ApostolateEvangelization and Catechesis

In every age, the Holy Spirit inspires the hearts of men and women to respond to the Lord’s command to “preach the Gospel to all nations” (Matthew 28:16). Seized by Truth, which is in essence the person of Jesus Christ, the believer cannot help but share with all the “good news” of salvation. In our own age, through Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI, the Holy Spirit is calling for a “new evangelization,” a renewed proclamation of the Gospel and catechesis in the person of Jesus Christ.

“How beautiful are the feet of those who bring the good news” (Romans 10:15-17). Again and again, the Church has confirmed that the apostolate of teaching plays a crucial role in the work of evangelization. Catechesis is an “essential moment” in the process of evangelization. It is the “moment in which conversion to Jesus Christ is formalized” (General Directory for Catechesis, 63.) With great urgency, Pope Benedict XVI has reminded educators and catechists that “education is integral to the mission of the Church to proclaim the Good News” (Address at Catholic University; April 17, 2008).

Since our foundation in 1860, the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia have been faithful to the Church’s mission of evangelization and catechesis. Through our apostolate of Catholic education we have responded to the Holy Spirit’s call for a new evangelization in a full and rich way. Our schools are engaged in a systematic program of preaching the Gospel to those who have not yet heard it; teaching the doctrine of the Faith to those not yet fully mature in it; and immersing all believers more deeply in the mystery of Christ (Catechesi Tradendae, 5). Further, our college in Nashville, Aquinas College, has begun a Catechetical Formation Program that aims to form current and future catechists in the faith.

As consecrated religious women we bring to the apostolate of teaching a personal witness to the truth and love of Jesus Christ and in so doing we remain at the heart of the Church’s mission to “make disciples of all nations.”

The Church in America, at this point in her history, is faced with the challenge of recapturing the Catholic vision of reality and presenting it, in an engaging and imaginative way, to a society which markets any number of recipes for human fulfillment. I think in particular of our need to speak to the hearts of young people, who, despite their constant exposure to messages contrary to the Gospel, continue to thirst for authenticity, goodness and truth. Much remains to be done, particularly on the level of preaching and catechesis in parishes and schools, if the new evangelization is to bear fruit for the renewal of ecclesial life in America. (Pope Benedict XVI)