2024 Catechesis Supplement
Catechesis deepens a believer’s relationship with Christ and the Church
After the first night of the National Eucharistic Congress (NEC) in Indianapolis in July, my husband and I were walking back to our car when we saw a man stare at the multitude of people with orange swag bags coming from Lucas Oil Stadium.
Eventually he stopped a priest walking a few steps ahead of us, recognizable by his Roman collar, and said, “Excuse me, can you tell me what is going on here?” The priest replied that it was the National Eucharistic Congress, and then stopped for a longer conversation when the man asked, “What does that mean?”
We didn’t hear the rest of the priest’s explanation, but in this moment, the NEC was already a success in my book. Later, we heard stories of more people who witnessed the congress from the “outside” starting to ask questions about our Catholic faith or being inspired to go back to Mass. What a great moment this was in the movement of the National Eucharistic Revival, and what a great moment for catechesis!
Catechesis is what the Catechism of the Catholic Church calls the “totality of the Church’s efforts to make disciples, to help men believe that Jesus is the Son of God so that, believing, they might have life in his name, and to educate and instruct them in this life, thus building up the body of Christ” (#4).
It is closely connected with the work of evangelization, the proclamation of the Gospel to bring others to Christ and his Church. In very simplified words: evangelization helps us to start a relationship with Jesus; catechesis helps us to get to know him better.
Evangelization and catechesis go hand in hand in fulfilling the mission of the Church, which is to lead people to a deeper encounter with Jesus Christ. It is something Archbishop Charles C. Thompson, as the chairman of the Committee for Evangelizing Catechesis of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, emphasizes strongly, even in the organizational structure of his archdiocesan staff.
Some people may think, “I’m already Catholic. I hear the Gospel at Mass, I don’t need to be evangelized.” But do we not all need to hear—like it was the first time—that Jesus, God who became one of us, is waiting for us to come to him?
Other people may think, “I have all my sacraments and I graduated from catechism class. I don’t need catechesis.” But you never graduate from getting to know Christ, his teachings and his Church better.
Whether you’re at the level of the man outside the NEC or you have a theology degree, catechesis is for everybody! The important thing is to be curious, to ask questions, to be open to learn more about this Jesus who died so that you could know him.
Parish catechetical leaders (PCLs) often hear from adults of all ages after a Bible study or faith formation program, “I never knew this! Why haven’t we heard this before? This makes such a difference in how I experience the Mass, how I relate to Jesus, on my view of the Church!”
I hope this does not come as a surprise, but we do want you to know “this,” all of what the Church professes and teaches! Because Jesus wants you to know him. Hopefully, the NEC has inspired you, too, to go deeper, to learn more about our faith and maybe even to take others along as a catechist.
We couldn’t do catechesis in the archdiocese without our PCLs. Do you think your PCL (or director of religious education) is awesome? Would you like to nominate him or her for an award? The Archbishop Daniel Buechlein Excellence in Catechesis honor has been awarded by the archdiocesan Office of Catechesis since 1996. To nominate someone, please e-mail us at catechesis@archindy.org and let us know in a few brief sentences the reason(s) for your nomination.
(Ute Eble is director of catechesis for the Archdiocese of Indianapolis. She can be reached at ueble@archindy.org.) †