The Diocese of Corpus Christi Office of Evangelization and Catechesis Institute for Parish Leadership and Ministry Formation presented a summer seminar at St. John Paul II Cafetorium on July 26-27, entitled “Echoing the Mystery: Unlocking the Deposit of Faith in Catechesis.”
The presenter, Marlon De La Torre, M.A. M.E.D. Ph.D. Candidate and Director of Evangelization and Catechesis for the Catholic Diocese of Ft. Worth said that religious educators must intimate “a Christ-Centered Catechesis. This should be the principal aim of any Catholic practitioner, one who studies and teaches the Catholic faith, to present what Jesus Christ the Son of God – the second person of the Blessed Trinity handed down to the faithful especially the twelve apostles.”
The handing down of the faith is referred to as the “Deposit of Faith” which entails Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture and is found taught and expressed in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
The common denominator in this area of faith is their centrality in Jesus Christ who is the Word made flesh (CCC 456-460; Jn 6:47-62). Christ-centered catechesis is the delivery of the teachings of Jesus Christ found in sacred tradition and sacred scripture. It is the continual development and understanding of the teachings of the Catholic Church rooted in Christ i.e. Christ-centered catechesis.
“The nature and identity of catechesis and catechetical instruction owes its identity to Christ. The application of Sacred Scripture and the Catechism of the Catholic Church allows catechetical instruction to foster a Christ-centered focus on Church teaching,” De La Torre said. “The aim of catechetical instruction is to place the person in an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ.”
If the person is not brought to know and understand the love Christ has for him or her beginning with their baptism, then any form of catechetical instruction is pointless. There is an initial proclamation of faith e.g. initiation or discovery of the faith where the person recognizes the dignity, he/she possesses as a child of God. This is called our Christian Anthropology or how and why God created us.
“Prior to any formal catechetical instructional process, the person should possess an openness-willingness to be taught by way of a Trinitarian-Christocentric focus. This methodology would allow the catechist to address the primary means of catechesis – to guide the person toward the acceptance of Jesus Christ as Lord, Savior and King. This process reflects our baptismal identity and calls to proclaim Christ crucified,” he said. “Catechesis cannot take place without a direct and honest desire to seek an intimate relationship with Christ and then begin to learn how to embrace, apply and learn about this relationship with him.”
Echoing the Mystery” is a resource that lays out a Christocentric premise toward teaching the Catholic faith. Its systematic approach will allow any educator to prudently walk through the process of teaching Catholic doctrine by knowing and understanding the premise and essentials of Church teaching.
A central theme of this resource is its structure in outlining Catholic doctrine and how to articulate and teach it. This resource allows a catechist to develop lesson plans, curriculums and teaching strategies on how best to teach the faith to others.