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December: Catechists



Pope Francis – December 2021


Do you remember when you went to catechism? Perhaps at that time you didn’t realize it, but—as the Pope tells us in his video for December—“catechists have an invaluable mission for the transmission and growth of the faith.” In the words of Francis, “Being a catechist means that you ‘are a catechist,’ not that you ‘work as a catechist.’ It’s an entire way of being, and we need good catechists who are both companions and teachers.” In many places around the world, “evangelization is fundamentally in the hands of a catechist.” Truly, it is an important mission. This video is for you and for the catechists you know. “Catechists have an invaluable mission for the transmission and growth of the faith. The lay ministry of catechist is a vocation; it’s a mission. Being a catechist means that you ‘are a catechist,’ not that you ‘work as a catechist.’ It’s an entire way of being, and we need good catechists who are both companions and teachers. We need creative people who proclaim the Gospel, but who proclaim it neither with a mute nor with a loudspeaker, but rather with their life, with gentleness, with a new language, and opening new ways. In many dioceses, on many continents, evangelization is fundamentally in the hands of a catechist. Let us thank catechists for the interior enthusiasm with which they live this mission at the service of the Church. Let us pray for the catechists, summoned to announce the Word of God: may they be its witnesses, with courage and creativity and in the power of the Holy Spirit, with joy and much peace.”




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