So You Want to be a Catechist!
Do you want to be a Catechist but you feel that you are not ready or you are not worthy?
Maybe you are afraid that you don’t know enough about the Catholic faith, so how will you be able to teach? Or you think that you have no time for it so you decided you will do it once your kids are grown up or once your career have stabilized.
I started serving in the Catechist Ministry of the Church of Our Lady Star of the Sea in 2007. That was 10 years ago!
Why did I join? I was constantly “called” by the Holy Spirit. Actually, the calling started a few years back when my youngest son Gabriel was only 2 years old, Ezekiel was 5 and Nathaniel was 8.
I said to myself that I will make angels of my boys first. So, I kept it in my bucket list. That was when I gave up a rewarding IT career to become a stay-at-home mom.
The definitive aim of Catechesis is to put people not only in touch, but also in communion and intimacy, with Jesus Christ”. - (General Directory for Catechesis 80)
As a mother, this is my purpose for my own children. Little did I know that God’s purpose for me extends to the children of our Parish.
Like Jonah, when God calls us, we can never escape. And if it is His Will, it will be done, In His time! He will prepare us!
After preparing me for this vocation, He called me again 5 years later to the Catechetical ministry.
At first it was easy, because I have a natural affinity with children. I can engage them easily. The Lessons are in the book , Call to Faith Harcourt Publishers series. I was with Primary 2 children. In some years, I have journeyed with the same group of children, now youths about 4 or 5 times in their 10 years of catechism. I watched them grow in their faith.
But recently, I feel like dragging myself to the sessions on a Saturday morning. Especially when I had a late prayer meeting on a Friday night. I am very tired, I want to sleep longer. I am always tempted to make an excuse to not go to the catechetical session. But every time after a fulfilling session I feel uplifted and energized, even though my throat hurts after that more than 1 hour of talking, sharing and patiently guiding the children and youth to get their attention.
I always feel that the Holy Spirit is there present in the prayer space to guide me, especially in my weakness. He provides the words to say. sometimes even when I have planned the presentation, we divert to other topics, when the children raise wonder questions that make me think deeper.
My favorite memory as a Catechist was when a parent told me that his child who didn’t want to attend catechism at first became prayerful and he was even the one inviting his parents to pray together as a family. He never missed a single session from then on.
I was surprised last May when one of our Youth Catechist assistants sent me a photo of his First Holy Communion 9 years ago, where I was his Catechist.
It amazes me to watch the youths grow and share their faith, passing on the blessings they received.
The lessons are called Catechetical sessions or events where we facilitate an encounter with Jesus. We conduct our sessions in a Prayer Space, not a classroom. Catechists are not Teachers. Jesus is the one and only Teacher. Rather, we are called Stewards of the Mystery.
As a catechist, we do not just catechise the children for that 90 minutes session per week. Everyday and every moment, we are regarded as evangelisers through our actions. There are at least 2 more pairs of eyes watching us, the parents of these children. They can see us at the bus stop, at the market, at the mrt, everywhere, even in the dark cinema!
When I was walking at the market near the church, a lady greeted me excitedly, she even hugged and kissed me warmly, with a “hello sis Doods! How are you?" I just smiled and tried to hide my surprise. I was lost for words, not knowing what to say, because I didn’t know her.
Every time after mass, people will greet me with a smile and I happily smile back even though I do not know them personally. Who knows, they could be the parents of the children who were or are currently in my charge.
At the beginning of this year, I met a mother and daughter at a party. The mother spoke like she knows me well. When I asked her, ‘does your daughter attend catechism?” She said “yes”. So I asked, “which level?”. She said “Discipleship 5”. “Really, I said, who is her catechist? I am also in D5”. Guess what she said? “YOU”! That was really embarrassing! Regaining my composure, I told her that there are more than 30 children in my group and I haven’t memorized the names and faces of the kids, being it the first term. I am the only catechist in their group and so I invited her to assist me during sessions, to check the attendance, to help keep the children quiet and focused, and to guide them in looking up bible verses. You know what she said, a resounding “YES!”
We become more conscious of our own conduct, inside and outside of the church. Indeed, "from the intimate sense of the spiritual realities which we experience, the Sacred Scriptures grow within us" (CCC94).
We do not simply pass on information about the Catholic faith but more importantly we are able to communicate the love of Christ to others, uniting us as members of one body, His body.
As you discern the call to serve as a catechist, it might help to take a peek at the Qualities of a Catechist and see how it looks like in the prayer space.
Desire to grow deeper in your faith & spirituality
Willing to be trained in the craft of catechesis
Open to learning more about the Catholic faith
Interested in working with young people and fellow catechists
Teachable, patient, caring, prayerful, respectful of the young person, accepting
Don’t be afraid if you don’t know every detail of your faith. Nobody does. Part of being a catechist involves an openness to learning as you share.
You will have a deeper understanding of the teachings of the Church, you will have a more meaningful relationship with Christ, your family, friends and neighbors! Because it is in forming and fostering truly loving relationships that we become God's children that form one church community of believers.
There are Basic Catechist Courses offered by the Office for Catechesis in Singapore. The materials we use are the Bible, Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC), Craft of Catechesis and General Directory for Catechesis (GDC).
When you make a sincere commitment to Sow the Seed of Faith to the young persons, the Holy Spirit will make the commitment to empower you to bear fruits… fruits that will last!
As Pope Francis said, "Catechesis is a vocation to serve, it is not a job:.
