The Priest As Empowerer of Catechetical Ministry, Chapter 3, part 1

The Priest As Empowerer of Catechetical Ministry
Chapter 3
The Priest in Catechetical Ministry (part 1 of 3)

Introduction

Catechesis always has been and always will be a work for which the whole Church must feel responsible and must wish to be responsible. But the Church's members have different responsibilities, derived from each one's mission.

Catechesi Tradendae, 16

"How do you see yourselves in catechetical ministry?" This question began this segment of the symposium and remained the focal point for discussion as the participants considered the many possible responses. After examining the activities of the parish and how catechesis fits within the context of parish life, the participants transitioned to the role that the priest plays in catechetical ministry.

The National Catechetical Directory explains that "priests exercise a uniquely important role and have a special responsibility for the success of the catechetical ministry. They are a source of leadership, cooperation, and support for all involved in this ministry. As leaders in developing a faith community under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, they perform indispensable catechetical functions: encouraging catechists, praying with them, teaching and learning with them, supporting them." (NCD, 217) Regarding the role of the pastor, Canon 773 states: "There is a proper and serious duty, especially on the part of pastors of souls, to provide for the catechesis of the Christian people so that the faith of the faithful becomes living, explicit and productive through formation in doctrine and the experience of Christian living." (Code of Canon Law, 773)

The Directory for the Life and Ministry of Priests also refers to the mandate and responsibility that priests receive to encourage, coordinate and direct the catechetical activity of the community. It explains that a priest "must know how to integrate such activity into an organic project of evangelization, guaranteeing, above all, the communion of the catechesis of his community with the person of the Bishop, with the particular Church and with the universal Church." (Ministry of Priests, 47)

As discussed in Chapters 1 and 2, catechesis should not be limited to the classroom or specific programs, but should be incorporated into the entire fabric of parish life. Pope John Paul II writes that "the definitive aim of catechesis is to put people not only in touch but in communion, in intimacy, with Jesus Christ: only He can lead us to the love of the Father in the Spirit and make us share in the life of the Holy Trinity." (Catechesi Tradendae, 5) How do priests facilitate and encourage this communion with Jesus?

When asked about the role of priests in catechetical ministry, some people may picture the priest teaching in parish programs or in Catholic schools. Others may consider his involvement in the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, catechist training, or programs for adults. However, such programs and teaching opportunities cannot define or limit the role of priests in catechetical ministry.

Synopsis
This chapter examines many of the ways the participants and their colleagues participate in the catechetical ministry of their parishes. The symposium's exploration of the role of the priest in catechetical ministry utilized several interesting activities to explore the topic. At the end of the previous session, the participants each received blank paper and crayons and were asked to create an image that for them captures the role of priest in catechetical ministry. With the help of these visual presentations, table groups first compared and explained their drawings, and then created a single group image or a collage of images. These group efforts then were shared with the entire body. This exercise facilitated an informed examination of the role of the priest in catechetical ministry, and precipitated a discussion about the challenges of this role.

The participants next analyzed both the time they devote to parish activities and the time they spend in specific catechetical activities. The exercise was designed to help the participants identify patterns present in this dimension of their ministry, and the evaluation served as the foundation for a free-flowing, revolving interplay of thoughts, ideas, and reactions.

As in the previous chapters, you will have the opportunity to complete the same exercises to help you reflect on you own experience and compare it with the experience of the symposium's participants.

Reflection Questions
In preparation for this section, please spend some time completing the following reflection questions. As you read this chapter, continue to consider the responses from the symposium as benchmarks for comparison with your responses. Engage in a mental dialogue.

Some responses from the reflection questions of the participants describing the role of the priest in parish catechetical ministry appear after the questions and throughout the chapter.

Reflection Questions
The Priest in Catechetical Ministry

How do you personally influence the parish's catechetical ministry?

How do you and the parish DRE/Coordinator of Religious Education support each other?

How do you help prepare catechists for their role in this ministry?

Name the three most important priorities for the parish catechetical ministry.

Describe your personal continuing education in the area of catechesis/religious education:

What specific steps do you take?
How do you utilize diocesan services and resources?
Why do you pursue this continuing education?
What are the obstacles to this pursuit?

Based on your experience, what important points would you make to impart your vision of catechesis/religious education in the life of the parish, if you were speaking with:

A newly hired DRE?
A new catechist?
A newly ordained priest?

How would you describe the role of the pastor/priest in parish catechesis/religious education to:

A newly hired DRE?
A new catechist?
A newly ordained priest?

Responses from symposium participants describing the role of the pastor and priest in parish catechesis.

The Role of the Priest in Catechetical Ministry, Artfully Rendered
When the participants were asked to draw an image that captured for them the role of the priest in catechetical ministry, people were somewhat curious about the artistic and catechetical outcomes. The denouement turned out to be enlightening, filled with images that were at times insightful, at times humorous, and at all times creative.

A proverb explains that a picture is worth a thousand words. However, in this case the descriptions are more powerful than the images. Objects as diverse as a stagecoach, a fireball, an oil can, and a cartoon character, as well as some fairly abstract images, were cleverly used and expressively explained. During one presentation a priest commented: "It's very good theology, very poor art."

These images and their descriptions will be reviewed. But before you continue, create your image of the priest in catechetical ministry. Find some crayons, colored pencils or markers. You can use a pen or pencil, but color always gives added dimension. Have some fun, be creative. Let your "right brain" go to work as you create your image of the priest in catechetical ministry.

Images
The drawings created by the participants contain images and symbols that offer interesting insights into the role of the priest in catechetical ministry. Since the objective of this exercise was to facilitate an examination of this role, this section reviews the themes that emerged from the images rather than descriptions and explanations of the images themselves. The themes include:

Priest as Empowerer	Priest as Leader
Common Thread	Tightrope Walker

Priest as Empowerer
The discussions to this point in the symposium reflected a commitment on the part of the participants to help all the baptized recognize their roles and responsibilities as part of the Church community, and also to help them be open to the power of the Spirit. Pope John Paul II referred to this responsibility in his Apostolic Exhortation The Vocation and the Mission of the Lay Faithful in the Church and in the World: "The lay faithful, precisely because they are members of the Church, have the vocation and mission of proclaiming the Gospel: They are prepared for this work by the sacraments of Christian initiation and by the gifts of the Holy Spirit." (Christifideles Laici, 33) The sense of mission must be nurtured.

The Dogmatic Constitution on the Church speaks of the fruits of this relationship. "Many benefits for the Church are to be expected from this familiar relationship between the laity and the pastors. The sense of their own responsibility is strengthened in the laity, their zeal is encouraged, they are more ready to unite their energies to the work of their pastors. The latter, helped by the experience of the laity, are in a position to judge more clearly and more appropriately in spiritual as well as in temporal matters." (Lumen Gentium, 37)

Several pictures and their descriptions captured the concept of an empowering relationship between the priest and the parishioners. For example:

The light on Holy Saturday from the fire started by the priest and passed by members of the community to one another. The light shines in the community because people who have been touched by the light become light and carry the light to others.
A fireball in the universe. This image represents the priest as an energizing minister who helps the faithful realize their potential as ministers in the parish's journey of faith. In the midst of this journey, the priest and parishioners work together and energize one another to reach their common goal of new life in the parish.
A priest laying hands on the community, representing the efforts to bring forth the wonderful gifts of each person in the community to serve the ministry of catechesis.
A watch, with the priest as a battery that provides power to start the mechanism moving. With interconnected gears, the priest moves certain people who in a sense move everything else. There is community, yet individuality.

One priest described an intricate image to illustrate the empowering image of the priest in catechetical ministry. The image had eight wings emanating from a center point, which symbolized Christ. The design reflected the premise of mutuality--all are created in the image and likeness of God. He explained: "We are all meant to soar. As the priest lifts his wings to soar he also lifts up all others and they lift him. Lifting one wing requires lifting everyone else. Each wing has an opposing wing which symbolizes our shadow. As we call forth each other's gifts we must also develop and call forth the shadow side lest we are not whole. It is only when all are whole that we are balanced and our flight is harmonious and we live in the Hebrew concept of Shalom. Our flight now spirals upward ever more deeply into the mystery of God."

Priest as Leader, Working with Others
Several participants illustrated the priest as a catechetical leader who has and shares a vision, which is implemented in a way that involves all of the talents and abilities of everyone. This recalls the first letter of Paul to the Thessalonians. "Be at peace among yourselves. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophetic utterances. Test everything; retain what is good." (1 Thessalonians 5:13, 19Ð21)

However, in his Apostolic Exhortation Pope John Paul II cautions that no charism dispenses a person from reference and submission to the pastors of the church. He writes: "The Council clearly states: 'Judgment as to their (charisms) genuineness and proper use belongs to those who preside over the Church, and to whose special competence it belongs, not indeed to extinguish the Spirit, but to test all things and hold fast to what is good (cf. 1 Thessalonians 5:12, 19Ð21),' (Lumen Gentium, 12) so that all the charisms might work together, in their diversity and complementarity, for the common good. (cf. Lumen Gentium, 30)" (Christifideles Laici, 24)

The following descriptions of the images depict women, men, and priests working together in their parishes for this common goal.

A flower, with parishioners as its beautiful petals and the pastor in the center. The pastor has contact and interrelationships with parishioners, respects the boundaries and the role of leadership of others, and provides a source of unification. Everyone is interconnected through the work, sharing, and vision.
A stagecoach. The priest helps to direct everyone's energy--with good ideas and bad ideas, and then keeps all working together and moving in the same direction.
The pastor as a light that exemplifies where catechesis should be leading people.
The pastor as salt that energizes, preserves tradition, and gives taste.
Another group offered a drawing of a priest with exaggerated features: big ears--he's a good listener; a big smile; big eyes--to see a lot; and a big heart to engage people in relationship, example, support, belief, trust, and encouragement.
The people at one table opted not to share a drawing, but instead offered their images by means of "performance art" in which each person at the table stood, and explained how the fluid motion of the wrist illustrates a feature of the priest's catechetical ministry:

It is all in the wrist, hands that enable, hands that receive, hands that give. It is a shared responsibility among people to form, inform, and transform a community in Christian faith.
The priest striking the match and inviting everybody else to strike their match and let the flame come alive.
The conductor leading an orchestra in which all people have gifts. They do things differently, but they come together through the leader and the wrist in harmony and melodic unity.
Like the mechanism for a movable, geometric shape, the priest in catechesis can twist and turn on a variety of axes, but hold things together and eventually help things turn out right, though right does not mean identical.

Common Thread
One group assembled a collage by taping their six drawings to a flipchart and then connecting those drawings with yarn sewn through the paper. The spokesperson for the group explained that the image of weaving represents the ability of parishes to maintain several images together at many different moments in the ebb and flow of parish life and activity. The group felt that any one image, though it may be an excellent one, is not always applicable. When the images are woven together, there will probably be a very dynamic community of faith.

The Vocation and the Mission of the Lay Faithful states: "All the members of the People of God--clergy, men and women religious, the lay faithful--are laborers in the vineyard. At one and the same time they all are the goal and subjects of Church communion as well as of participation in the mission of salvation. Every one of us possessing charisms and ministries, diverse yet complementary, works in the one and the same vineyard of the Lord." (Christifideles Laici, 55)

The Tightrope Walker
One group offered a different type of picture. It illustrated a priest on a tightrope juggling several items. Behind the priest on the tightrope stands a person ready to challenge him whenever the two disagree about the purpose or outcome of activities, especially those that the priest thinks are great, but the other person does not. All the while the priest continues to juggle many things, although some are dropped and end up broken. However, through all this the priest keeps walking towards a goal.

Reflection
Describe your illustration of the priest in catechetical ministry to a friend or colleague. Solicit a response.

The second part of Chapter 3, The Priest in Catechetical Ministry in The Priest as Empowerer of Catechetical Ministry will be posted next Thursday. For information about ordering this book, please see the Sadlier Religion Catalog.

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