Thank you for your response!

At this point in the workshop, the following thought may have crossed your mind: “Wait a minute, I’m the catechist. Why am I taking a workshop that works on MY spirituality? Shouldn’t I be learning how to teach others — learning the methodology or activities or books I can provide for those being catechized?

It is the catechist’s relationship to the Person of Jesus that ultimately makes an “indelible impression” upon others. This requires a vibrant prayer life. To help others to desire to “put on Christ” (Gal 3:27), the catechist should thus first be committed to his or her own ongoing conversion to the Lord. For this reason, striving for holiness is a basic qualification of the catechist, so that “the ‘first word’ [he or she] speak[s] is that of personal witness” (Adult Catechesis in the Christian Community (ACCC) 72). The catechist becomes an increasingly transparent witness to the working of God in his or her own soul. For a reflection on the identity, vocation, and formation of catechists and catechesis, we recommend paragraphs 110–156 in the Directory for Catechesis.

The shouts of joy that emanated from the heart of St. Julie Billiart, founder of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, “Oh, how good is the good God!” should resonate through every catechetical session. If the catechist is what he or she should be, steeped in the love of Christ, the goodness of God will be evident.

As you will see in this workshop, the Church sees the role of the catechist as not just teacher, but as a spiritual mentor and role model. Here the phrase comes to mind, “You cannot give what you do not have.” The catechist regards fellow adults not as students, but as individuals having the dignity of those destined to be the sons and daughters of God to whom the fullness of God’s plan is being revealed.