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THE CATECHETICAL MINISTRY
LEVELS OF THE MINISTRY
A. BASE ECCLECIAL COMMUNITIES
 “Base-level
ecclesial communities, arising from those who “want
to live the life of the Church with greater favor”
(EN 58c; GDC 263), offer the best opportunity to involve
all Filipino Catholics in the catechetical ministry.
In so doing, not only do the BECs’ members perceive
the specifically ecclesial nature of their own community
– as distinct from merely a sociological grouping
– but they help one another’s faith become
“living, conscious and active through the light
of instruction” (Vat II, CD14), moving from merely
being catechized to catechizing members – usually
by working especially through family catechesis. Catechizing
on this immediate, grass-roots level should, if properly
developed, foster inculturation of the catechetical
ministry by creative use of local customs, symbols,
traditions and popular religiosity.” (cf. Rev.
NCDP, 462)
Parents. This grass-roots level clearly focuses attention
on the challenging vocation of Christian parents to
catechize their own children. “Parents are the
primary educators in the faith. Together with them,
all members of the family play an active part in the
education of the younger members.” (GDC, 255)
Indeed, “family catechesis precedes… accompanies
and enriches all catechesis.” (GDC 226; CT 68)
In a family-centered culture such as the Philippines,
the following directives of the John Paul II are especially
pertinent: “The family’s catechetical activity
has a special character which is in a sense irreplaceable…
Education in the faith by parents… should begin
from the children’s tenderest age… is more
incisive when in the course of family events (reception
of the sacraments, great liturgical feasts, the birth
of a child, a bereavement), care is taken to explain
in the home the Christian or religious content of these
events” (CT 68). Filipino parents must be encouraged
and helped in practical ways to carry out this mandate,
especially through BEC activities and agencies engaged
in family catechesis. (cf. Rev. NCDP, 464)
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B. PUBLIC SCHOOLS
 Public
schools in the Philippines pose an even greater challenge
for the catechetical ministry since with the rising
population, a greater percentage of Filipino Catholic
children will be public school students. Naturally speaking
the Church has an overwhelming task in this apostolate.
Great emphasis must be placed on efforts to train public
school teachers who can help in the basic catechesis
for their students, integrating Gospel attitudes and
values with their academic subjects. While recognizing
and encouraging the generous work done by various student
organizations such as SCA, YMC, CCD, and the catechetical
work of Catholic school student volunteer catechists
(SVC), new initiatives in Christian witness and service,
and new modes of presence in public schools on the part
of religion educators, are called for – both on
the personal as well as on the organizational –
structural levels. (cf. Rev. NCDP, 485)
A system of professionally-trained catechists, leading
groups of volunteer catechists, can reach more public
school children. Forming core groups of students to
activate and inspire their fellow students, particularly
in regard to recollections, retreats and social service
activities, has also proven very effective. This work
by diocesan and parish teams needs the active, continuing
support of parish priests and bishops. (cf. Rev. NCDP,
486)
Most important in this youth catechetical work in
the public schools is the developing of: (1) practical,
concrete coordination of actual public school catechetical
teams, through the local diocesan catechetical office;
2) the professional formation of the catechists by continuing
in-service training; and (3) the gradual formation of
a basic syllabus that prepares public school children
not only for first communion and confession, but also
for continuing education in the faith as well.
With our present resources these steps are often scarcely
possible; but this makes all the more urgent the training
of more catechists, and the development of family catechesis
in which parents and older children can effectively
catechize the younger children. (cf. Rev. NCDP, 487)
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C. THE PARISH
 “The
parish is without doubt, the most important locus in
which the Christian community is formed and expressed…
It constitutes a community space for the realization
of the ministry of the Word at once as teaching, education
and life experience.” (GDC 257) Today Philippine
parishes are undergoing profound transformation due
to the social changes. (cf. chap. 1) Most parishes in
the Philippines are faced with the same basic problems:
a lack of trained, competent catechists; the need of
a well-defined, feasible and relevant catechetical program,
and resources and supports required to put it into practice;
the ever-present financial problems; and the means of
coordinating the catechetical program with other parish
“faith-formation” ministries. Greater collaboration
with other parishes and with the diocesan center is
also called for, especially in the training of catechists
and in formulating better long-range catechetical goals.
(cf. Rev. NCDP, 465)
The most practical goal for all parishes at present,
is a renewed understanding and appreciation of the importance
and centrality of the catechetical ministry itself,
both for the life of the parish as a community, as well
as for the faith-life of each member. John Paul II expressed
this strongly: “The world needs catechesis. For
the most -- confused and restless as it is -- is to
form Christians sure about essentials and humbly joyful
in their faith. Catechesis does this.” Appreciating
the importance of catechesis must be translated into
practical action touching every member of the parish,
namely, those baptized and confirmed who hear the Word
of God proclaimed and receive the Eucharistic bread
in the community sacrificial meal at the table of the
Lord and who are “sent,” in apostolic mission,
to give witness to their faith in Christ before others.
(cf. CT 67; Rev. NCDP, 466)
The parish priest. He is the key source for the parish
catechetical ministry. With his parish catechetical
leaders and coordinator, the parish priest:
- fosters a sense of common responsibility for catechesis
in the parish, a task which involves all;
- cares for the basic orientation of catechesis and
its planning by identifying the concrete needs of
the parish, and drawing up specific objectives and
priorities in responding to these needs;
- promotes vocations and recruits competent personnel
for the service of catechesis, and enlists others
in generating needed funds for the parish catechetical
program;
- personally supports and encourages the on-going
program by providing liturgical celebrations where
needed, and working together with parish councilors,
coordinators and parents in the catechetical apostolate;
- helps in periodic critical evaluation of the parish
program with a view toward instigating needed changes
and revisions;
- through his homilies, his talks, home visitation
and sacramental ministry, the parish priest shows
in deed as much as in word the “catechetical
experience” of witnessing to life-in-Christ.
In brief, the parish priest is the key animating source
for parish catechesis, and its central link with the
neighboring parishes’ catechesis and the diocesan
pastoral programs. (cf. GDC 225; Rev. NCDP, 467)
Catechists. To the catechist belong the greatest part
of actually realizing the catechetical programs of BECs,
parishes and schools. Upon them, with their basic Filipino
human and Christian qualities, more than on mere methods
and materials, depend the success and fruitfulness of
the catechesis. Being a catechist means:
- responding to the call to be “witnesses to
the Gospel,” “fellow-workers for truth
in the Lord”; a mediator between the catechized
and the mystery of God (GDC 156);
- teaching the Faith through the pillars of the Christian
Message (Creed, Commandments, Liturgy) (GDC 240)
- fulfilling this prophetic and missionary vocation,
in communion with, and under the guidance of the pastor;
- animating “a profound familiarity with Christ
and the Father, in the Spirit” (GDC 235) in
catechizing adults, youth, children, not only by instruction
and good moral witness, but especially by sharing
the joy, love, and enthusiasm that comes from this
ever-deepening relationship with Christ in prayer;
- thus manifesting that fidelity to God and to man
which is indicative of authentic commitment to the
Church, in loving service of the community. (cf. GDC
156)
Considered “among the most faithful and hard-working
servants of the Lord and of the Church in the Philippines”
lay catechists take the lion’s share of catechizing
in the public schools and in the parishes. (PCP II 647)
Their number is far too few for the children, youth
and adults that need catechesis. (•Go
to NATIONAL SURVEY ON THE CATECHETICAL SITUATION IN
THE PASTORAL SETTING)
The catechists are grouped as full time and volunteer
according to the number of hours they render in the
catechetical ministry. As far training and preparation
are concerned, very few even full-time catechists are
professionally trained, with adequate academic training
of at least two years. Instead the great number of catechists
all over the country are volunteers, and inadequately
trained, that is, with specific training for the catechetical
apostolate limited to courses from several weeks or
week-end courses to one year. (Figures shown in NATIONAL
SURVEY ON THE CATECHETICAL SITUATION IN THE PASTORAL
SETTING) Also covered here are the priests, deacons,
brothers and formed religious who are involved in coordinating
catechetical programs, staffing catechist formation
centers, as well as actually teaching, giving retreats,
vocation seminars, and the like. (Rev. NCDP, 468)
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D. THE DIOCESE
 The
diocese, or that portion of the people of God entrusted
to the pastoral care of the bishop, plays the primary
role of leadership and coordination in the catechetical
ministry. Organizationally, almost every ecclesiastical
territory in the Philippines has some sort of office
(CCD, ORE, ORI, etc.) in charge of catechesis, to coordinate
and support the catechetical work both within the diocese
as well as with other neighboring dioceses. Structurally,
there is usually a diocesan pastoral council which assists
the bishop with its consultative role in establishing
a broad pastoral program for the whole diocese, including
a general catechetical plan. (cf. Rev. NCDP, 473)
More specifically, it is the diocesan catechetical
office which:
- analyzes the state of “education in faith”
within the diocese, identify needs and develop appropriate
plan of action with clear objectives;
- organizes and supports catechist recruitment, formation
programs continuing education in seminars, and institutions
of a specifically catechetical character;
- serves as information center for all involved in
the catechetical ministry – helping them with
catechetical aids and resources such as improved catechetical
texts, model syllabi, instructional materials; etc.;
- improves personnel and material resources, conducts
surveys on catechetical programs and their efficacy,
the felt needs of parishioners and their religious
attitudes;
- helps in evaluating present programs, especially
their ability to integrate cognitive (doctrinal),
affective (values and attitudes), and behavioral dimensions.
(cf. GDC 266; Rev. NCDP, 474)
Bishops. The diocese represents the primary unifying
and coordinating level of catechetical ministry. The
key figure, of course is the bishop, who is “beyond
all others, primarily responsible for catechesis”
(CT 63). As the first catechist of the diocese, the
bishop is to “let the concern to foster active
and effective catechesis yield to no other care whatever
in any way.” Rather he is to “take on…
the chief management of catechesis… with competent
and trustworthy assistants” (ibid.), to ensure
effective priority for an active and fruitful catechesis,
and adequate preparation of catechists. (GDC 223) In
the Philippines, the bishop is frequently in close personal
contact with the catechists of his diocese, yet with
the growing numbers of the faithful and the increasing
complexity of diocesan problems, he must rely on an
active and efficient sub-structure which can offer real
service to the parishes and BECs. The bishop’s
role is to “bring about and maintain a real passion
for catechesis, a passion embodied in a pertinent and
effective organization which puts into operation the
necessary personnel, means and equipment, and also financial
resources” (ibid; cf CD 14; Rev. NCDP, 475)
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E. THE RELIGIOUS
 Religious
congregations of both women and men provide significant
pastoral support for the catechetical ministry and religious
education. Historically, “many religious institutes
for men and women came into being for the purpose of
giving Christian education to children and young people
especially the most abandoned.” (GDC 229; CT 65;
RM 69) This gives hope that in following the charism
of their founders, religious congregations in the Philippines
will continue to develop greater collaboration with
diocesan agencies and parish priests, as well as among
themselves and their institutions, and thus enhance
the catechetical work throughout the country. Various
religious congregations could collaborate to produce
various catechetical materials without entering into
competition. When financial funds are scarce, a collaborative
ministry can be very helpful in responding to the need
of teaching tools, textbooks, and resource materials
for catechesis. But such cooperation and collaboration
will not materialize unless specific, concrete projects
and programs are created which actively elicit such
cooperative effort, and closer ties for the pastoral
apostolate are developed between the bishops (the CBCP)
and the associations of major religious superiors. (cf.
Rev. NCDP, 476)
The Episcopal Commission on Catechesis and Catholic
Education (ECCCE) then, is the Church’s catechetical
agency on the national level, assisted by the Advisory
Council for the Ministry of Catechesis (ACMC) composed
of representatives from the various ecclesiastical circumscriptions,
and from the catechetical centers based in Manila. (cf.
Rev. NCDP, 477)
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