Bishops and catechesis
Benoît Malvaux
While catechesis – understood as initiation to the
mystery of redemption and to a saintly way of life, is a responsibility
involving the entire Christian community, the diocesan bishop does, however,
play a fundamental role in its organisation and promotion within the diocese,
to the extent of being described in the Directory for Catechesis as « the
first person responsible for catechesis within the particular Church ».
This responsibility of his must considered within the broader framework of the
bishop’s specific role in the Church’s teaching work. The moderator of the
ministry of the Word within the Church he is responsible for, the Bishop is
called upon to ensure that the preaching of the Gospel is the « priority
of all priorities ». His concern for catechesis, which represents one of
the evangelisation process’s crucial moments, is a natural consequence.
The place of
honour reserved to catechesis among all the bishop’s pastoral concerns, in
fact, dates back to the very origins of the Church. Most of the Fathers of the
Church, from Ireneus of Lyon to Augustine of Hippone, also including Cyril of Jerusalem, John Crysostom or Ambrose from Milan, were first of all
catechists, personally involved in initiating their people to the Christian
faith. Once bishops, they naturally considered catechesis as representing one
of the fundamental duties of their ministry. Personally chosen by Christ, they
felt a profound need to announce this throughout their lives.
Circumstances
have changed nowadays; however announcing the Good News, which catechesis is
integrally part of, must still today represent the Bishop’s principal concern. Lumen Gentium no. 25 powerfully reminds us that the bishops
are both « preachers of the faith, who lead new disciples to
Christ » and « authentic teachers, that is, teachers endowed with the
authority of Christ, who preach to the people committed to them … making it
bear fruit and vigilantly warding off any errors that threaten their
flock ». This dual mission of the bishops in announcing the
Gospel, results in catechesis being bestowed with a
certain number of special responsibilities, indicated in the Directory at no.
223.
« The first
catechist » in his diocese, the bishop is first of all called upon to be
personally responsible in initiating the faithful he is responsible for to the
Faith, by intervening directly in the spreading of the Gospel. All homilies,
all pastoral letters, all direct contact the bishop has with the faithful,
individually or as a community, thereby assumes an authentic catechetic
dimension, helping God’s people to increasingly penetrate the meaning of the
mysteries of the Christian faith. The bishop can find in these contacts
nourishment for his own life of faith, instructed by the very people he
initiates.
The bishop is
also called upon to promote catechesis in his own diocese, encouraging the
priests and pastoral carers more directly involved in this activity, by
sensitising the Christian communities regards to the responsibility they hold
in this field, by « bringing about and maintaining a real passion for
catechesis », to use the words of the
Directory. This means that he himself has a passion for initiation to
the faith.
This passion is
not however only a form of enthusiasm to be passed on. It must also manifest
itself in more concrete measures, favouring a deployment of catechistic
activities in the diocese. It is in this manner that the bishop will ensure the
presence of people, means and resources for active and effective catechesis.
This implies of course ensuring that the catechists are adequately prepared for
their task, that they are profoundly impregnated with
the Church’s doctrine, and are also trained in psychology and pedagogy. The
creation of a training school for catechists, when possible, can become a
privileged instrument in this context. Implementing effective catechetic work
also implies that the bishop ensures catechists are correctly equipped, that
manuals helping them in their ministry are made available to them. This implies being vigilant, not only regards
to the quality of the means used, but also as regards to the authenticity of
the profession of faith they convey.
Finally, the
bishop must watch over the coordination of catechetic activities in the
particular Church entrusted to him. This does not mean that he should promote a
uniformed catechesis in the whole of his diocese – it is in fact important to
bear in mind the specificity of local situations, which may require a different
approach in the initiation to the faith. It is however important to ensure that
the diocese has a global and coherent catechetic plan, answering the needs of
the faithful and fitting in with the overall framework of the diocese’s
pastoral projects.
Hence the
bishop’s responsibility in the field of catechesis is crucial. It assumes that
he is a man of faith, profoundly impregnated by the Gospel he is has the task
of announcing; that he is supervises matters, careful to give rise in his
Church to a real «catechetic dynamism »; that he is also a man of
communion, working in close cooperation with the priests and catechists active
in the field. It is at these conditions that he will be able to promote a fully
fruitful catechesis, capable of helping each person to progress in their
knowledge of the faith and in a Christian life.