The Lay Ministry of Catechist

BY JOSÉ AMAYA, DIRECTOR OF FAITH FORMATION

Pope Francis “established the lay ministry of Catechist” on 10 May 2021 (Apostolic Letter “Motu Proprio,” Antiquum Ministerium, Instituting the Ministry of Catechist, 8). Through the centuries the Church recognizes the essential service of the catechist in the mission to proclaim and teach the person of Jesus Christ to adults, youth, and children. Together with the new Directory for Catechesis, this apostolic letter recognizes the importance of inviting, inspiring, and training catechists who respond to a call.

By virtue of their baptism and confirmation, and imbued with an apostolic spirit, catechists are called to serve as teachers of the Catholic faith in the process of evangelization. It is necessary to encourage fully initiated and practicing adult Catholics to embrace the ministry of Catechist. Having a vision and a plan to help prospective catechists grow and deepen their relationship with Jesus Christ in the Church is vital. A volunteer will quit, but a catechist is invited by the Lord Jesus Christ and moved by the Holy Spirit to share the gift of faith and to give an account for the gift of faith received.

Pope Francis clearly states that “Today, too, the Spirit is calling men and women to set out and encounter all those who are waiting to discover the beauty, goodness, and truth of the Christian faith

(Antiquum Misterium, 5).” Pulpit and bulletin announcements cast the net, but presence and one-on-one invitations make the difference. These actions model the necessity of encounter and accompaniment. Inviting catechists requires prayer, time for discernment, and collaboration between the lay catechetical leaders and the priest (Mt 7:7-8).

Pope Francis writes, “Catechists are called first to be expert in the pastoral service of transmitting the faith … and then to the ongoing formation … every catechist must be a witness to the faith, a teacher and mystagogue, a companion and pedagogue, who teaches for the Church (Antiquum Misterium 6.)” Those who embrace the ministry of Catechist need to be accompanied and mentored, not just given a textbook and roster of students. “Only through prayer, study, and direct participation in the life of the community can they grow in this identity and responsibility that it entails (Directory for Catechesis, 113).”

In paragraph 8 of Antiquum Misterium, Pope Francis writes, “It is fitting that those called to the instituted ministry of Catechist be men and women of deep faith and human maturity, active participants in the life of the Christian community, capable of welcoming others, being generous and living a life of fraternal communion. They should also receive suitable biblical, theological, pastoral, and pedagogical formation to be competent communicators of the truth of the faith. As well as have some prior experience of catechesis (cf., Decree on the Pastoral Office of Bishops in the Church Christus Dominus, 14; CIC can. 231 §1; CCEO can. 409 §1).”

Catechesis is a moment in the process of evangelization. Is Jesus calling you to be a catechist? Talk with the priest or coordinator of religious education to discover ways to serve the Body of Christ and inquire about the training opportunities available to you in the AMS. V