From Thursday 8 to Saturday 10 September, the III International Catechesis Congress took place in Rome organized by the Dicastery for Evangelization.
1,400 theologians from 82 countries gathered in the Eternal City to listen to conferences and share their work experience.
Sister María de Pentecostés was able to travel from Iceland to be present these days.
On Saturday the 10th, the Holy Father met all the catechists for a while, where he addressed a few words to everyone present.
“Please never tire of being catechists. Don’t ‘do the lesson’ in catechism.” It is certainly necessary to find the best ways so that the communication of the faith is “suitable” to the age and preparation of the people who listen. But above all, “the personal encounter we have with each one” is decisive, because it “opens the heart to receive the first proclamation and the desire to grow in the Christian life with the same vigor that the catechism allows”. In this sense, the new curriculum for catechesis delivered in recent months will be “very useful” to understand “how to renew catechesis in dioceses and parishes.”
In this school year 2022-2023, we would like to request that all those who are ready to make a more active contribution to this important trust work in our diocese look to their parishes and communicate this to their priests. Next year, we will start with diocesan formation meetings that will help us all share experiences and learn how best to bring catechism to our children, youth and families.
We will include the work of all catechists in Iceland in our prayers!
