ASIA/ARAB EMIRATES - Kate and catechism in the Arabian Peninsula, an experience of a new motherhood

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Abu Dhabi (Agenzia Fides) – Her name is Catherine Miles-Flynn, but everyone calls her Kate. For more than twenty years, she has tirelessly dedicated herself to the Christian formation of young people in the Apostolic Vicariate of Southern Arabia. On Sunday, September 28, Pope Leo XIV will officially confer the lay Ministry of Catechist on her in Rome, on the occasion of the Jubilee of Catechists. The ministry of catechist was established in 2021 by Pope Francis with the Motu Proprio "Antiquum ministerium," a document with which the Pope sought to reconnect with the ancient ministry, which remains essential, especially in missionary situations and contexts where catechists are often entrusted with the leadership of communities and even parishes in the absence of a priest.
Kate Miles-Flynn, a native of Virginia, met Father Richard Hite at the age of 14. His words about salvation as "loving and being loved" changed her life forever and lead her to convert from the Presbyterian Church to Catholicism. She studied theology, earning a bachelor's degree, then a master's degree in Comparative Religion and a doctorate in Pastoral Theology.

In 1995, Kate and her family—her husband, Joseph, and their three children—moved to the United Arab Emirates. The turning point in her journey came when Bishop Gremoli decided to establish an office for Christian faith formation for the six countries that then constituted the Vicariate of Arabia and asked her to lead it. "First, I pointed out that I had to take care of my newborn child," the eighth and last of her children. The bishop's response was, "take her with you." And so she did.
For Kate, her deep commitment to Christian education is inextricably linked to her experience as a mother. After suffering several miscarriages following the birth of their first daughter, she and her husband, with the support of their parish priest, began considering adoption. Although the path to adoption was difficult, it brought immense joy to their family—and seven more children. "I always thank God for making me a mother, eight times!" affirms Kate.
For the ecclesial communities of the Apostolic Vicariate of Southern Arabia, the official conferral of the catechist ministry on Kate Miles-Flynn is an important sign, with evocative local nuances and implications.
"We are a church of migrants. These people are generally not settled, so the idea of a permanent ministry is a challenge for us. At the same time, it is an opportunity to deepen the meaning of the catechist vocation," emphasized Bishop Paolo Martinelli, Apostolic Vicar of Southern Arabia. All Catholics belonging to the Vicariate, including the bishop, priests, and religious, are only temporary residents with no prospect of citizenship. Given this structurally "precarious situation," emphasized the bishop, a member of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin, "our faith is our stability. We are called to live our faith intensely here, even though we know we are always on the move." And the institution of the lay ministry of catechist, which entails a lifelong commitment, is a comforting sign of continuity and a valuable witness to the entire ecclesial community.

Catechesis is an essential factor in the transmission of the faith in the ecclesial communities of the Arabian Peninsula. Currently, in the Vicariate of Southern Arabia—which encompasses the Catholic communities in the United Arab Emirates, Yemen, and Oman—approximately 35,000 children are enrolled in catechesis courses, reflecting the strong desire of parents to transmit their faith in Christ to their children. And the catechist's ministry, Bishop Martinelli emphasizes, helps the faithful "to live every day according to the mystery we celebrate."

New Perspectives on Ministries

Bishop Paolo envisions the ecclesiastical ministries entrusted to lay people fully developing their missionary significance by also serving those who live far from the Vicariate's places of worship, such as Catholic workers living in workers' hostels and università students, so that they can cultivate their faith and live it in the context of their daily lives. "Catechism as a ministry is like a bridge, because its task is to deepen faith in its relationship to life." For this reason, the bishop adds, in the Vicariate of Southern Arabia, too, the official appointment of Kate Miles-Flynn as catechist "can be a gift for all the faithful and pave the way to a deeper understanding of the role of the laity in the Church." (G.V.) (Agenzia Fides, 13/9/2025)