To proclaim and to promote the faith!

Situation Today

 

This is the most important form of Catechesis. The Church in India, however, is aware that poor and inadequate catechetical formation given during the early stages of life with very little or no catechetical follow-up in the later stages can lead to an infantile and imitative faith. As a result there is a tendency towards fixation on the spirituality that has remained imitative, devotional and individualistic. High pastoral priority needs to be given to the building up of this infantile faith-life into one that is community and kingdom oriented in its dynamic concern for the Church and society, especially the poor and oppressed. Catechesis for adults can transform one’s faith into a mature and responsible faith. (National Catechetical Directory, No. 56)

 

Family Catechesis remains a big challenge in India today. Marriage and family life, the sacredness of human sexuality, as the expression of a total loving within the bond of fidelity, and the sacredness of the gift of life in the begetting of children are being attacked as never before. The fundamental concern of the Church is “to proclaim and to promote the faith among contemporary men and women, who live in a society subject to profound socio-cultural change.” The struggle of families in living their faith in such difficult situations arise also due to lack of preparation to the sacrament of marriage and lack of proper marriage and family counselling in the first years of marriage. (National Catechetical Directory, No. 57)

 

Catechesis of Adults

 

Adults are capable of offering a free and fully responsible adherence to Jesus Christ and precisely for this reason Adult Catechesis has to be considered the chief form of Catechesis. A primary service to Adult Catechesis is given by the Catechism of the Catholic Church and by those adult catechisms based on it by the Particular Churches. The tasks of Adult Catechesis are varied. There are different forms of Adult Catechesis such as 

1. Adult Catechumenate (Initiatory Catechesis)
2. Occasional Catechesis (Catechesis during anniversaries, feasts, marriage etc.)
3. Liturgical Catechesis (Catechesis during Sunday liturgy)
4. Perfective Catechesis (theology, retreats)
5. Training of catechists
6. Basic Christian Communities
7. Catechesis through pious associations, groups and movements etc.

 

None of these would replace the Ongoing and Systematic Catechesis, which every ecclesial community must provide for all adults. There are ample opportunities for Informal and Non-formal Catechesis in daily life. Finally, the Ongoing Catechesis should aim at enabling adults to live their Christian vocation fully within the context of community: family, parish, apostolic and prayer groups within the parish, neighborhood and place of work. (National Catechetical Directory, No. 222, CCBI Center, Bangalore, 2015)