What does it take to jump start a revolution in catechesis?
Will an army of catechists do the trick?
I saw this headline on Zenit the other day, “Mexico Readies Catechists for Evangelization Push.”
The bishops in Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula are assembling an army of catechists in an effort to renew the Church and effect a “new evangelization” in the region.
“The diocesan leaders have some 20,000 catechists in training and aim to reach a quarter of a million youth in 300 parishes to strengthen their faith and to instill in them a notable Catholic identity,” Zenit reports.
They have 20,000 catechists and they’re planning more by 2015! What a blitz!
“The prelates,” Zenit said, “explained at a press conference that the Church considers catechesis a process of learning the Gospel, which begins with children, but which must be kept up through adulthood so that Christian values and principles are chosen over violence and evil.”
For some reason I’m not convinced this will do the trick. I believe they will need something more.
It’s one thing to send out a catechist. It’s another to have people listen to him. It’s like the old joke, “What would happen if you threw a party and no one showed up?” Well, what if a catechist gave a class and no one showed up?
Actually, that’s no joke! It happens all the time. There’s a lot of catechesis going on in the United States and a lot of unaffected people. Are more catechists the answer? I guess it couldn’t hurt!
Still, I think the bishops first need to figure out why their people are so unchurched and then address those needs before throwing more catechesis at them. Is this really a new evangelization?
My question is this: Do you think it will work?
Let’s talk about in the comments.
“Do you think it will work?”
To teach something, people have to know it. Per your prior post, being familiar with a textbook is not enough. If these catechists have a substantial adult working knowledge of Catholicism that makes a difference in their lives, then yes, with some training and dedication they’ll do great things. The thing is, that knowledge won’t come from training in my opinion; it comes from adults tending to their own faith formation just like they pay their own bills, maintain their own cars and raise their own kids.
But look: a problem in Latin America (and here as well) is that most Catholics can’t defend the faith against Pentecostals and Evangelicals. If the training equips the catechists to equip the students to explain their own faith to others, then that’s wonderful. If not, then be ready for more status quo.
I think that’s what I’m thinking too. If they’re doing business the same old way, no number of catechists will make a difference. It will just be status quo.
I think your last two sentences hit the nail on the head.
You see this in marketing campaigns too. They bombard us with their hot buttons and hope that we will adjust to them, rather than seeking our hot buttons and adjusting to us. Instead of adjusting, they hit us with the same messages…jut more often.
Obviously there is a bigger component than business going on in your argument; it is our job to adjust to His word. But, sometimes, it might not be a bad idea to figure out what the potential “revolutionaries” need before overwhelming them with a message that doesn’t resonate.
That’s a good point. We do need to conform to His word. But it doesn’t hurt to sell what people are buying right? 😉
These excerpts are from my Bible-Belt Sunday paper; the Baptists intuitively understand that knowing one’s faith is necessary, but not sufficient, for evangelizing.
“Southern Baptists have lost their enthusiasm for
evangelism — the practice of bringing new people into the faith, Stetzer
said.
“Baptists love to talk about evangelism as long as someone else is doing it,” Stetzer said.
The latest decline comes a year after Southern Baptists approved a
major restructuring of their denom-ination, known as the Great
Commission Resurgence. The new program is designed to channel more
money into attracting converts. ”
“The Rev. Frank Page, president of the convention’s
Nashville-based executive committee, said that too many pastor and
denominational leaders talk about the Great Commission — Jesus’ command
to spread his message — in generic terms. But they rarely teach
people how to talk to their friends and neighbors about Jesus in an
effective way.
“You can talk about
having a vision all day long,” he said. “But you have to show people
how to put that vision into action.”
Guess there’s often a gap between theory and practical knowledge huh? And also intentions and action.
Hi Marc! A few weeks late to the conversation, but as I read the story, my first thought was that there seems to be a lack of using the Holy Spirit in catechesis-and Mexico may end up just like the US: knowledge, but not lived.
I think it is the Spirit that enlivens us and makes people go “I want what they have”. In parishes where I have done RelEd, I find so many of the catechists dull, there is no excitement, no life in them for the very lifestyle that they are (teaching) proclaiming. It becomes like teaching science rather than “Hey! I get live this incredible life! Wanna join?! Here’s how to do it! You’re gonna love it!!”
If the people we are catechizing haven’t been first evangelized, well, we have a some work to do. But even so, as we are catechizing (which, really, evangelization and catechesis walk hand in hand together) we need to be the light and spark for their faith. We need to be the fire of example to others that this life is REALLY worth it. All the trials, all the instruction, all the joys-it is all so very worth it.
Otherwise, why should people want to join the Church or go any deeper than Christmas/Easter Mass?
BTW, did you happen to see Carole Brown’s talk on her dissertation on youtube? It was on JPII’s marriage of Thomistic and phenomenlogy to talk about evangelization. Brilliant paper. Can’t imagine all the reading she did. 🙂
Hi Jen! Great thoughts!
Reading your comments make me think they should be sending thousands of evangelists into the field, not catechists. What you’re saying is exactly what I was thinking. If they’re not doing evangelization and only considering teaching about the Faith (which is what catechists implies), then they won’t end up any better than the U.S.
I think everywhere we need to have an evangelizing catechesis. Ideally, evangelization will come first but that’s not always going to happen. So, I think it needs to happen simultaneously. Not an easy task and not what most catechists even think about doing but it’s going to be necessary to light that spark and have people want more.
I haven’t seen Carole’s talk. That sounds fascinating! That’s actually a topic I’ve considered before. It’s very interesting. I’ll have to check it out.
Thanks for the comments! I’m getting ready for Bosco soon. I’m going to miss seeing you there! It won’t be the same without you!