Principles for Catechetical Leadership Archives

You. Look. Great: A Marian Reflection for Catechists

Pregnant with twins and in her third trimester, Sarah—a catechist on maternity leave—settled into the chair next to me at the café. She let out a huge sigh and closed her eyes. “Yes, I’m quite pregnant,” she said. “Whenever I encounter another person there are just three words that I’m interested in hearing: You. Look. Great.” After sharing a good laugh, she continued, “Seriously, though, I’m not looking for compliments. ‘My soul proclaims the greatness […]

Empowering Catechists

Jayne Ragasa-Mondoy

Like good stewards of the manifold grace of God, serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received. (1 Peter 4:10) Empowerment incarnates the wisdom given to us in this Scripture passage. That is, when we empower others, we make space for them to use the gifts given to them by God in service to the community. Empowerment is intentional, communal, and an exercise in interdependence, which, when done well, develops a level […]

group of catechists - Courtney Hale/E+/Getty Images

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 […]

teacher helping student - Creativa Images/Shutterstock.com

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 […]