PASTORAL LETTER TO RELIGIOUS EDUCATORS
September 1992
Greeting
The World In Which We Live Definition
of Catechesis Arenas of Catechesis
Content of Catechesis Scripture Whom
Do We Catechize Catechetical Roles
Conclusion
Greetings and Christ's peace to you!
We the Bishops of New Jersey from the Latin and Byzantine Catholic traditions write to you as partners in the task of religious education today. We greet all men and women, who with faith and dedication, share with us the ministry of catechesis in the Church of New Jersey. When we look across the dioceses of New Jersey, we are filled with a sense of gratitude and pride as we reflect on the ministry of religious education in the Church today. Paul's words to the newly-baptized Christian, Philemon, echo our prayer for your ministry:
I give thanks to my God always, remembering you in my prayers, as I hear of the love and faith you have in the Lord Jesus and for all the holy ones, so that your partnership in the faith may become effective in recognizing every good there is in us that leads us to Christ. For I have experienced much joy and encouragement from your love, because the hearts of the holy ones have been refreshed. (Philemon 1:3-7)
Our hearts have been refreshed by you, by your love and faith in the Lord Jesus and by the generosity with which you have shared that love with God’s people in the dioceses of New Jersey. We see that love proclaimed and lived in the vibrant Catholic communities of faith in our State.
As bishops, we are aware that catechetical ministry sometimes seems overwhelming. We write to encourage and support you, and to join you in reading the signs of the times that challenge our ministry today. Together, let us draw on our rich heritage and the Gospel message as we look at our current situation and the mission of catechesis.
The mission of catechesis is entrusted to each of us by virtue of our baptismal call. Those who believe in the Lord Jesus are commissioned to make Him known to others. It is no longer sufficient to catechize for an intellectual assent to beliefs, creeds, and doctrine. While these beliefs are integral to our tradition, we need to extend our understanding of what catechesis means. The goal of catechesis is the conversion of the whole person: mind, heart, soul and body to God, Jesus Christ and His Church. Pope John Paul II reminds us that "at the heart of catechesis we find in essence, a Person, the Person of Jesus of Nazareth" (Catechesis Tradendae p.6). In other words, catechesis is Christ-centered; it is living and learning in the midst of a Christian community that shares, nurtures, and strengthens the faith of the individuals who make up the Church. Let us now look at the world in which we live through a lens formed, informed and transformed by the Gospel message.
SECTION II: The World in Which We Live
As together we approach the Twenty-First Century, we reflect on our positions as Catholic Christians in the contemporary world. When we look at this world, we realize it is developing and changing at a rapid pace. In the past few years, we have seen the collapse of the Berlin Wall, freedom and liberation from communism in many European countries, and the rise and fall of political systems overnight. We have gone through the Persian Gulf War and have had to come to grips with the tragic AIDS crisis. We have experienced new trends in economic systems, and we see both the positive and negative effects of capitalism in our own country. Developments in technology and the influence of the media continue to shape our daily living. We have become increasingly aware of our planet Earth. Scientists have begun to discover the great age of our planet, the vastness and complexity of outer space as it surrounds us, and the universal laws that govern all matter and energy. This new knowledge confirms God's immanence in all creation.
At the same time, we respond to new efforts toward global awareness with renewed appreciation for all races and cultures with whom we share our earthly home. Reflecting on our position in time and space, we are awed by the power of the Christian message to give meaning to our existence. We are persons of faith, confident that the message and ministry of Jesus Christ can be applied to our time as it has been for each of the twenty centuries before us. In Catechesis Tradendae, John Paul II writes:
Our ongoing task as a Church is to make relevant again and again the Good News of God's reign in the present moment . . ."The power of the Gospel everywhere transforms and regenerates. When that power enters into a culture, it is no surprise that it rectifies many of its elements. There would be no catechesis if it were the Gospel that had to change when it came into contact with the culture." (Catechesis Tradendae, p.43)
In the manner of Jesus, catechetical leaders are called to be attuned to the signs of the times. If the Gospel message is to be proclaimed, heard, and lived in these times, we must engage in a conversation with the culture that surrounds us. We are called to critique culture as we prepare Christians to live and act as disciples of Jesus Christ in the modern world. We need to educate for a critical consciousness that invites people to reflect on the systems and the world in which we live. We must never be timid in the affirmation of our Catholic beliefs, our moral values, and our social teachings.
As bishops, we are aware of the many issues and needs within our nation and our State of New Jersey. We have reflected on, studied and responded to many contemporary issues as a National Conference, most notably in our Pastoral letters, The Challenge of Peace; Economic Justice for All; Brothers and Sisters to Us, (which challenges us to reach out to Afro-Americans); The Hispanic Presence: Challenge and Commitment; along with the National Pastoral Plan for Hispanic Ministry and the National Black Catholic Congress Pastoral Plan. These are responses of which we can be proud. They call us to speak out as we face many of the complex issues in our world.
In our State of New Jersey, too many people are victimized by the injustices of the social and economic system in which we live. We see this in the continued rise of unemployment, homelessness, violence, drug abuse, and poverty that affect the lives of us all. The Gospel message and our Catholic social teaching call us to respond to these needs. It is not enough to educate for justice and peace; we must also examine our own practices as a Church to make sure that we, too, are living and acting justly.
The Church, as the voice of Christ in the world today, can and must be the voice of life, all human life from the unborn to the dying. Life is sacred, a gift of God, and all educational efforts must raise a consciousness and teach a respect for the image of God in all of God's creation. We especially call attention to the issues of abortion and the need for catechetical efforts to raise the profound concern that God is the Creator of all life and we are stewards of His creation. As Christians, and by virtue of our baptism, we are called to be signs to the world of the story of that world's redemption in Christ. In an age in which human life and human dignity are subservient to consumerism and self-gratification, this great Paschal Myster stands as an affirmation of our material world and our sexual nature. We call our attention to the U.S. Bishops' recent pastoral letter, Human Sexuality: A Catholic Perspective for Education and Life Long Learning in which we write:
"The annunciation, birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ serve as a divine affirmation of the goodness and lovableness of humanity." (p.10).
Our Church has always been a welcoming home for all human beings from every race, color, and ethnic background. Together we form that unity which is the Body of Christ. All people are called to participate in the task of proclaiming the Kingdom of God in Jesus Christ by the power of His unifying spirit. By living together in love and mutual respect, we must work to overcome and eliminate any barrier which exists as a result of racial prejudice or economic status. To this end, we acknowledge the unique gifts of all ethnic groups which make the Church of New Jersey truly Catholic, a microcosm of the Church Universal. Finally, we pledge ourselves to continue to speak out fearlessly against all residual forms of racism within the Church and society and to work for an end to these oppressive structures and attitudes.
Within our Church community, we realize that there are many who have been alienated, hurt and neglected. We speak especially to women, whose needs and aspirations have been voiced so eloquently in our own diocesan commissions and in conversations with the National Conference of Bishops. We acknowledge the extraordinary contributions of women in this Church of New Jersey, specifically in our universities, schools and catechetical programs.
We call upon women, both religious and lay, to continue to speak out and bring a feminine voice to bear on the concerns of our day. Each of us needs to look again at the contributions of women, who like Mary, have responded to God's invitation to bring forth the Word.
In New Jersey, as elsewhere, the traditional family is facing serious challenges. In the past, families lived within supportive communities, holding values consistent with Christian belief. Families were basically secure, extended, and stable. Today, families struggle to keep themselves together as a unit in the midst of strenuous economic and social pressures. Marriages are breaking up and many single parents must raise their children alone. Children often become the victims and are forced to face an adult world at a young age. The more we learn about family systems, the more we understand that many of the people who make up our Catholic families are hurting and in need of healing. Local parishes need to reaffirm the indissolubility of marriage and to recognize the family as the domestic church and minister to its needs.
Today's society is immersed in a complex culture that shapes its world view. Most lives are media-centered. Many of the memories and stories that form and inform people's lives come from the many hours they watch television. Catechists and parish leaders must find new and exciting ways to capture the media-centered minds of their people if the message of Jesus Christ is to be heard and lived today. Therefore, we encourage and invite parishes and those involved in the catechetical ministry to create and imagine new models that make use of the media in catechesis.
"In response to these challenges, we desire to do what Jesus did: go to the places where people are. There we can enter into dialogue and lead them into a new vision of themselves, God, others and the world."
"The values proclaimed by Jesus Christ are not expressed by structures and institutions if they are not lived by men and women. Jesus is not the way, the truth and the life for corporate abstractions like 'government,' 'business,' and 'religious groups' but for human beings. Yet, people live in and depend upon communities and social structures of many kinds; and so the reason for cherishing moral values in families, nations, and the community of nations, and the test of how well they are fostered there, are individual human lives lived according to God's will for us made manifest in Jesus Christ." (To Live in Jesus Christ, p. 38)
SECTION III: Definition of Catechesis
". . . For our Gospel did not come to you in word alone, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with much conviction. You know what sort of people we were among you for your sake. And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, receiving the work in great affliction, with joy from the Holy Spirit, so that you became a model for all the believers . . ." (I Thessalonians, 1:5-7)
The early Church used the word "catechesis" to describe the process which instruction in the faith was to assume: learning to imitate the faith and lifestyle of the believing community. Those being catechized were to echo the teaching of the catechist in word and deed. The teaching had to inspire imitation. The witnessing community had to live in accord with the teachings of the Gospel. When, and only when, Christians' lifestyles were in keeping with what was taught did Christianity have the power of attracting and convincing others.
Catechesis, through the centuries, has had its roots in the two sources from which all Christian doctrine is born: Scripture and Tradition. In our own day, the Second Vatican Council placed in clear focus the primary function of the Church as teacher. What is most distinctive about the documents of this Council is the insistence upon the integration of Christian teaching and proclamation into the whole pattern of human life in all its aspects. This historic Council recognized that "catechesis" is an important part of the mission of the Church to preach the Gospel. Used in its widest context, the term "catechesis" includes evangelization and the proclamation of the Good News of the Paschal Mystery. Thus the arena of catechesis includes the unbeliever as well as the faithful. It not only leads the unbeliever to conversion but also calls each one of us to ongoing conversion.
Thus, one may view catechesis as faith education. This education includes within its context a certain amount of schooling or information, but it requires much more. It demands the formation of the individual which stems from a deep and intimate association of that person with a faith community. One learns to live the life of a community through immersion in its worship, its prayer life, and its social action. Furthermore, catechesis needs that transforming activity of the Spirit of God whose final accomplishment is the transformation of the individual and the community into the body of the risen and living Lord. This transformation carries with it the empowerment to proclaim and to live the Good News, as noted in "The Dogmatic Constitution on the Church," the ability to be the sacrament of universal salvation for the world. (Abbott, p.79) Hence, catechesis is a profoundly social event. Only as a people are we able to catechize. Every aspect of the shared life of a parish community contributes to the catechesis of the people. In other words, it is not enough to say that a parish community should have a catechetical process. Instead, every parish community is a catechetical process. Pope John Paul II echoes this sentiment when he states:
"A person who has given adherence to Jesus Christ by faith and is endeavoring to consolidate that faith by catechesis needs to live in communion with those who have taken the same step. Catechesis runs the risk of becoming barren if no community of faith and Christian life takes the catechumen in at a certain stage of his catechesis. That is why the ecclesial community at all levels has a two-fold responsibility with regard to catechesis: it has the responsibility of providing for the training of its members, but it also has the responsibility of welcoming them into an environment where they can live as fully as possible what they have learned."
"Catechesis is likewise open to missionary dynamism. If catechesis is done well, Christians will be eager to bear witness to their faith, to hand it on to their children, to make it known to others, and to serve the human community in every way." (Catechesis Tradendae, #24)
SECTION IV: Arenas of Catechesis
The
Faith Community and the Individual
Catechesis takes place in the context of the life of the community,
life handed down from one generation to the next by actions and words. The actions are those of a worshipping, caring community
formed by the Word of God.
Members of the community become enculturated by the community and are
incorporated into it as they internalize the values and attitudes lived around
them. Every aspect of life in the
community conveys meaning about the faith that holds the community together.
In this sense, the Church itself is a sacrament, an effective sign to
those within, as well as those outside, of all that it believes.
For most Catholics, the faith community is found in the local parish.
The task for the parish, then, is to provide many and varied
opportunities for individuals to experience ongoing conversion.
Good liturgy, effective preaching, opportunities for adult discussion,
retreats, and days of renewal are all ways that the local parish can nurture the
faith of individuals and the community.
The Eucharistic liturgy stands at the center of our life together.
In the rites and symbols of liturgy, the meaning of the community’s
story is conveyed in a powerful way to the participants.
“A fully Christian life cannot be conceived without participation in the liturgical services in which the faithful, gathered into a single assembly, celebrate the Paschal mystery . . . It is not right to separate such liturgical and eucharistic formation from the general and Christian education of children.” (Directory for Masses with Children, #8)
The experience of the Sunday assembly is a significant means of liturgical and Eucharistic formation for adults as well as children. Parishes should develop a variety of ways to include parishioners of all ages in the planning, preparation and celebration of the liturgy. Parishes that celebrate liturgy with joy and reverence experience growth in attendance because people are attracted to a lively community worshipping together. Here conversion, catechesis, and renewal flow from the initial impact of the liturgy.
The starting point of any sacramental catechesis is liturgy. The law of belief dictates the law of worship. Our public prayer expresses what we believe. At the same time, liturgy helps us reflect on and appropriate these beliefs. The ongoing process of conversion is sparked by the opportunities that liturgy provides for hearing and celebrating the Gospel message. Marking the seasons and feasts of the Church calendar expresses the rhythm of the Christian life in colors, sounds, and symbols that speak to the creative imagination.
By listening to the stories of the People of God in Scripture, we can make connections with our own life stories. This process is enhanced by the homily and by opportunities to “break open the Word” in classes and sharing groups.
An emphasis on our Baptismal vocation forms the basis for all sacramental catechesis. This becomes evident when we recall that the Rite of Christian Initiation, promulgated in 1972, signaled an important shift in how the Catholic community was being called to view itself, as well as in how it welcomes new members. The rite states that catechumens and candidates are formed in and with the community of faith: “Therefore the community must always be fully prepared in the pursuit of its apostolic vocation to give help to those who are searching for Christ.” (RCIA #9)
We must therefore be ever mindful that, like the initiation process, the entire process of sacramental preparation "must bear a markedly paschal character, since the initiation of Christians is the first sacramental sharing in Christ's dying and rising." (RCIA #8) In all of our sacramental preparation, the kerygma must be proclaimed in a way that elicits a profound response to the gift of salvation and to the cross which bears that gift.
In like manner, preparation for the celebration of Eucharist and Confirmation is most appropriately done within the parish community. At the present time, liturgists and religious educators are discussing the timing and sequence of the sacraments of initiation for children. While the outcome of this debate may bring changes in parish practice, we need to remember that these sacraments are initiatory. They do not imply the completion of catechesis but rather its beginning. Therefore, we take seriously the period of mystagogia or post-sacramental catechesis as a time of ongoing catechesis for all who are baptized. We once again affirm the Church's position that the first reception of the sacrament of Reconciliation, which like the sacraments of initiation is appropriately prepared for within the parish community, should be celebrated before first Eucharist, though preferably not immediately before it. In this way, we continue to acknowledge that we are a reconciling people ever in need of reconciliation.
The Family
The family is the first locus where many aspects of faith are learned, interpreted, and lived. Family catechesis, therefore, precedes, accompanies, and enriches all other forms of catechesis.
The smallest cell of the faith community, the family, should most often be the arena in which individual transformation takes place. Families of all types need the support and enrichment of parish communities committed to their catechesis. This support includes programming and scheduling appropriate for families: intergenerational learning opportunities, support groups for family members in crisis, marriage enrichment and parenting courses. New and creative ways to catechize are being developed to meet the needs of families in contemporary society. The National Conference of Bishops reminds us that "the Church needs to invite all to hear the Good News and to listen with open heart and open mind to families as they struggle with the complexities of today's living." (A Family Perspective in Church and Society, p.7)
Small Communities
Neighborhood gatherings of families and individuals also offer a rich opportunity for socialization that can lead to catechesis at all levels. Much can be learned from the experience of the Latin American communidades de base about the impact of shared faith in small Christian communities. It is often in such a context that individual conversion of heart takes place. In our State, where many do not live with their extended families, the formation of small Christian communities can be an especially effective way of bringing about such a conversion.
As the Church has learned through the implementation of the catechumenate, the small group provides a setting in which mutual trust leads to the sharing of faith stories in the light of the Gospel story. Here Scripture and the tradition of the Church are shared in a setting in which connections can be made to the lived experience of the participants. The planning and leadership of such groups is a challenge parishes face today.
The School and Religious Education Programs
Within the life of the Christian community, one of the arenas for catechesis is the classroom mode. This takes place in our parochial schools and in our parish religious education programs. All efforts to provide catechesis using this schooling model receive their mandate from the Church and act in service to the Christian community. Maintaining a sense of community in these settings is essential. Strong ties to the worshipping community are needed if the dynamic progression of formation, information, and transformation is to remain viable. The classroom can be an effective arena for transmitting information about the Christian tradition.
The idea catechetical program in each diocese and parish will provide many options for individuals, options suggested here and options still to be developed in response to changing circumstances in the future. Only by being open to the action of the Spirit in every arena and time can the Church "teach as Jesus did."
SECTION V: The Content of Catechesis Scripture
Scripture
The content of catechesis is the Good News of Jesus Christ announcing the Kingdom of God. Catholics through the ages have found this truth proclaimed in two venerable areas of study: Scripture and Tradition.
Sacred Scripture, especially as proclaimed in the Sunday assembly, is the richest source of our understanding of Jesus and His message. Catechesis, based on the lectionary, is often an avenue to an ever-deepening conversion to Jesus Christ.
Tradition
The Tradition of the Church, developed in response to that Gospel message, is a venerable gift to us from the past. The sacraments, prayers and rituals of the Catholic tradition, constantly being renewed, mark the passages of our lives and express in imagery the deepest meaning of our faith.
Christology, ecclesiology, and Mariology have developed over the centuries and have been refined by the Church councils. Each of these fields of study, as well as moral theology and spirituality, informs our understanding of the truths we know in our hearts.
This is not the place to reiterate all the facets of doctrine to be included in a complete catechesis. Many notable compendia of Church teaching are available to catechetical planners. Newly revised and approved editions are published regularly, including the work being done on the Universal Catechism. Basic references to be consulted include the General Catechetical Directory issued by the Sacred Congregation for the Clergy, and Basic Teachings for Catholic Religious Education and Sharing the Light of Faith, both published by the National Conference of Bishops.
SECTION VI: Whom Do We Catechize?
The ministry of catechesis is addressed to all members of the Body of Christ. We name here our concerns for the catechesis of adults, youth, persons with special needs and children. These groups must learn to speak with each other as they share the Good News of Jesus Christ in the present age.
Adults
"The primary reason for adult catechesis-its first and essential objective-is to help adults themselves grow to maturity of faith as members of the Church and society.," (National Catholic Directory #40)
We concur with the General Catechetical Directory that adult catechesis is the summit of the entire catechetical enterprise. (General Catechetical Directory, #38) Adults are able to reflect upon their life experience as they seek to hear and live the Gospel message in today's world. Parishes are encouraged to seek new ways to help adults in their journey of faith. Efforts to make connections and begin conversations with their experiences will enhance adult growth and faith development.
Today, more than ever, the conversation must extend beyond classroom models of adult learning into the arenas of adult life. Special efforts to uncover the needs of adults in areas of spirituality, life-cycle, ethics in the marketplace, Gospel values, parenting and family values will help adults make connections with the Church's teachings and the Gospel message.
Persons with Special Needs
We call to mind with great gratitude the gifts that persons with disabilities bring to the Church. Persons with physical, mental, and developmental limitations have many strengths to share with the community. Parishes are encouraged to provide opportunities for such persons to participate and to assume leadership roles in the life of the community. Access to worship and education are basic rights of the entire community. Regional and diocesan services can supplement parish efforts in providing opportunities such as sign language interpreters, social events, retreats, and days of recollection for special groups.
Our catechetical efforts also need to reach out to those who are homebound or institutionalized because of age, illness, disability, or imprisonment. Each person is worthy of outreach by the Christian community, acting as Jesus did to bring healing of body and spirit to all who suffer.
Youth Ministry:
Youth are an integral part of the ministry of the Church. Youth ministry is one that includes word, worship, community, service and healing. It challenges us "to help reveal the Christ of the Gospel and to exhibit our faith in community and in personal relationships." (USCC, A Vision of Youth Ministry, p. 5) We must make every effort to satisfy that genuine hunger found in our young people with the Good News of Jesus Christ. We must see to it that our faith communities are equipped to share the richness of the Gospel message with the youth of today, for they are the promise of the future.
Adolescence is a crucial period of life, and every effort must be made to develop a ministry that is hospitable to these young people at this time of uprootedness and uncertainty in their lives. We must be to adolescents a community of care and concern that welcomes and accepts them, and, at the same time, challenges them to commit themselves to the broader vision of the Reign of God.
During this period of human development, catechesis can be directed to help these young people understand and interpret the world and the culture which have a great influence on their lives. In turn, equipped with the Gospel message, they are to become a positive influence on that world and that culture. We encourage parishes to make every effort to provide vital youth ministry programs that evangelize and catechize. These catechetical programs should also present the challenges of religious and priestly vocations to the young.
Children
In the early states of catechesis, the formation of children in the community of faith is of paramount importance. Children can find in the Church a community of welcome and an example of belief, trust, and life in the Lord Jesus. As the community welcomes the young child, it shares it rich tradition through memory and story.
We acknowledge that this is being done in our parish-based religious education programs and in our Catholic schools. Each of these efforts has taught the faith for many generations. We affirm these two great schooling models and give our support and resources to their continued ministry. We also call for creative new ways to move beyond these two models of catechesis in response to societal changes. As is the case with its adult counterpart, the process of preparing children to receive the sacraments of initiation through small group sharing, peer ministry, and lectionary-based catechesis offers us new challenging ways to evangelize and catechize our children.
SECTION VII: Catechetical Roles
Bishops
"This task of catechesis, not an easy one, must be carried out under the guidance of the magesterium of the Church, whose duty it is to safeguard the truth of the divine message, and to watch that the ministry of the word uses appropriate forms of speaking, and prudently considers the help which theological research and human sciences can give." Thus, the bishop holds the primary position of authority over the programs of catechesis. (National Catholic Directory #47, p. 25)
As bishops, we are concerned that the mission of catechesis is carried out in every aspect of Church life and witness in the State of New Jersey and that it is in harmony with the teaching and guidance of the Holy Father. In Vatican II, we read:
"Bishops should devote themselves to their apostolic office as witnesses of Christ to all men (and women) . . . When they exercise their teaching role, bishops should proclaim the Gospel of Christ to men (women). This is one of the principal duties of bishops. Fortified by the Spirit, they should call on men (women) to believe or should strengthen them when they already have a living faith." (Decree on Bishops #11 and #12)
United with our Holy Father, we share by virtue of our teaching office this special mission for the Church. We are reminded and challenged by Pope John Paul's exhortation to bishops:
"Your principal role will be to bring about and maintain in your Churches a real passion for catechesis, a passion embodied in a pertinent and effective organization, putting into operation the necessary personnel, means and equipment, and also financial resources. You can be sure that if catechesis is done well in your local Churches, everything else will be easier to do." (Catechesi Tradendae, #63)
Pastors
Pastors are encouraged to recognize joyfully their role as the primary catechist in their parishes, a mission inherent in their office. As spiritual leaders of the local faith community, pastors have the responsibility of assuring that everything the parish says and does is, in effect, catechesis, aimed at sharing a living relationship with Jesus Christ. Special attention to specific parish religious education programs should be a priority for pastors. They must also examine how the Word of God is proclaimed, taught, prayed and witnessed in the parish community. Pastors should also work with all those involved in the catechetical ministry, offering them encouragement, spiritual guidance and resources to catechize effectively. We invite pastors to encourage all the baptized to reflect on their call to evangelize and catechize in all they do as Christians.
Parents
We can never forget the role of parents in the mission of catechesis. The "Declaration on Christian Education" recalls Pope Pius XI's statement that "parents must be acknowledged as the first and foremost educators of their children." (Abbott, p. 64, #3) They model the Christian life to their children by virtue of their prayer, worship and witness. Parishes are challenged to look at new ways to support and promote this special responsibility of parents.
Diocesan and Parish Catechetical Leaders
We deeply appreciate the many women and men who serve the Church in the ministry of Director of Religious Education on both the diocesan and the parish level. Those persons who perform the formal task of being the Diocesan Director of Religious Education act as the official representative of the Bishop who is the primary catechist of the diocese. We must do all in our power to enable them to maintain professional competence in their field of expertise, to continue to develop and maintain a deep sense of spirituality and commitment, and to remain faithful to their call to serve the Lord and His Church in the areas of catechesis.
In turn, we honor the commitment and dedication of the parish catechetical leaders as professional religious educators in the Church today. Because of the complexities of the catechetical mission, parishes must continue to seek, support, and prepare professional Directors of Religious Education. We encourage their studies in theology and religious education. We encourage their ongoing spiritual development as they continue to lead others to renewal. We encourage them to take courses in theology and catechetics and to make time in their lives for spiritual direction and renewal. We remind them that they will find great enrichment in their own faith life.
Catechists
Our appreciation is also extended to all those involved in the formal activity we call religious education. We are aware of the many challenges and issues that confront them each day in parish programs. Catechists are at the core of the teaching ministry. Their lived examples of faith nurture the faith of the people with whom they share ministry. We urge them to "take as a model, Christ the teacher whose whole life was continual teaching." (Catechesi Tradendae #9) We encourage them to take courses in theology and catechetics and to make time in their lives for spiritual direction and renewal. We remind them that they will find great enrichment in their own faith life.
Catholic School Teachers and Personnel
We are also grateful to teachers and personnel in Catholic schools. In the environment of the Catholic school, we find present all the opportunities for the most effective catechesis. In the school community, our young people can be immersed in a Catholic way of life. We encourage Catholic school teachers to continue this ministry with the spirit and enthusiasm of the Word that has enlivened our school communities for so many years.
"Now the way of the Gospel opens before you, inviting you to make a new beginning." (Rite of Acceptance into the Order of Catechumens, #52,A)
Taken from the Rite of Becoming a Catechumen (RCIA), this offers us a challenge as the Dioceses of New Jersey move toward Christianity's third millennium and the third century of the practice of the faith in this part of the New World. This letter invites us to make a new beginning, renewing our own baptismal commitment in the journey of faith lived in the Catholic Church. The Gospel challenges us to move forward in faith, hope and love. "The most valuable gift that the Church can offer to the bewildered and restless world of our times is to form within it Christians who are confirmed in what is essential and who are humbly joyful in our faith." (Catechesi Tradendae, #61) This letter has invited us to look at catechesis through a new lens extending beyond our past limited understanding. We have been challenged to look at our entire Catholic way of life as catechesis.
Led and strengthened by the Holy Spirit, we move together with a vision and determination. We do so in the knowledge that there are within our dioceses many positive achievements worthy of support and praise. We rejoice that we have much to affirm:
--- The pastoral development of an effective sacramental catechesis that bonds families and candidates to the parish community.
--- The catechetical efforts of our dioceses and parishes to respond to the faith development of people who come to our State with various cultures and languages.
--- The Christian formation of educators and students in both our Catholic schools and in our parish-based religious education programs which includes spiritual, intellectual, and educational development leading to catechetical certification.
--- The development of life-long catechesis that includes children, youth and adults.
--- The commitment to a comprehensive and effective catechesis.
--- The emergence of the catechumenate as a model for initiation into the Church as well as for catechesis itself.
--- The valuable presence of so many qualified catechetical leaders on both the diocesan and parish levels.
--- A parish catechesis that awakens the whole community to its responsibility for the growth of faith in Christ.
--- The esteemed contributions of our Catholic colleges and universities, seminaries, retreat centers and houses of women and men religious in the spiritual, pastoral and educational formation of catechetical leaders and volunteer catechists.
At the same time, some specific challenges deserve special attention as we journey toward the future. These are some of the challenges we face:
--- To promote the unity, fidelity, and permanence of marriage.
--- To assist parents in their role as primary catechists of their children.
--- To make the priority given to young adults and adult catechesis a practical reality in our parishes.
--- To discover ways to expand the catechesis of adolescents so that it does not end with reception of Confirmation.
--- To press on with the search for innovative and creative models for catechesis adapted to new needs.
--- To confront the challenge of religious literacy.
--- To initiate and strengthen catechetical programs with and for persons with disabilities.
--- To have available to every parish the services of a qualified catechetical leader.
--- To continue to support the training of personnel and the level of curriculum offerings necessary to maintain the high quality of religious education programs in Catholic schools.
--- To reach out to families in which neither the adults nor the children have been catechized.
Lastly, dear partners in the mission of catechesis, let us say that this letter continues the conversation begun in the ministry and message of Jesus Christ. Again, we thank you for your dedication to the catechetical ministry in our State of New Jersey. We look forward to meeting these challenges together.
We conclude this letter by looking to Mary, Disciple and Mother of God. Mary was the first disciple of the New Testament to hear God's Word, to reflect on its meaning in her life and times, and to respond with a resound "Yes." Mary's life and witness can serve for us as a model for catechesis in the Church today. "Mary is a living catechism and the mother and model of catechists." (Catechesi Tradendae, #73)
To all who share in this ministry: "The hearts of the holy ones have been refreshed by you." (Philemon 1:7)
BIBLIOGRAPHY
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