What an amazing world we live in that a catechist in North America (me) can somehow connect with a potential catechist in Australia, some 10,000 miles away! I received the following comment from a prospective catechist in Australia after she viewed my catechist recruitment video.

Joe,
Viewed your video clip as I am considering the call to become a catechist in my Parish in New South Wales Australia.As you would be aware we have just had the Final Mass with Pope Benedict XVI and this past week WYD08 had been amazing. The young Catholics have been so excited ,refreshing and so committed to their faith. I think this will be an inspiration for many to connect with their faith again and also for others to grow in theirs. Thankyou for your insight. – Jillian

Thanks, Jillian. You will be in my prayers, hoping that you will join the worldwide “army” of catechists!

Have you marked your calendar for Catechetical Sunday? It officially takes place September 21, 2008. Of course, check with your parish DRE…some parishes celebrate on a different date because of conflicts in their local calendar (it’s not a liturgical feast, so parishes can celebrate it whenever they want).

Be sure to check out http://www.usccbpublishing.org/client/client_pages/catsun.cfm

I have a new “weapon” in the ongoing battle to recruit new catechists! Click on this picture:

Recruiting catechists is one of the most difficult challenges that catechetical leaders face! We catechists know that the invitation to become a catechist, while flattering, can also be intimidating. We’re not sure if we are qualified or capable of forming others in the faith. As a result, we often come into this ministry with a pinch of reluctance.

Once we have established ourselves as catechists, however, we develop a confidence that we can now use to encourage others to join us in this ministry. With that in mind, I put together this short video clip with the help of my son, Mike (the videographer) that I hope will encourage people to accept the invitation to serve as a catechist. 

After you view it, let me know what you think. If you are considering the call to serve as a catechist, I hope it gives you something to think and pray about. If someone you know is considering the call to serve as a catechist, pass the link along to them. If you are a catechetical leader or you know of a catechetical leader who is recruiting catechists, tell them about this brief video so that they encourage their prospective catechists to view it.

The best recruitment message is the testimony of a current catechist who enjoys this ministry! If that’s you, send in your comments!!!

Does anyone remember courtship? Back in the day, the process of a young man and a young woman entering into an ever-deepening relationship followed a pattern. For some, this pattern still exists, however, with society’s casual attitudes about sex, for many the process is “out the window.”

Anyway, courtship follows a definite pattern:

• the couple meet and introduce themselves
• the couple spends time getting to know one another
• as a relationship develops, the couple learns how to “conform” to one another (”the things we do for love!”)
• at a certain point, the relationship is formalized, first with an engagement period, and then with the consummation of marriage
• as life goes on, the relationship bears fruit, not only of new children, but of the effects (hopefully positive!) that each person has on the other

All this to say that catechesis can be compared to a process of courtship (especially in the catechumenate). Last night, in discussion with the 8th grade catechists at Mary, Seat of Wisdom parish in Park Ridge, Illinois, we compared the Confirmation program to a courtship process. In particular, we looked at the Confirmation text being used by the parish (Confirmed in the Spirit, Loyola Press) and saw how the chapters of the book basically follow this courtship process:

• In the first 2 chapters, the young people meet (are introduced to) the Trinity and, in particular, the Holy Spirit
• In chapter 3, the young people get to know the Trinity more intimately through the teachings of the Church (the Creed)
• In chapters 4 and 5, the young people learn to conform to the life of the Trinity by exploring the moral life (the Commandments, the Beatitudes, conscience, etc.)
• In chapters 6 and 7, the young people explore how our relationship with the Trinity is formalized through the Sacraments and, in particular, how our relationship with the Holy Spirit is formalized in Confirmation. 
• In chapter 8, often taught post-Confirmation, the young people learn how their relationship with the Trinity and in particular, the Holy Spirit, bears fruit (the Fruits of the Holy Spirit).

This, of course, is the pattern of the catechumenate (RCIA): inquirers meet (are introduced) to the life of the Trinity and the Church in the period of Inquiry; they get to know the Trinity and the Church in the period of the catechumenate; the catechumens learn to conform to the life of the Trinity throughout the catechumenate and, more intensely, during the period of Purification and Enlightenment (Lent); the relationship is formalized in the celebration of the Sacraments of Initiation; and the neophytes reflect on how their new relationship with the Trinity and the Church is bearing fruit during the period of Mystagogia.

I like this metaphor of courtship because it reminds us that, in catechesis, what we are nurturing is a relationship!