Pastoral year will be unique from parish to parish

By Carol Mascola

 

We celebrate Catechetical Sunday on Sept. 20, the Twenty-Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Each year, those designated to serve as catechists are called forth and commissioned for their ministry. In his encyclical letter, “Deus Caritas Est (God is Love),” Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI teaches us that the “Church’s deepest nature is expressed in her threefold responsibility: of proclaiming the Word of God (kerygma-martyria), celebrating the sacraments (leitourgia), and exercising ministry of charity (diakonia)” (25). This year, Church leaders, catechists and parents must find new ways of passing on the faith. COVID-19 has flipped our world, but God is still at work even amid the chaos.
 

At the beginning of the pandemic, parish religious formation programs used everything at their disposal to continue the work of ministry – websites, Facebook pages, e-mails, and phone calls. For the fall, we plan to use what we have learned to communicate our plans for reopening. Because of the many restrictions, we know that things will look different. The faith formation process for adults, teens, and children during the 2020-2021 pastoral year will be unique from parish to parish. Parish staff will stretch their creativity and collaboration. Models will look different since many parishes have chosen to keep religious formation classes 100 percent virtual while some are preparing to resume in-person sessions, and others will be using hybrid virtual and in-person models. Those opting for in-person groups know well to follow CDC guidelines taking every precaution to keep everyone safe by wearing masks, washing and sanitizing hands, disinfecting, cleaning spaces, and adhering to social distancing rules.
 

We know that moving forward during the pandemic requires work. Thinking outside of the box with planning may require delaying the start of religious formation until late in the school year, bringing sessions into the spring and summer months when, God willing, warmer weather may enable outdoor classes. Our goal is to use this time of extraordinary circumstances to be flexible, compassionate, and creative.
 

At the same time, we recognize that this is a blessed opportunity to invest in the Domestic Church. The New Directory for Catechesis says, “Thanks to the family, the Church becomes a family of families and is enriched with the life of these domestic churches” (GDC226). We are collaborating with families in a new way by equipping them with tools to lead the faith. Discovering ways of using technology can invite families to participate in faith formation sessions and much more. We will continue to reach out to families with new zeal and methodology surpassing the traditional approach. Everyone has been working tirelessly to prepare for the start-up. The faithful’s prior inability to receive the Eucharist makes the theme of this year’s Catechetical Sunday most meaningful. The theme, “I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you” is taken from St. Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians and focuses on the essential work of catechesis: an invitation to hear and share the Word as witnesses of the true and living God.
 

Our images this year are of “The Supper at Emmaus” and a “Eucharist Image.”
 

The first reminds us that our response as catechists will be unique on our road back to Jerusalem as we proclaim the Good News and accompany those within our communities along their road to encounter the Risen Lord.
 

The second calls us to reflect on why we are a Eucharistic people, especially when we feel far away from the Lord and others. The offering of our lives in service to one another unites us in our daily sacrifices and transforms us into living witnesses.
 

Through this pandemic, it has become clear that we are not meant to live in isolation. God reminds us of something that we have always known to be true: it is He and He alone who works through the chaos of COVID-19. It is in times of hardship that we see God’s glory on full display. God is working all things for His glory and for the good of those who love Him. Be assured of my thoughts, prayers and support as the new catechetical year begins.
 

For more information about the office, visit the website https://diometuchen.org/discipleship-formation-for-children