Catechists
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“Men and women from various backgrounds are called to share in the Church’s catechetical mission. Most are volunteers. They bring a wide diversity of talents and abilities to their task. They have widely divergent levels of experience and competence in catechesis. Programs of formation should be designed to help them acquire the knowledge and skills they need to hand on the faith to those entrusted to their care and assist them as disciples of Christ” (NDC 548-8).
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The nature and goal of the formation of catechists
Over the centuries, the Church has never neglected to give priority to the formation of catechists. At the beginning of Christianity, formation, which was lived in experiential form, revolved around the vital encounter with Jesus Christ, proclaimed with authenticity and witnessed to in life. The witness's character became the salient feature of the whole formative process, which gradually introduced the believer to the mystery of the Church’s faith. Above all, in a period like the present, it is essential to consider the rapidity of social change and the plurality of cultures with the challenges that stem from this. This highlights that the formation of catechists requires particular attention because the quality of pastoral initiatives is necessarily connected to the persons who bring them into being. In the face of the complexity and demands of the time in which we live, it is appropriate that particular churches devote sufficient energies and resources to the formation of catechists. (DC 130)
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