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History
The Diocese of Corpus Christi has long recognized the importance of the participation of adults in catechesis, both as students and teachers. In 1984, Bishop René Gracida founded the "Pastoral Institute" as a means to enrich the faith formation of adults and to prepare well trained catechists and ministers in the Diocese.
Today, the good work begun through the "Pastoral Institute" carries forward in the newly founded "St. Paul School of Catechesis" - a school placed under the patronage of the great evangelist and catechist, St. Paul. The opening of the new school also coincides with the beginning of a special year dedicated to St. Paul, as announced by Pope Benedict XVI, commencing on June 29, 2008.
Purpose
The principle aim of all catechesis is to bring people to an intimate communion with Jesus Christ that leads them to share in the life of the Blessed Trinity. From the very beginning, the Catholic Church has considered catechesis a primary task because of the final command which the Lord Jesus gave to His apostles, "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you." (Mt28: 19-20) With this in mind, the primary purpose of the St. Paul School of Catechesis is threefold:
- To lead people to an intimate communion with Jesus Christ;
- To prepare local ecclesial ministers in areas such as catechesis and youth ministry among others; and,
- To facilitate adult faith formation.
The Importance of Adult Catechesis
Although many consider catechesis as pertaining primarily to children, faith formation is in fact a lifelong process. Adult religious education is critical to the local Church community. In his apostolic exhortation, Catechesi Tradendae (On Catechesis in Our Time), the great Pope John Paul II underlined the tremendous importance of adult religious instruction: "The Christian community cannot carry out a permanent catechesis without the direct and skilled participation of adults, whether as receivers or as promoters of catechetical activity."
Curriculum
Recognizing the centrality of the person of Jesus Christ at the heart of catechesis, the St. Paul School and its teachers have the intention "to transmit not (their) own teaching or that of some other master, but the teaching of Jesus Christ, the Truth that He communicates or, to put it more precisely, the Truth that He is." (Catechesi Tradendae, #6) For this reason, the curriculum of the St. Paul School of Catechesis will present systematic instruction which revolves around the Catechism of the Catholic Church and Sacred Scripture. Twelve courses will lead the student through the entire Catechism and another four courses are dedicated entirely to Sacred Scripture.
Course Format
Each course will be twelve hours in duration. The base model for courses will be six week courses consisting of two-hour sessions but other formats can be offered as well provided that the twelve hour course requirement is met. Courses will be offered throughout the Diocese over four different terms: winter (mid January-through February); spring (April-mid May) summer (early July-mid August) fall (October-mid November).
Location
Courses are offered throughout the Diocese of Corpus Christi. The schedule is available at:
www.diocesecc.org/SPSC/schedule
Cost
All courses are offered for free. Students may offer a donation to the St. Paul School of Catechesis ($15 would be the recommended donation).
Text Books
There are two essential text books for students. For the courses based on the Catechism, the required text is the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The courses covering Sacred Scripture use the book, Understanding the Scriptures, which may be either purchased from the St. Paul School of Catechesis for $45 or may be borrowed for the duration of the course at no charge.
For more information, please contact either Fr. Peter Marsalek or Margie Hartzheim:
Tel (361) 882-6191 (ext. 675)
PMarsalek@diocesecc.org
MHartzheim@diocesecc.org
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