CONTRIBUTION EUROPEAN VIDEOCONFERENCE CATECHESIS

25 JUNE 2004

Father Frans Geels, Catechetical Office Diocese of Haarlem

Member of the steering committee of the Officium Catecheticum of the

Netherlands Church Province

The catechism of the Catholic Church in the catechistical planning of the local church

Good morning your eminence and fellow speakers, Good morning from the studio in Amsterdam, the Dutch capital.

I would like to approach the theme allocated to me, “Il Catechismo della Chiesa Cattolica nella progettazione catechistica della Chiesa locale”, on the basis of the situation in the Netherlands, obviously enough. Not that this is ideal. Perhaps the very opposite is true. Perhaps, though, other countries can recognize something of their own situation in that of ours, so that the possibilities, the impossibilities, and the challenges which we come across here in the area of catechesis are familiar for other countries.

We are in Amsterdam. As in all the other capital cities in northern Europe, the process of secularisation here is as good as complete. The church faces a new challenge: proclaiming the faith to young people and adults in a world which for the most part is alienated from the Christian faith. There are a large number of people who are in search of some meaning in their lives. Only, most of these people who are seeking, do not seek the answer in the church. And certainly not in the Catechism of that church. And yet, as Church, we believe that we have something to offer these people. Of course, we can’t immediately bring out the Catechism. That would be – even for most practising Catholics – too much of a good thing. In October 2002, I was able to tell the International Catechetical Congress in Rome something about the situation in the Netherlands. At that conference I recounted something of the prejudices and resistance which exist in the Netherlands as far as the documents from Rome are concerned.

Except one thing: the catechism is not a practical book. You don’t have to be a Dutchman to think that. The book is thick, solid, too difficult for those without a theological training. In our country, we are very pleased with the initiative from Rome to produce a shorter and simpler version. This book will – we hope – be easier to use for catechists and people, catholic believers and others, who are in search of deepening of their faith and meaning in their lives.

Having said that, we also see here in the Netherlands that the distrust of the Catechism is declining. To illustrate this process, I should first mention a few facts.

- The Dutch translation of the Catechism was completed in 1995

- In that year there was a study-day at the level of the church province

- In the next few years, a number of academic studies were published, written by lecturers at the Catholic theological faculties

- in a number of theological professional journals there has been regular interest in the Catechism

- there was a series on television, with no fewer than 80 broadcasts, lasting ten minutes each, which was about the Catechism. Videotapes of these broadcasts are still being used, for catechetical purposes, in parishes and elsewhere

- In various (catechetical) programmes of the Catholic Church on radio and television, the Catechism has been used, and is being used. One of these programmes even won a European prize for religious television programmes

- On the internet website of “Katholiek Nederland”, the full text of the Catechism is available.

Summing up, we can say this: as a result of all kinds of efforts, the knowledge of the Catechism has increased, and that has caused the distrust which there was to decrease. That is the path we will continue to follow. A particularly pleasing fact is that the Dutch dioceses have agreed to engage in intensive cooperation in the area of catechesis. With that in view, the Officium Catecheticum of the Netherlands Church province has been set up, in which this cooperation will be given shape.

The Catechism is now part of the curriculum of all seminaries and all Catholic academic theological educational courses in the Netherlands. In most of the vocational courses for catechists, and other vocational courses for church appointments, the Catechism plays an increasing role. By investing in the level of training and vocational courses, we hope and expect that the Catechism will play an ever greater role in the catechetical material which can be offered in the future in our church province. There are already some examples of this now, including a book called “Zin in geloof” (“meaning in faith”). The Catechism is an important reference text for this book, and the book follows the content of the Catechism strongly.

As a result of broader and broader knowledge of the Catechism by more and more people, its influence will eventually - implicitly or explicitly – be noticeable in catechesis as it is taught in this country. In a country which, after all, produced Petrus Canisius, the “inventor” of the catechism, this should not be just a pious wish!

Thank you for your attention.