VATICAN - Final day of the Congress organized by the Saint Joseph Missionary College: “The identity and role of the lay catechist in the Church, communion and mission.”

Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) – The second and final day of workshops promoted by the Saint Joseph Missionary College in the Aula Magna of the Pontifical University Urbaniana was dedicated to the identity of the lay catechist in a theological and pedagogical perspective. On the morning of April 29, the opening point was the Conciliar Decree Lumen Gentium, which Professor Sandra Mazzolini of the Missiology Department explained “qualifies the Church as a mystery of communion, sacrament, and people of God. This is the ecclesiological horizon from whence the foundations of the identity and role of the catechist derive,” she said. “In the Gospel of Luke, the title of apostle is used in a nearly exclusive sense in reference to the Twelve, while in St. Paul's preaching it is used to describe an idea of the apostle that differs in part from that of Luke and is closer to the model of the prophetic vocation and centered on the preaching of the Gospel. The II Vatican Council gave complete centrality to this model through the value of the common priesthood of all the Baptized, which implies a circular communication of all spiritual goods. Thus, we can understand how apostolate is essentially linked to the foundation and growth of every new community of believers in Christ.” The specific formation of the catechists was the subject of the talk given by Prof. Silvestro Paluzzi, professor of psychology in the Superior Institute for Catechesis and Missionary Spirituality. He mentioned that “the catechist should enter on a path of continual conversion and constant renewal, for a more efficient mission among all people, conforming oneself to Christ in one's being and action, not only learning notions, but make a decision to live for Christ and imitate Him.” He continued: “The formation also includes fundamental elements of psychology (structure of personality, religious psychology, and others). However psychology alone is not enough in offering a truly integral perspective of the person. What is needed is an interdisciplinary synthesis (far from all syncretism) between human sciences and metapsychologies and the recuperation of that complex union of spirit and psyche, life and faith.” Prof. Luca Pandolfi, Director of the Center for Social Communications at the Urbaniana, opened the second part of the talks dedicated to the mass media and the new technologies for catechesis. The students of the university also collaborated in a multimedia presentation on “The 7 Steps of the Road to Emmaus,” metaphorical representation of what means of communication are at the heart of Christian witness (silence, listening, preaching, prophecy). Prof. Pandolfi continued his speech: “The human body in its integrity and complexity is at the heart of the communicational process.” Colombian catechist Yolanda Valero Cardenas highlighted the growing influence of the communication media and the Internet in the experience of faith. “One of the sure tasks of catechesis is education in community life, which is based on the vital relations between persons and groups, to walk together on a path of interaction and communion. While it is true that cyberspace cannot substitute an authentically interpersonal community and the direct announcement of the Gospel, it is also true that it can be a compliment in helping people to more fully life their faith. If Christ has become incarnate in our history and has spoken our language, then no catechist should hesitate in using the new forms of media to address their audiences. Of course, they should be used with wisdom and prudence, as the Church's Magisterium councils.” In the afternoon, Cardinal Ivan Dias, Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, presided the liturgy of the Word in the Chapel of the Urbaniana and presented the Missionary Mandate to the catechists of Saint Joseph's College, which celebrates its 30th anniversary. He asked that they “deepen in their faith by listening to and meditating on the Word and in collaborating in the common search to find better ways for the inculturation of the Gospel.” (AM) (Agenzia Fides 30/4/2009)