The role of a Catholic catechist is to catechize (teach; variant spelling is catechise[1]) the faith of the Catholic Church by both word and example. The Directory for Catechesis states that faith must be "known, celebrated, lived, and turned into prayer" in a personal and total encounter of the heart, mind and senses with Christ.[2] St. John Paul II describes the aim of catechesis as putting "people not only in touch but in communion, in intimacy, with Jesus Christ."[3]
The Directory for Catechesis describes the catechist as "a Christian who receives a particular calling from God that, when accepted in faith, empowers him for the service of transmission of the faith and for the task of initiating others into the Christian life."[4]
- ^ "Definition of CATECHISE". www.merriam-webster.com. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
- ^ Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization (2020). Directory for Catechesis. Washington, D.C.: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. pp. 54–56. ISBN 9781601376695.
- ^ "Catechesi Tradendae (October 16, 1979) | John Paul II". www.vatican.va. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
- ^ Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization (2020). Directory for Catechesis. Washington, DC: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. p. 73. ISBN 9781601376695.