NEWS
Training Lay Catechists: Need of the Hour
The second phase of training of the full-time lay catechists of Salesian schools of Shillong Province by Father Gilbert Choondal SDB was held during the second week of July 2023. Father Saji Stephen SDB, the Delegate for the dimension of Education to Faith of Shillong Province, explained that the training process and employing them as full-time dedicated lay catechists in the Salesian schools was the decision of the Province in the context of the Centenary celebration of Salesian presence in North East India.
About 60 lay catechists, academically qualified Catholic teachers set apart as full-time catechists in Salesian schools, attended the programme. There are two to three lay catechists in every Salesian school in Shillong Province. They are fully responsible for the catechesis of the Catholic students, morning talks, Frist Friday Mass, Feast days, annual retreats, prayer room, etc. They are the Catholic Face of Faith in the Salesian Schools, a venture that is the first of its kind in South Asia and maybe the whole world.
Being a trainer, Father Gilbert said that “To have committed lay catechists in our settings, we need to have committed Salesians in this ministry. It is not enough to know that the Congregation started with a simple catechism lesson (Art. 34) but a continuous reminder to all of us about the catechetical origin of all our institutions”. Adding further, he said, “Running a seminar or a short course for Salesians or catechists will lead to desk-bound theology syndrome (ref. Evangelii Gaudium, 134), as mentioned by Pope Francis. We need to rethink our training curriculum”.
It is not enough to count the number of catechists or commissions we have in the Provinces but how many Salesians and catechists we can count on, said Father Choondal.
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