Evangelization is ever present and embraces the entire spectrum of faith- from helping to enrich those who live and practice the Catholic faith to helping bring the invitation of God's message to those who exist entirely without a belief in God. Pope Paul VI, in his Apostolic Exhortation On Evangelization in the Modern World, states that evangelization "is a complex process made up of varied elements: the renewal of humanity, witness, explicit proclamation, inner adherence, entry into the community, acceptance of signs, apostolic initiative. These elements may appear to be contradictory, indeed mutually exclusive. In fact they are complementary and mutually enriching. Each one must always be seen in relationship with the others." (Evangelii Nuntiandi, 24)

Pope John Paul II affirms in Catechesi Tradendae that catechesis is one of these elements, "a very remarkable one- in the whole process of evangelization." (Catechesi Tradendae, 18) And explaining that Christ is "at the heart of catechesis," the Catechism of the Catholic Church states: "From this loving knowledge of Christ springs the desire to proclaim him, to 'evangelize,' and to lead others to the 'yes' of faith in Jesus Christ. But at the same time the need to know this faith better makes itself felt."(Catechism of the Catholic Church, 429)

Late in 1992 the National Conference of Catholic Bishops approved a national plan for evangelization in the United States. Published in February 1993, Go and Make Disciples outlines a detailed strategy for evangelization, calling the Church in the United States "to bring about in all Catholics such an enthusiasm for their faith that, in living their faith in Jesus, they freely share it with others." (Go and Make Disciples, page 7)

As Go and Make Disciples was being published, twenty-three priests from across the United States participated in "The Priest as Empowerer of the Catechist" symposium which was jointly sponsored by the National Conference of Catechetical Leadership (NCCL) and William H. Sadlier, Inc. Though these two events occurred independently, the insights and experiences shared by the priests during the symposium illustrate how catechetical ministry supports evangelization.

The Symposium:  "The Priest as Empowerer of the Catechist" symposium took place from January 31 to February 3, 1993 at Our Lady of Florida Spiritual Center in North Palm Beach, Florida. The symposium was conceived as a way to explore approaches to catechetical ministry with priests who are recognized for their work with and through catechists. The participants are priests who help to build faith communities whose members have the strength and commitment to spread the word of God.

In his welcoming remarks, William Sadlier Dinger, president of Sadlier, explained that the symposium was conceived as a way to gather and explore with priests "this important (catechetical) work of the Church and to discover concrete ways to share, help and support parish priests and catechists across the country." Specifically, the symposium had a twofold objective:

To identify elements needed for parish priests to empower those who serve in catechetical ministry;

To identify concrete ways of helping and supporting parish priests in their empowering ministry.

To accomplish these objectives, the symposium was designed as an interactive process of shared dialogue. There was no position paper drafted ahead of time to be used as a focus for discussion. Catechetical professionals at the symposium did not suggest to the group of assembled priests what they should be doing in the area of catechetical ministry. Instead, the symposium proceeded with the view that the assembled priests themselves were the experts. Before the symposium, each participant was asked to prepare responses to reflection questions based on the four topics which functioned as the informational structure of the symposium. The responses served as the basis for the examination of each of these areas:

The Parish

Catechesis in the Parish

The Priest in Catechetical Ministry

The Priest as Empowerer of Catechetical Ministry

The process used a variety of creative techniques to facilitate discussion in order to focus on what the priests presently do in parish life and in catechetical ministry. James J. DeBoy, Jr., President of NCCL at the time of the symposium and Director of Religious Education for the Archdiocese of Baltimore, and Dr. Gerard F. Baumbach, Vice President and Publisher of Sadlier, designed the process and facilitated the proceedings. Both have many years of catechetical experience on a wide variety of levels.

Though the pastoral plan Go and Make Disciples was not part of the symposium discussions, the participants' approach to building the Church reflects the recommendations of the document. The topic of the symposium focused on catechesis and the empowerment of catechists and catechetical ministry, and the discussions revealed how catechesis and evangelization are in a synergistic relationship in the ministry of the participants.

The participants' approach to catechesis also reflects the teaching of Sharing the Light of Faith: National Catechetical Directory for Catholics of the United States (NCD): "To consider evangelization only as a verbal proclamation of the gospel robs it of much of its richness; just as it does not do justice to catechesis to think of it as instruction alone. Like evangelization, catechesis is incomplete if it does not take into account the constant interplay between gospel teaching and human experience- individual and social, personal and institutional, sacred and secular." (NCD, 35)

The Participants:  In order to assemble a suitable cross section of pastoral experience, NCCL Provincial Representatives nominated priests whom they believed could bring "the excitement and the vision to the theme of the symposium." From these nominations came twenty-three priests from diverse regions of the nation. Representatives from the National Conference of Catechetical Leadership, William H. Sadlier, Inc., and the National Catholic Educational Association also participated.

Most of the priests were pastors. However, their experience, age, and background varied significantly. The assembled priests were ordained from four to thirty-four years. The parish situations represented by the group were diverse- from inner city to rural mission, from wealthy suburb to farming community. Some came from parishes with several people on staff, while others were much more limited in size. The size of the parishes varied from 3,000 to 300 families. Twelve of the pastors headed parishes with Catholic schools, with one also responsible for a parish high school.

Coming from such diverse backgrounds, the participants naturally approached topics from different perspectives. But throughout the symposium there was a genuine respect for who they were and what they were trying to accomplish. There was no hesitation to be frank with the group. During the symposium the participants delighted in the successes of others and were not hesitant to speak about their own efforts that may have fallen short.

The participants affirmed the faith and dedication of catechists, Directors of Religious Education, and other catechetical leaders without distinguishing whether by vocation they were lay or religious. The participants did, however, give witness to the tremendous contributions the faithful have made and continue to make in catechetical ministry throughout the nation.

Through the ensuing discussions it became evident that the assembled priests possessed a vision of the church rooted in the Second Vatican Council. It also became clear that empowering catechists and catechetical ministry is symptomatic of their approach to building the Church. The symposium was indeed fortunate to benefit from the willing and open participation of these priests.

Using this Information: Entering the Discussion:

"But grace was given to each of us according to the measure of Christ's gift. . . . And he gave some as apostles, others as prophets, others as evangelists, others as pastors and teachers, to equip the holy ones for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ . . ."

Ephesians 4: 7, 11–12

One clear benefit of the symposium was its focus on what the gathered priests are presently doing in catechetical ministry. This emphasis enabled the participants to draw from their pastoral experience and to examine directly their parishes' current, positive, and enriching catechetical undertakings. The process can help you do the same. The book builds upon the symposium and the wisdom that it surfaced, but it is more than a summary report or a set of conclusions. It is a means that you can use to review your parish's catechetical ministry using the experiences of the symposium's participants as a point of comparison.

Throughout this series, you are invited to complete the same activities and answer the same questions as the symposium's participants. Place yourself in the discussion, reacting and reflecting on what is said. If you have a response, if a thought comes to you, record it in the "Notes" column next to the paragraph. The process can help you clarify areas that may be vague, identify areas that may be absent, and highlight areas that may be strong. You may also choose to engage others in discussion as you explore these questions.

Prior to the symposium the participants received a booklet of reflection questions and were requested to respond as best they could before the symposium so that the event could begin with a "reservoir of response." This enabled the facilitators and participants to build on concrete experience as they worked to identify ways that priests empower catechists and catechetical ministry.

These questions served to focus the direction of the symposium, and they provide the same role in this book. The questions are grouped according to the four segments of the symposium process, which in turn are covered as chapters of this book. Some questions may pique your interest or reflect your experience more than others. However, your discernment process will benefit if you answer all the questions as completely as possible. As you do this, also draw upon the insights of others who work with you in catechetical ministry. The process for reflection and response remains the same for each of the chapters.

Suggestions

As you review the catechetical experiences of the priests who attended the symposium, and also consider your own catechetical experience, there are suggested steps that you can follow.

First, answer the reflection questions.

Second, read the summary of the corresponding symposium discussion. Responses from the completed booklets submitted by the participants are incorporated into this summary, and they also appear intermittently on the bordered pages throughout the chapters. Since the booklets were designed as an aid for the participants, not everyone submitted a copy of these responses. In addition, one person who was unable to attend the symposium itself completed and submitted a booklet. His thoughts are also incorporated in this material.

Third, reflection questions, based on the symposium discussions, appear throughout the chapter to help you identify and record your initial reactions and thoughts.

Fourth, after reading the chapter, use the symposium discussions as a benchmark for comparison as you revisit your responses to the reflection questions at the beginning of the chapter. You may find that you overlooked some things, or underestimated the impact of others.

Fifth, after considering the symposium discussions, your reflections, and your responses to the questions, you may want to identify some initial areas for further consideration. Are there ideas or activities that you would like to incorporate into your parish program? Are there current activities in your parish that you would like to reinforce? A worksheet at the end of each chapter provides space for you to record your thoughts.

Finally, a planning section appears in Chapter 6. Here you and others can create action plans based on the information gathered during this process.

The chapters contain references to catechetical documents, documents of the Second Vatican Council, and other teaching documents of the Church that are pertinent to the topic. These are identified by the document title and section number in parentheses following the citation. For example: (Catechesi Tradendae, 18). When a document does not contain paragraph numbers, the page is cited. If you are unfamiliar with a source, Appendix 2 provides brief descriptions of the documents quoted in this text. The Selected Bibliography in Appendix 3 offers the bibliographic information for these sources.

Finally, in addition to the clergy, many others can benefit from this examination of ways in which priests empower catechetical ministry. Parish Directors of Religious Education, Principals, catechists, teachers, youth ministers, and parish catechumenal teams will also find the report, questions, and commentary to be a valuable resource for their varied ministries.

Prayer:  Prayer was an integral aspect of the symposium experience. A prayer service marked the beginning and the end of each day, and the symposium concluded with a eucharistic liturgy. As you proceed through this book, whether you are reading this on your own or are completing this process with others, you are encouraged to approach the material and the exercises in a prayerful manner. Be open to the insights of the Holy Spirit. If you are working through this material with others, please spend time together in prayer as part of this process.

Reflection   As you begin this process, take some time to reflect on the prayer offered by Pope John Paul II at the conclusion of the Apostolic Constitution, Fidei Depositum, the document presenting the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

I beseech the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Incarnate Word and Mother of the Church, to support with her powerful intercession the catechetical work of the entire Church on every level, at this time when she is called to a new effort of evangelization. May the light of the true faith free humanity from the ignorance and slavery of sin in order to lead it to the only freedom worthy of the name (cf. Jn. 8:32): that of life in Jesus Christ under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, here below and in the Kingdom of heaven, in the fullness of the blessed vision of God face to face (cf. 1 Cor 13:12; 2 Cor 5:6–8)!

Catechism of the Catholic Church, page 6

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