FROM THE DIOCESAN COORDINATOR

Easter blessings to all our Catechists and Parish Catechist Coordinators across the Diocese. I hope you have enjoyed a beautiful autumn break during these school holidays. Many of you joined us for Ongoing Classroom Management training during the holidays. It was inspiring to see so many catechists complete this compulsory training and its always a joy when catechists come together.

The season of Easter provides us with the perfect opportunity to spread joy in our SRE classes and breathe new life into the hearts and minds of the children and young people we teach. In these days more than ever before, children and young people need to know the love of Christ and to know that they are loved immeasurably. Our lessons must deliver a message of love, and of forgiveness, mercy and peace.

Christian faith brings hope for the future and your students may be inspired with hope if you bring the love of the risen Lord into your classes.

You can bring the Walking with Jesus lessons to life in so many ways, using storytelling, drama, music, meditation, craft, and symbolism to assist the learning process. For the Easter season leading into Pentecost, bring yellow and white flowers from the garden to adorn your sacred spaces and holy water to bless the children. Use the language of ‘new life’ Light a candle (battery in the classroom). Talk about Easter eggs that are a symbol of new life. At Pentecost, introduce red flowers to your sacred space as we focus on the Holy Spirit in our lives.