BY PAT GOHN
Anniversaries are a great time to look back, look ahead, and count the blessings. On our 25th “silver” wedding anniversary, my husband and I had the good fortune to renew our wedding vows in Rome, Italy. There was a lovely Mass in a beautiful church on a pristine, sunny afternoon. More importantly, it was a chance to rededicate ourselves to growing in love and service to our vocation for years to come. Our vocations as catechists deserve attention, as well! This year (2017) the Catechism reaches its quarter-century mark, and Catechist is happy to celebrate it!
It’s easy to observe that the words catechism and catechist are quite similar. Yet while we are extolling the Catechism’s anniversary, it never supersedes the person who brings the Good News and good catechesis to others. Ours will always be a person-to-person ministry, whether we lead a class, a group, or our families in our endeavors. Indeed, it may be said that a good catechist might be the only “catechism” some folks ever read!
Our witness to the faith must always be renewed, enlarged, and transformed. Renewal in our own lives, as happens in the wider Church, always flows from good catechesis. Therefore, may we grow in wisdom and knowledge in what the Church teaches. May we “Echo the Faith With Courage” — that is our hope here at Catechist, and also the title of a bright gem of catechesis by Hosffman Ospino found here.
Courageous catechists carrying catechisms can catechize the world! (Admittedly, I’m going for alliteration here. But you get the point.)
To learn more about the Catechism’s 25-year history, and fun facts about the book itself, read my article, “The Catechism at 25.”
To learn how to use the Catechism in your class, read this “Using the Catechism in the Classroom” by Marlon De La Torre.
Thanks for all you do to serve Christ and the Church. Let us pray for one another.
Pat Gohn, MA, is the editor of Catechist magazine.
This article was originally published as an Editor’s Note in Catechist magazine, February 2017, and has been modified to fit this format.
Image credit: Shutter Stock 563844184
