Catechesis can enrich preaching through employing a disciplined methodology that allows for creativity, having a sound doctrinal foundation, integrating faith and life, and being sensitive to diversity. Catechesis shares characteristics with evangelization as a teaching and maturation stage after initial conversion to help Christians know Christ better. It involves proclaiming the kerygma to non-believers and providing didache or instruction to converts. Catechesis should be Christocentric, scripturally rooted, authentically Filipino, and systematic while integrating the dimensions of faith - doctrine, morality, and worship. The challenges to catechesis today include materialism, secularism, and information overload. All Christians are called to be

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3. How can the MINISTRY of
CATECHESIS
enrich the MINISTRY of
PREACHING?• Disciplined
METHODOLOGY that
leaves much room for
creativity and innovation
• Sound DOCTRINAL
foundation
• INTEGRATION of faith
and life
• Sensitivity to DIVERSITY-
the uniqueness of every
audience

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6. Sanay na tayo sa masamang balita.
It’s an everyday thing. Nothing really surprises us anymore.
Mabenta ang masamang balita.
Peope have become obsessed with bad news.
May mga taong walang bukam-bibig kundi masamang malita at
mga trahedya nila sa buhay. “BAD NEWS PEOPLE”

7. All the more that we have to
PROCLAIM the GOOD NEWS!
What is the GOOD NEWS?
WRONG QUESTION
is the GOOD NEWS?
JESUS CHRIST!

8. CATECHESIS is an “Essential Moment of Evangelization”
cf. St. John Paul II, Catechesi Tradendae 1979; General Directory for Catechesis
• Catechesis, as an essential moment in evangelization, shares in the central
characteristics of evangelization, but expresses them in a particular manner.
• To put it more precisely: within the whole process of evangelization, the aim of
catechesis is to be the teaching and maturation stage, that is to say, the period in
which the Christian, having accepted by faith the person of Jesus Christ as the
one Lord and having given Him complete adherence by sincere conversion of
heart, endeavors to know better this Jesus to whom he has entrusted himself
• The Christian YES has 2 levels: 1. Surrender to Christ; 2. Endeavoring to Know
Christ Better. (CT 20) IT IS A LIFELONG TASK!

9. • KERYGMA – The Proclamation of the Mystery of Christ
primarily intended for non-believers
• DIDACHE – Instruction given to converts
• LEITOURGIA – Public Worship – Breaking of the Bread
• KOINONIA – Community Life
• DIAKONIA – Service to the poor, widows, orphans etc.
CATECHESIS IS AN ASPECT IN THE LIFE OF THE CHURCH
It is essential, yet it does not exhaust the Church’s missionary activity.

10. Faith comes
from what is
heard, and what
is heard comes
through the word
of Christ.
Romans 10:17
The term catechesis comes from a Greek word, ‘kateehein’
which means to ‘RESOUND’ or ‘RE–ECHO.’

11. EVANGELIZATION CATECHESIS
Initial
Proclamation of
the GOOD
NEWS
Systematic and
Authoritative
Instruction on
the Faith
Initial
CONVERSION
MATURITY
in the Faith

12. CATECHESIS: the teaching of Christian
doctrine imparted, generally speaking,
in an organic and systematic way, with
a view to initiating hearers into the
fullness of Christian life. (CCC,5)
Renewed Catechesis

13. • While we are outwardly devoted to the practices of our
faith, we often do not understand their meaning. Much
less do we put into practice what they really mean.
• Our faith is not lived in the public sphere. It is separated
from life.
• Our faith is ritualistic and devotional, i.e., centered on
externals and non-essentials. Our faith is also sometimes
fatalistic, attributing almost everything to God without
our own responsibility. Thus we say bahala na ang
Diyos when we take unnecessary risks
• Because we really do not know our faith well, we are
often easily persuaded by religious teachers who
interpret the Sacred Scriptures different from our own
interpretation.
• First element: RENEWED CATECHESIS!

14. Evangelization – Proclamation
of the Good News
of Salvation
Integral – holistic; completely
incorporating proclamation
and witness, word and
sacrament, interior change
and social action.
Renewed –
new fervor,
new methods,
new expressions

15. • Christocentric
• Rooted in Scriptures
• Authentically Filipino
• Systematic

16. CHRISTOCENTRIC CATECHESIS
A. Aimed at Intimacy with
Christ
B. Jesus is the Source and
Content
C. Retelling of the Story of Jesus
D. Jesus is the Teacher
E. Faithful to the Methodology
of Christ

17. SCRITURALLY-ROOTED CATECHESIS
Role of the Bible in Catechesis:
“primary catechetical book”
3 roles according to NCDP
Formative Information
Education in Salvation History
Knowledge and Love of Christ.
“Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ”

18. AUTHENTIC FILIPINO CATECHESIS
Role of Catechesis in Inculturating the Faith:
Help the learners discover the
correlation between faith and life
Express the Christian message
through images, symbols, rites that
are indigenous to Filipino culture
(eg. Meal orientedness of Filipinos
and the Eucharist)
Analyze Filipino cultural values,
attitudes, and practices in their
basic Christian dimensions.

19. SYSTEMATIC
CATECHESIS
Clearly Defined Goals
Contains the Essentials
Appropriate Approach
and Methodology and
Strategies – INNOVATION,
CREATIVITY while
remaining FAITHFUL TO
THE CONTENT.
Integration – Indissoluble
unity of doctrine, moral,
and worship – THE THREE
DIMENSIONS OF FAITH

20. Essential Content of Catechesis:
THE 4 Pillars of Our Catholic Faith

21. The 3Dimensions of Faith
The TRIPOD of FAITH
BELIEVING
TRUSTING
DOING
DOCTRINE
faith is knowledge;
absolute certainty
MORALITY
faith is morally
demanding, incomplete
unless it leads to active
love
WORSHIP
faith grows when we listen
more and more carefully to
God’s word and enter a
lively exchange with him in
prayer; faith gives us a
foretaste of the
joy of heaven

22. PARALYSES of FAITH
- The USUAL condition is that ONE DIMENSION is LEFT OUT
DOCTRINE-MORAL
PERSON
believes the right things,
does what is good, but
hardly prays and goes to
Church
DOCTRINE- WORSHIP
PERSON
believes the right things,
always goes to Church ,
but lives a questionable
Christian life.
MORAL-WORSHIP PERSON
Does good to others, goes to
Church quite often, but does
not really know what he/she
believes in

23. The Catechetical Methodology
HUMAN EXPERIENCE
PROCLAMATION of the
CHRISTIAN MESSAGE
REFLECTION/ INTEGRATION
RESPONSE
RESOLUTION CELEBRATION

24. .
The effectiveness of any method depends
on its intelligent use.

25. Challenges to Catechesis Today
• Materialism, Secularism, the
dictatorship of Relativism.
(Pope Benedict XVI)
• Information overload, and
unwise use of information
technology.

26. All Christians, by virtue of Baptism,
ARE CATECHISTS.
"To teach in order to lead others to faith
is the task of every preacher and of EACH
BELIEVER" St. Thomas Aquinas
BUT, among the Baptized, there are
those who are CALLED by CHRIST to
embrace this MINISTRY as a WAY OF LIFE.

27. To “be” catechists! Not to “work” as catechists: this will not do. But
unless you “are” a catechist, it is no good! You will not be successful
… you will not bear fruit! Catechesis is a vocation: “being a catechist”,
this is the vocation, not working as a catechist. So keep this in mind:
I didn’t say to do the “work” of catechists, but to “be” catechists,
because this is something that embraces our whole life.
Pope Francis’ Address to Catechists, 27 September 2013

28. At the origin of the catechist's vocation, therefore, apart from the sacraments of
Baptism and Confirmation, there is a specific call from the Holy Spirit, a "special
charism recognized by the Church" and made explicit by the Bishop's mandate.
It is important for the catechist candidate to recognize the supernatural and
ecclesial significance of this call, so as to be able to respond, like the Son of God,
"Here I come" (Heb 10:7), or, like the prophet, "Here I am, send me" (Is 6:8).
The catechist is
• a lay person
• specially appointed by the Church,
• in accordance with local needs,
• to make Christ known, loved and followed
• by those who do not yet know Him
• and by the faithful themselves". CEP
ROLE OF CATECHISTS
IN THE CHURCH

29. Who are catechists? They are people who keep the
alive; they keep it alive in
themselves and they are able to revive it in others.
Pope Francis, homily during the Year of Faith Pilgrimage of Catechists, September 29, 2013

30. Ano ang inaasahan sa isang
Katekista?
• Be close to Christ
• Imitate Christ by leaving ourselves behind and
going out to ENCOUNTER others.
• Go with Christ to the outskirts.

31. San Lorenzo Ruiz, patron ng mga Pilipinong Katekista,
at San Pedro Calungsod, Katekistang Martir,
ipanalangin po ninyo kami.