Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
One of the primary roles of the Church is that of teaching and education. Indeed, bishops are giving three main responsibilities in their vocation as the head of a diocese: to teach, to govern, and to sanctify. But it’s not just bishops that are responsible for teaching in the life of the Church. It’s reasonable to say that all of us, as members of the Church, share in that same role, although to varying degrees.
This weekend we celebrate that idea of teaching, especially in the religious context, with what is known as Catechetical Sunday. In much of the US and in even in our own parish, part of the celebration of Catechetical Sunday is to recognize the work of those in our Religious Education program, the volunteers who help to teach a large portion of our young people about the faith. They certainly deserve the recognition, given how vital this work and ministry is, and how challenging it can be, in our current times.
I realize that here at St. Charles, there is a certain emphasis that is given to our parochial school, in terms of attention and resources. It’s just the natural reality of things, but it obscures the critical role our Religious Education plays in the life of the parish. It’s not fair to compare the two, as there are distinct differences between them, but it’s worth pointing out that the majority of our young people in the parish, approximately 500 of them, Religious Ed is the way in which they receive their formation in the faith. It’s not meant to be the only way that they learn about the faith, with regular participation in the weekend Masses and being taught at home by their parents being the other pillars of faith formation for them, but the reality is that for many, Religious Ed is a key to learning about God and about what it means to be His disciple.
And so, for any and all catechists that may be reading this, whether you’ve taught in the past, are teaching now, or in the future, please know how special and important you are to our parish community and to me. As a former Religious Ed student myself, I know how tough it can be in certain moments, but also how vital it is in sharing and building up the faith for the youth. My sincere hope and prayer is that the time and effort you put into your classes may be an effective means of planting seeds. Seeds that will continue to grow in the lives of the young people you interact with. That will blossom into a strong and vibrant faith, confident in the knowledge that you helped to instill in your students. May God’s grace be with all of us this Catechetical Sunday and throughout the year ahead!
Peace and Goodness,
Fr. Dan
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