Articles by Jayne Ragasa-Mondoy

About Jayne Ragasa-Mondoy

Jayne Ragasa-Mondoy served as Director of Religious Education for the Diocese of Honolulu, which is comprised of the six major islands in the state of Hawaii. Born and raised in Honolulu, Jayne began her professional career in corporate management in the San Francisco Bay Area while remaining steadily involved in parish catechetical and liturgical music programs. Jayne, and her husband and daughter, returned to Honolulu where Jayne earned a master's degree in pastoral leadership from Chaminade University of Honolulu. Her perspective of volunteer recruitment and management is shaped by her lengthy experience in working with and leading volunteers in diocesan and parish catechetical ministries, as a high school teacher and administrator, and as a governing board member for local Catholic and private schools and the National Conference for Catechetical Leaders (NCCL). Now retired, she is the author of Cultivating Your Catechists, part of the Effective Catechetical Leader series.

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Catechists as Co-Missionaries

Jayne Ragasa-Mondoy

Each year when catechists are commissioned on Catechetical Sunday, I envision Jesus’ Great Commission before he ascended into heaven: “And he said to them, ‘Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation.’” (Mark 16:14–15) The word commission implies both an individual and communal commitment—mission and co-mission. Through the authority of Christ and his Church, each catechist is appointed to carefully and diligently carry out the mission to evangelize and […]

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The Influential Catechist

Jayne Ragasa-Mondoy

Charlie is a catechist and influential civic leader. He helped re-establish a medical center in a town near under-served rural communities. He explains, “It often took over an hour for an ambulance to transport patients to a full-service emergency medical facility. A disproportionate number of patients were dying in transport for the simple reason that they were too economically disadvantaged to live closer to town.” Charlie has led numerous successful scholarship campaigns for local Catholic […]

A Vision Statement for Catechists

Jayne Ragasa-Mondoy

When my niece was three years old, I bought her a pair of bunny slippers, complete with floppy ears and whiskers. Delighted, she slipped them on and proceeded to march across the living room, calling out, “Bunny!” with each step. She stared at her feet while she marched, which was cute until she came close to bumping into a wall. I called out to her, “Stop!” Startled, yet undeterred, she turned around and marched in […]

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Be the Tenth: Gratitude in the Life of a Catechetical Leader

Jayne Ragasa-Mondoy

I’ve long been fascinated by the Lucan narrative of Jesus’ cleansing of the ten lepers (Luke 17:11–19). Jesus healed all ten, but only one returns to thank and worship him. As catechetical leaders, we often experience Jesus’ healing presence through our ministry. How often do we return to him to express our gratitude? Jesus heals us of apathy and transforms our experience. Children help us see the world through a clear, new lens. Think of […]

Sacraments: Grace for Christian Witness

Jayne Ragasa-Mondoy

Pope Francis repeatedly urged the faithful not to remain closed-in on ourselves, focused only on the affairs of the Church, but rather to go out and give witness to Christ. This is the missionary spirit in which catechists share the Good News—not only in the classroom, but in our daily interactions with the greater community. This bold commission may seem daunting at times, but we receive grace, “the free and undeserved help . . . […]

Asian and Pacific-Island Cultural Encounter and Dialogue

Jayne Ragasa-Mondoy

This is the fourth and final article in a series highlighting key statements from Encountering Christ in Harmony, A Pastoral Response to Our Asian and Pacific Island Brothers and Sisters (ECH:API), approved by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in 2018. The Asian and Pacific Island population in the United States is the fastest-growing minority population, according to research referenced in Encountering Christ in Harmony. Yet this population “tends to go unrecognized in the […]

Leadership: A Jewel of Asian and Pacific Island Cultures

Jayne Ragasa-Mondoy

This is the third of four articles that explore Encountering Christ in Harmony: A Pastoral Response to Our Asian and Pacific Island Brothers and Sisters (ECH:API), which was approved by the USCCB on June 14, 2018. Encountering Christ in Harmony describes some of the unique aspects of Asian and Pacific Island (API) Catholics and recommends pastoral responses based upon four central concerns: Identity, Generations, Leadership, and Culture of Encounter and Dialogue. API Catholics in the […]

Asian and Pacific Island Catholics: Generations of Wisdom

Jayne Ragasa-Mondoy

This is the second of four articles that explore Encountering Christ in Harmony: A Pastoral Response to Our Asian and Pacific Island Brothers and Sisters (ECH:API), which was approved by the USCCB on June 14, 2018. Encountering Christ in Harmony outlines four concerns—Identity, Generations, Leadership, and Culture of Encounter and Dialogue—and examines each one through two lenses: our faith expressed and our faith engaged. The first lens, our faith expressed, views the stories of Asian […]

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Asian and Pacific Island Catholics: Identity and Our Gifts to the Church

Jayne Ragasa-Mondoy

In August 2018, Most Reverend Oscar Solis, Bishop of Salt Lake City, convoked a gathering of Catholic leaders from Asian and Pacific Island communities across the country. Our task: to produce a plan to disseminate and implement the document Encountering Christ in Harmony: A Pastoral Response to Our Asian and Pacific Island Brothers and Sisters (ECH:API). Developed by the Subcommittee on Asian and Pacific Islands Affairs of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) […]