Responses from the symposium participants
(Chapter 5, part 2):

What has this experience meant to you personally?

• I have been energized by interacting with pastors who are excited about their ministry who have a healthy vision of Church, who are secure in themselves.
• It has been a humbling experience and an invigorating experience. I had to rethink and clarify in my own mind certain concepts, vocabulary, etc., and reflect on what I am doing and how I come to have the vision I have of Church and people. I love people and people are the Church.
• It has been invigorating. I gained valued insights from the discussions and a great understanding and consciousness of the meaning of catechesis--how broad it is.
• Very uplifting. It helped me to get in touch with some very creative and dedicated priests. Helps give one a more solid basis on which to speak about effective catechesis in parishes and the kind of leadership needed.
• A great experience of being with and sharing with a group of people who are struggling with living the message of empowerment and discipleship. A sense of sympatico.
• It has energized me to know that other priests are working towards a similar view of Church: adult faith centered, energized, committed Christians. It has exhausted me thinking that much of our work of genuine catechesis is still to be done--bringing about true conversion and evangelization in the lives of Catholic Christians.
• It validated my conviction that everyone has a piece of the Good News, and the Truth that is in it. No one has it all, and that's OK.
• It has affirmed that the empowering process is going in my life without my really realizing it was going on.
• Great awareness of struggles in catechetical ministry. Very common struggles. How to effectively catechize as people? Every part of the country is so different in terms of needs, expectations and challenges to helping people on the journey of faith.
• We are people who have the same goals in ministry but have become more and more aware that we view the means to achieve these goals differently--sort of a microcosm of our experience as Church.
• I have grown personally by hearing many effective efforts done in other parishes. I have benefited by meeting priests from throughout the U.S. who have much greater experiences and learned from that.
• This experience has enlivened my faith and priesthood. It has challenged me to continue to be open.

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