Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) – The figure of the lay catechist in the ad gentes mission is at the center of the Congress that was organized by the Saint Joseph Missionary College in Rome, at the Pontifical University Urbaniana, April 28-29. Father Sante Bisignano, OMI, Rector, in his opening address recalled the fact that “the College celebrates its 30th anniversary of foundation this year. It was an initiative of Cardinal Agnelo Rossi, Prefect of Propaganda Fide, and by the Secretary of the Dicastery, then Archbishop Simon Lourdusamy, who in response to the Conciliar Decree Ad Gentes, established the Mater Ecclesiae College on September 9, 1979, with see in Castel Gandolfo, in order to prepare qualified catechists from missionary lands.”
Recently transferred to the Urbaniana University under a new name, the College continues to welcome young men and women from across the world, offering them a doctrinal preparation on an academic level, obtaining university titles. The Rector continued: “The objective of the Congress is precisely that of narrating the need the missionary Church has of the lay person and the lay catechists, through the experience of these last three years with the youth of the College, and to recall the historical events of the Church and see future challenges.”
In presenting the history of lay evangelizers in the life of the Church, Father Alberto Trevisiol highlighted that “catechists have always been at the fundamental heart of the mission.” The Dean of the Missiology Department explained: “From the dawn of Christianity, the Gospel was spread throughout the Greek and Roman world, especially through the testimony of what the Didache calls 'itinerant missionaries,' simple believers that not only felt called by Christ, but also invited by Him to preach the Word in the world. Once the migration patterns in Europe ended with the fall of the Roman Empire, the lay catechists, beginning with Clement the Roman, became mediators between the kerigma and the culture at the time and managed to give a soul to European society. They influence the mentality and lifestyle mainly through the medieval 'scholae'.” The modern age, with its phenomena of the great travels to countries far from the country of origin, has shown the need for local lay collaborators.
Father Trevisiol continued: “The model of Saint Francis Xavier is an example to be followed even to this day. In his letters, the Jesuit missionary tells of the incredible efforts he made in preaching the Gospel to all people and he depended on local converts for making himself understood. Thus, his collaborators helped communicate the Word in the local language, serving as cultural go-betweens and authentic ministers of the Word. The model, in fact, even today shows the essence of the missionary catechist.”
Developing on this theme, Archbishop Piergiuseppe Vacchelli (Secretary Adjunct of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples and President of the Pontifical Mission Societies) pointed out the great importance of educators and lay ministers for the pastoral needs of communities which would otherwise remain in isolation or with difficult access. “This situation is common to the Churches in Asia, Africa, and in the Christian communities dispersed on the thousands of islands of Oceania. It is no mere coincidence that the most recent statistics tell us that in 2008, the number of catechists increased by 36,000, the majority in Asia (28,000) and Africa (5,000). Even with an increase in local clergy, without the work of the catechists, it would be impossible to guarantee minimum pastoral care for small ethnic and linguistic groups. Moreover, while they are fundamental in the primary evangelization of non-Christians by virtue of their presence in the same environment and social fabric, today their evangelizing action is completely irreplaceable, especially in those countries where Christianity is difficult to practice or even prohibited. There, the evangelization activity of the laity and the catechist is at times the only possibility.”
Archbishop Vacchelli recalled the commitment of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples in supporting formation centers on a diocesan and national level, providing scholarships and economic funding for “full time” catechists. He added: “There is a growing demand from missionary dioceses to form and employ more catechists and trainers for local catechists. This should drive us to invest more resources, update our methods of formation, motivate the laity to participate.”
The second part of the program on April 28 was dedicated to testimonies from alumni of Saint Joseph College and concluded with the presentation of the “Letter from catechists to catechists,” in which the students of the College encourage others to “follow in Christ's footsteps with the apostolic passion of Paul, Apostle to the Gentiles.” (AM) (Agenzia Fides 29/4/2009)
