Some weeks, I feel like being a catechist is the greatest gift on earth and that I have influenced the lives of young people in profoundly significant ways. Other weeks, I feel like I’m completely inadequate and that I’m wasting my breath. Suffice it to say, there are ups and downs to being a catechist. What’s your greatest joy in being a catechist? What is the greatest challenge you face as a catechist?
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Catechist Resources
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How to Thrive as a Religious Education Teacher |
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A Catholic's Guide to Knowing and Sharing What We Believe |
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A Catholic's Guide to Understanding and Embracing God's Word |
Also available in Spanish |
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How to Thrive as a Religious Education Teacher |
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A Catholic's Guide to Understanding and Embracing God's Word |
800-621-1008
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Maria 12.28.06 at 10:20 pm
Joy:
Sharing Christ & our holy faith with the children, and being able to see from their faces that they’re getting something from it.
Touching the lives of the children
Challenge:
Trying to teach when they would rather pay attention to anything but the material and won’t sit still (or anything resembling sitting still).
[Reply]
Joe 12.29.06 at 8:30 am
Maria, thanks for sharing. Hopefully the joys will always outweigh the challenges!
[Reply]
Michelle 12.31.06 at 8:22 pm
Joy: When asking a question and you get more than the ‘I get it’ response.
Challenge: Parents not taking the kids to Mass, yet it is important for the kids to make First Reconciliation and First Holy Communion.
[Reply]
Joe 01.01.07 at 11:16 am
Michelle, I think most catechists are frustrated with the lack of Mass attendance. I often tell catechists about my mother’s experience. Niether of her parents were churchgoers, yet at the age of 12, she converted to Catholicism, went on to raise 9 children in the Catholic faith, and today, at the age of 79, continues to attend daily Mass! Have faith…the Spirit is in control.
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