Formation for the Ministry of Catechists: development and basic principles
Marijana Mohorić
The development of the ministry of catechists has inevitably followed the course of the historical development of ecclesial communities, and this has influenced the varied conceptions of the identity of catechists and their formation. In this book, the central theme is the development of the concept of catechetical service with particular emphasis on the formation of catechists in the period from 1965 to 2021. This period is marked by two significant events: the Second Vatican Council (1965) and Pope Francis’ institution of the Ministry of Catechists with the Motu Proprio Antiquum ministerium (2021). The latter event crowned the dynamic evolution of questions and the search for answers relating to the commitment of the lay faithful in the catechistical activity of the Church, to which a particular impulse was given by Pope Paul VI in the seventies of the last century. After an analysis of this process, the foundations of the Ministry of Catechists (the vocation of the catechist), the normative theological and ecclesial aspects and the inspirational criteria for the formation of catechists are presented. This is followed by a discussion on the five dimensions of the formation of catechists. They are not considered competences, but complementary training areas that form the basis for the development of competences in an integral perspective. This choice is particularly elaborated in the fourth chapter, where the conceptual background of the ‘competency approach’ in the formation of catechists is elaborated. Finally, some possible methodological choices are highlighted. The reason for proposing them is the consistency with the fundamental nature not only of the formation of catechists, but of Christian formation in general. An interdisciplinary approach has been followed in the reflections on these issues. Anchored in theology, we sought to dialogue with the sciences of education and those of communication. This triad forms the basis of catechesis as a science. The result is not some project for the formation of parish catechists, but the fundamental horizons of their possible creation.
Link to the publication in Croatian: https://morepress.unizd.hr/books/index.php/press/catalog/book/137
