• The parishes provide the environment in which the people of God can come together as a community of faith.
• The vigor and vision of the parish depend on several factors, but should always be focused on the Church's mission of catechesis and evangelization.
• The parishes demonstrate a strong discipleship model. Pastors develop lay leaders and empower them to make parish ministries their own.
• The parishes display a strong sense of stewardship. Parishioners apply their time, skills, and money to serve God and neighbor, providing witness to the tenets of Christianity. These works embrace parishioners and non-parishioners, at times supplementing services provided by government. Absence of the parish would deprive the neighboring community not only of service, but of significant moral leadership.
• The parishes seek to increase awareness and involvement in national issues.
• Many parishes actively participate in service to the global community. More than half have a twinning relationship with a parish in another country.
• The pastors work with and help the laity to grow in faith. A critical avenue for this is the Sunday liturgy which includes a well-prepared homily.
• Bishops should encourage parishes to evangelize, to become an evangelizing community of communities. They should also encourage priests and catechetical leaders to work for a balanced approach to catechesis that integrates the discipleship nature of parish life with the educational and formational aspects of programs.

• All members of the church community are called to develop and strengthen their loving relationship with God throughout their lifetime. They are also called to help others do the same.
• Catechesis is an ongoing faith formation that should occur from cradle to tomb. The foundation is rooted in family and childhood, but catechesis continues through adolescence and into adulthood. Being capable of a mature faith, adults have the responsibility for ongoing spiritual growth.
• Catechesis begins and continues in the home, supported and complemented by parish programs for all age levels.
• Catechesis is intergenerationally supportive. All people within the family, and within the parish, can aid the faith formation of the other members--children, youth, adults, and the elderly.
• The ministry of the word is essential to a strong faith. Homilies must be prepared carefully and be appropriate to the faithful.
• Catechesis is not a separate component that occurs at designated times. The ongoing development and discernment of faith takes place in all activities and responsibility falls on all members of the parish to catechize and evangelize.
• Priests should affirm catechists, acknowledging their ministry as vital to the life of the church, united to the whole parish with the Sunday Eucharist, and rooted in the ministry of the word. They should encourage them to enjoy what they are doing and not to be afraid, be confident and to utilize their unique gifts. Priests should also assure catechists that they have been called to this ministry.
• Catechists should pray and strive to grow spiritually. They should take advantage of continuing education and ongoing formation, attend workshops, and gather with other catechists.
• Catechetical leaders should be involved in the wider dimension of the parish's programs, activities, and ministries, especially the social justice dimension.

• Priests must give priority to catechetical ministry because it is foundational to all other ministries.
• The importance of the word, of preaching well-prepared homilies as part of well-planned liturgical celebrations, is a critical factor in the priest's role in catechetical ministry.
• The participants' approach to catechesis has education and discipleship in a synergistic balance. Religious education comprises only one component of catechesis in the parish. Although the participants participate in catechetical programs, they make sure that others are prepared and capable to handle these responsibilities.
• The participants recognize that they cannot do everything and so they do not place excessive expectations on themselves. They are secure people. They are comfortable with having parishioners with complementary talents work with them, and so they actively develop lay ministry.
• The participants nurture the faith of parishioners and help them pass this faith to others. So parishioners can accomplish their catechetical mission, the priests help them recognize, develop, and use their God-given talents.
• In providing leadership, the participants help the parish develop a vision of catechesis, help the parish to focus on this vision, and then focus the talents of the people to help the parish carry this vision.
• The participants see that most of their ministry entails catechesis. Since there are opportunities for catechesis in so much of what the priests do, an important aspect of the catechetical role of priests is being present to people, talking and listening to them.
• Priests should pray with catechists and catechetical leaders more frequently. They should see if there are ways in which they can help catechists develop their faith, grow, and study.
• If priests do not teach in a program, they should have direct involvement in the ministry of catechesis though their presence, support, and affirmation.
• Bishops should continue to encourage priests in their ongoing formation so the priests are better able to form evangelizers and to be catechetical guides and leaders who empower catechists for all ages. They should help priests improve their homilies and liturgies; they should challenge priests to grow; and they should encourage sabbaticals.

• All members of the Church are called to grow in faith and proclaim the Good News throughout their lives.
• The priests nurture the spiritual growth of parishioners and they help parishioners assume their roles in catechetical ministry and evangelization.
• The Spirit empowers. The priest is party to this empowerment.
• Sources of empowerment include:
  • Catechetical development of people in catechetical ministry
  • Personal development of people in catechetical ministry
  • Trust
  • Affirmation
  • Financial Support
  • Joy
  • Respect for time limitations
• A capable Director of Religious Education should have the responsibility for developing and administering the parish's catechetical programs.
• Priests should know about the parish's catechetical programs and be able to provide direction as needed.
• Catechists should be recruited with care and experience opportunities for development through catechist formation or other programs.

www.sadlier.com/main.htm
Copyright © 2004
William H. Sadlier, Inc.
All rights reserved.