PREFACE

The course of catechesis in recent decades has been marked by the apostolic exhortation Catechesi Tradendae. This text not only represents the journey accomplished starting from the renewal of the Second Vatican Council, it distils the contributions of numerous bishops from around the world gathered at the Synod of 1977. To use the words of that document, catechesis “has the twofold objective of maturing the initial faith and of educating the true disciple of Christ by means of a deeper and more systematic knowledge of the person and the message of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 . This is an arduous task that does not allow for rigid distinctions between the various phases involved in the catechetical process. In any case the goal, although it is a demanding one, remains unchanged especially in the cultural context of recent decades. Catechesis, again with reference to the text from St John Paul II, is intended “to develop, with God’s help, an as yet initial faith, and to advance in fulness and to nourish day by day the Christian life of the faithful, young and old. It is in fact a matter of giving growth, at the level of knowledge and in life, to the seed of faith sown by the Holy Spirit with the initial proclamation and effectively transmitted by Baptism” 2 . In this way, catechesis remains rooted in the solid tradition that has characterised the history of Christianity since its origins. It endures as a unique formative activity of the Church that out of respect for the different age groups of believers strives to keep the Gospel of Jesus Christ relevant so that it may provide support for a coherent witness.

This Directory for Catechesis is situated in dynamic continuity with the two that preceded it. On 18th March 1971, St Paul VI approved the General Catechetical Directory prepared by the Congregation for the Clergy. That Directory distinguished itself as the first systematic presentation of the teaching that emerged from the Second Vatican Council (cf CD 44). It should not be forgotten that St Paul VI considered all of conciliar teaching

1 CT 19 2 CT 20

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as the “great catechism of modern times” 3 . The decree Christus Dominus, in any case, offered detailed and prescient guidelines concerning catechesis. The Council Fathers said, “The bishops should present Christian doctrine in a manner adapted to the needs of the times, that is to say, in a manner that will respond to the difficulties and questions by which people are especially burdened and troubled. [...] They should also strive to make use of the various media at hand nowadays for proclaiming Christian doctrine, namely, first of all, preaching and catechetical instruction which always hold the first place [...] Bishops should take pains that catechetical instruction - which is intended to make the faith, as illumined by teaching, a vital, explicit and effective force in the lives of men - be given with sedulous care to both children and adolescents, youths and adults. In this instruction a suitable arrangement should be observed as well as a method suited to the matter that is being treated and to the character, ability, age, and circumstances of the life of the students. Finally, they should see to it that this instruction is based on Sacred Scripture, tradition, the liturgy, magisterium, and life of the Church.

“Moreover, they should take care that catechists be properly trained for their function so that they will be thoroughly acquainted with the doctrine of the Church and will have both a theoretical and a practical knowledge of the laws of psychology and of pedagogical methods.

“Bishops should also strive to renew or at least adapt in a better way the instruction of adult catechumens.” (CD 13-14).

As can be noted, this teaching contains normative criteria for the constant renewal of catechesis, which cannot remain an activity disconnected from the historical and cultural context in which it is carried out. One tangible sign of this is the fact that its first development was the institution on 7th June 1973 of the International Council for Catechesis, a body through which various experts from around the world help the competent Dicastery to bring attention to the needs present in the different Churches, so that catechesis may be ever better fitted to the ecclesial, cultural and historical fabric.

3

Paul VI, Speech to the participants in the general assembly of the Italian Episcopal Conference (23rd June 1966).

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On the thirtieth anniversary of the Council, 11th October 1992, St John Paul II published the Catechism of the Catholic Church. In his words, “This catechism is not intended to replace the local catechisms [...] It is meant to encourage and assist in the writing of new local catechisms, which must take into account various situations and cultures” 4 . As a result, on 15th August 1997 the General Directory for Catechesis was published. The tremendous work that has been carried out following this publication is plain to see. The vast and differentiated world of catechesis has received further positive impetus to bring new studies to life that foster a better understanding of the pedagogical and formative requirements of catechesis, above all in the light of a renewed interpretation of the catechumenate. Many episcopal conferences, through the needs that have arisen, have brought to life new programmes of catechesis for different age groups. From children to adults, from young people to families, there has been a further renewal of catechesis.

On 23rd March 2020 Pope Francis approved the new Directory for Catechesis which we have the honour and the responsibility of presenting to the Church. It represents a further stage in the dynamic renewal that catechesis carries out. After all, catechetical studies and the constant efforts of many episcopal conferences have led to achievements that are highly significant for the life of the Church and the maturing of believers, and require a new systematic presentation.

A brief historical overview shows that each Directory has been produced as a follow-up to certain important documents of the Magisterium. The first had conciliar teaching as its point of reference; the second, the Catechism of the Catholic Church; and ours, the Synod on The New Evangelisation for the Transmission of the Christian Faith, together with the apostolic exhortation of Pope Francis Evangelii Gaudium. All three texts have the same questions in common, namely the goals and tasks of catechesis, while each is characterised by changes in historical context and the implementation of the Magisterium. The first and second Directories are separated by a span of twenty-six years; the second and ours by twenty-three. In some ways, the chronology

4 John Paul II, Apostolic Constitution Fidei depositum (11th October 1992), IV. 17

shows how demanding is the historical dynamic that must be addressed. A closer look at the cultural context brings out the new problems with which the Church is being called to live: two in particular. The first is the phenomenon of digital culture, which brings along with it a second implication, the globalisation of culture. Both of these are so interconnected that they shape each other and produce phenomena that highlight a radical change in the lives of people. The need for formation that pays attention to the individual often seems to become blurred as one-size-fits-all models take hold. The temptation to adapt to forms of international standardisation is a risk that is not to be underestimated, especially in the context of formation in the life of faith. Faith, in fact, is transmitted through interpersonal connection and is nourished within the circle of the community. The need to express the faith with liturgical prayer and to bear witness to it with the power of charity entails going beyond the fragmentary nature of specific initiatives in order to recover the original unity of Christian existence. This has its foundation in the word of God proclaimed and transmitted by the Church with a Tradition that is alive, able to incorporate the old and the new (cf Matt 13:52) of generations of believers spread through every part of the world.

In the decades following Second Vatican Council, the Church has had repeated opportunities to reflect on the great mission that Christ has entrusted to her. Two documents in particular call attention to this demand for evangelisation. St Paul VI with Evangelii Nuntiandi and Pope Francis with Evangelii Gaudium mark out the path that admits no excuses in the daily commitment of believers to evangelisation. “The Church exists in order to evangelise” 5 , St Paul VI stated forcefully; “I am a mission” 6 , Pope Francis reiterates with equal clarity. There are no alibis that can take the focus away from a responsibility that belongs to every single believer and to the whole Church. The close connection between evangelisation and catechesis therefore becomes the distinctive feature of this Directory. It is intended to present a pathway along which there can be seen an intimate union between the announcement of the kerygma and its maturation.

5 EN 14. 6 EG 273.

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The criterion that prompted the reflection on and production of this Directory finds its basis in the words of Pope Francis: “we have rediscovered the fundamental role of the first announcement or kerygma, which needs to be the centre of all evangelising activity and all efforts at Church renewal.[...] This first proclamation is called ‘first’ not because it exists at the beginning and can then be forgotten or replaced by other more important things. It is first in a qualitative sense because it is the principal proclamation, the one which we must hear again and again in different ways, the one which we must announce one way or another throughout the process of catechesis, at every level and moment.[...] We must not think that in catechesis the kerygma gives way to a supposedly more ‘solid’ formation. Nothing is more solid, profound, secure, meaningful and wisdom-filled than that initial proclamation. All Christian formation consists of entering more deeply into the kerygma, which is reflected in and constantly illumines the work of catechesis, thereby enabling us to understand more fully the significance of every subject which the latter treats. It is the message capable of responding to the desire for the infinite which abides in every human heart.” 7

The primacy of the kerygma, to the point of leading us to propose a kerygmatic catechesis, does not detract at all from the value of mystagogy or from the witness of charity. Only a superficial mindset could lead one to think of the first proclamation as an argument designed simply for the purpose of convincing one’s interlocutor. Proclaiming the Gospel is witnessing to an encounter that keeps the focus on Jesus Christ, the Son of God, incarnate in the history of humanity, in order to bring to fulfilment the revelation of the Father’s saving love. On the basis of this heart of the faith, the lex credendi gives itself over to the lex orandi, and together they turn the believer’s way of life into a witness of love that makes the proclamation credible. Everyone, in fact, feels involved in a process of self-realisation that leads to giving an ultimate and definitive answer to the question of meaning.

The three parts of this Directory for Catechesis therefore, develop the catechetical journey under the primacy of evangelisation. The

7 EG 164-165.

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bishops, who are the first recipients of this document, together with the episcopal conferences, the commissions for catechesis, and the numerous catechists, will be able to verify the systematic development that has been written into its composition in such a way as to make more evident the goal of catechesis, which is the living encounter with the Lord who transforms life. The process of catechesis is described focusing on the existential fabric of life recognising the involvement of the various categories of persons mentioned above set in their real-life environments. Quite a bit of attention has been dedicated to the theme of the formation of catechists, because it seems urgent to recover their ministry in the Christian community. After all, only catechists who live out their ministry as a vocation can contribute to the efficacy of catechesis. Finally, precisely because catechesis takes place in the light of encounter, it has the great responsibility of collaborating in the inculturation of the faith. This process makes room for the creation of a new language and new methodologies that in the plurality of their expressions make even more evident the richness of the universal Church.

The Pontifical Council for Promoting New Evangelization, responsible for catechesis as of 16th January 2013 with the publication of the motu proprio Fides per doctrinam, is aware that the Directory for Catechesis has room for improvement. It makes no claim to completeness, because by its nature it is addressed to the particular Churches in such a way that they may be encouraged and supported in producing their own directory. The composition of the present Directory involved a number of experts, an expression of the Church’s universality. During the several phases of its production it was also submitted for the judgement of various bishops, priests, and catechists. Men and women have been involved in this demanding work that we hope can be a valid contribution at the present time. To all of them goes our sincere, personal thanks and gratitude for the great work they have done with expertise, passion, and generosity.

By an entirely fortuitous coincidence the approval for the present directory came on the liturgical memorial of St Turibius of Mogrovejo (1538-1606), a saint who may not be very well known but who nonetheless gave a powerful boost to evangelisation and catechesis. Following in

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the footsteps of St Ambrose, this layman and distinguished jurist, born in Mallorca to a noble family, had been educated at the university of Valladolid and Salamanca where he became a professor. As president of the tribunal of Granada he was consecrated bishop and sent by Pope Gregory XIII to Lima, Peru. He understood his episcopal ministry as evangeliser and catechist. Echoing Tertullian, he loved to repeat, “Christ is truth, not custom”. He reiterated this above all in regard to the conquistadores who were oppressing the indigenous peoples in the name of cultural superiority, and to the priests who did not have the courage to defend the interests of the poor. A tireless missionary, he travelled throughout the territories of his Church, seeking out above all the indigenous people in order to proclaim the word of God to them in simple and easily accessible language. Over the twenty-five years of his episcopate he organised diocesan and provincial synods, and acted as a catechist by producing in Spanish, Quéchua, and Aymara the first catechisms for the indigenous people of South America. His work of evangelisation bore unexpected fruit with the thousands of indigenous people who came to the faith after meeting Christ in the charity of the bishop. He was the one who conferred the sacrament of Confirmation on two saints of that Church: Martin de Porres and Rose of Lima. In 1983 St John Paul II proclaimed him as the patron of the Latin American episcopate. It is therefore under the protection of this great catechist that the new Directory for Catechesis is also placed.

Pope Francis has written that “The Holy Spirit bestows holiness in abundance among God’s holy and faithful people [...] I like to contemplate the holiness present in the patience of God’s people: in those parents who raise their children with immense love, in those men and women who work hard to support their families, in the sick, in elderly religious who never lose their smile. In their daily perseverance I see the holiness of the Church militant. Very often it is a holiness found in our next-door neighbours, those who, living in our midst, reflect God’s presence.[...] We are all called to be holy by living our lives with love and by bearing witness in everything we do, wherever we find ourselves. Are you called to the consecrated life? Be holy by living out your commitment with joy. Are you married? Be holy by loving and caring for your husband or wife, as Christ does for the Church. Do you work for a living? Be holy 21

by labouring with integrity and skill in the service of your brothers and sisters. Are you a parent or grandparent? Be holy by patiently teaching the little ones how to follow Jesus. Are you in a position of authority? Be holy by working for the common good and renouncing personal gain.” 8

Holiness is the crucial word that can be pronounced in presenting a new Directory for Catechesis. It is the herald of a way of life that catechists are also called to follow with constancy and fidelity. They are not alone on this demanding journey. The Church, in every part of the world, can present models of catechists who have attained holiness and even martyrdom in living their ministry every day. Their witness is fruitful, and makes it still thinkable in our time that each of us can persevere in this adventure even in the silent, laborious, and sometimes thankless work of being a catechist.

From the Vatican, 23rd March 2020

LITURGICAL MEMORIAL OF ST TURIBIUS OF MOGROVEJO

✙ Salvatore Fisichella

Titular archbishop of Voghenza, President

✙ Octavio Ruiz Arenas

Archbishop emeritus of Villavicencio, Secretary

8 Francis, Apostolic Exhortation Gaudete et exsultate (19th March 2018), 6-7.14. 22