Hundreds of catechists, with the parish priests, responded to the Archbishop’s invitation to deliver the document: “The path of faith, called by the Lord Jesus to follow him. – Pastoral choices for proclamation and catechesis – Itineraries for Christian Initiation”.
The meeting was held in the cathedral of San Ciriaco. After the initial prayer, the Archbishop thanked everyone for their large presence and to those who, over time, have transmitted the gift of faith with their testimony. He then expressed heartfelt thanks to all those who collaborated so that this document came to light, Don Sauro Barchiesi and the consultation of the diocesan Catechistic Office, the priests, the lay people and also for the attention that will be given. He entrusted the new path to the Holy Spirit and invoked light and strength for everyone, especially for boys and girls, their parents, priests, catechists and all Christian communities. May the Holy Spirit give strength so that the Diocesan Church is generative, despite the many uncertainties that characterize our time, but with trust in the Holy Spirit who “is Lord and who gives life. The Archbishop explained the path that led to the elaboration of the document, starting from the publication of the new Directory for Catechesis (DpC), published in 2020 by the Pontifical Council for New Evangelization, from what emerged from the tables of the synodal path from which strongly arose the request for a necessary rethinking of the general structure of catechesis.
He explained the contents of the document, highlighting the purpose of catechesis: “At the center of every catechetical process there is the living encounter with Christ, the living gospel which must continually be made to resonate in the heart of the person so that their life is transformed and Christ becomes the center of his life”.
Speaking of Christian initiation he said: “The objective of Christian initiation in a catechumenal key is not the sacrament to be celebrated, but the Christian life. The itinerary is not simply the doctrinal preparation to receive the Sacraments, but it is to accompany the children in a significant experience of Christian life as a whole which integrates the different dimensions: faith, love, hope; proclamation of the Word and catechesis, communion and mission, prayer and celebration; life and service experience. The intention is to make people enjoy, in an ecclesial experience suitable for children, the truth and beauty of that new life that the Lord Jesus gave us through his life of redemption in order to then be able to bear witness to it in daily life enriched by the gifts of grace of the Spirit.”
He then explained the path for the Christian initiation of adults and the itineraries for married life.
Time passed quickly and those present enjoyed such a significant moment which sees the local Church committed to the theme of proclamation and catechesis, in continuity and novelty.
At the end, the Archbishop concluded with prayer and blessing and invited the priests, together with him, to give the text as a gift to all the catechists present. Over five hundred texts were distributed. For those who want the paper text, it can be collected from the Curia and it will be available shortly on the Archdiocese website.
