and creativity and in the power of the Holy Spirit.”
Click on the link below to watch The Pope Video »
Pope Francis dedicates the last monthly intention of 2021 to catechists, whose role he recognizes as a service to the mission of the Church: a true vocation. For the Pope, you don’t “work as a catechist,” you “are a catechist.” He emphasizes that it’s necessary for there to be more and more people who proclaim the Gospel “with their life, with gentleness, with a new language, and opening new ways.”
Irish Jesuit Fr Paddy Carberry reflects on the Pope’s intention. He says:
“Catechesis today seeks to find ways of communicating the faith to both adults and children, but in a way that is appropriate for those addressed. It respects the questions that arise for them, and brings a faith perspective into the conversation.
It aims at engaging people on a personal level as well as on the level of intellect, integrating prayer and service with a growth in understanding. This approach demands of catechists that they be attentive listeners and constantly creative. They need the support of our prayers.”