8 ideas of what people expect from their catechists

On the occasion of the Jubilee of Catechists, on September 28, Pope Leo XIV presided at Holy Mass in St. Peter's Square with the institution of new catechists, a gesture that underlines the importance of their mission in the life of the Church. In this context, we have asked catechists and catechized students what are, from their experience, the keys to exercise this task with fruitfulness and joy. This article is the result: eight concrete keys to being a good catechist, gathered from those who transmit and receive the faith.

Many people think that being a catechist is the result of a collection of merits, as if it were a mere post assigned to you when you climb a great ladder of tests of faith. Nothing could be further from the truth. The first "requirement" to be a catechist is to recognize oneself as a sinner, because only those who experience God's mercy can proclaim it with authenticity. From this humility comes the readiness to serve, to accompany others on their journey of faith and to allow the Holy Spirit to act through oneself. The catechist does not speak from personal perfection, but from the living experience of a God who transforms and sustains, sharing with simplicity the treasure received. On this basis, what do catechists say and what do the catechized say?

What do catechists say?

Witnessing God's love

The catechist does not transmit a theory or a list of norms: he communicates a living experience. To be a witness to God's love means to have experienced it in oneself and to allow this love to transform one's words, gestures and attitudes. The catechist is someone who, having encountered Christ, can say with sincerity "come and see", because he or she shares from his or her own experience and not from abstract concepts.

2. The Church as mother

Catechists do not walk alone or act on their own. They live their mission from within the Church, the mother who engenders and nurtures the faith. This implies feeling an active part of the Christian community, learning from it, receiving formation and support, and at the same time accompanying others in their spiritual growth. From this awareness, the catechist is a sign of welcome and closeness, showing his catechists that the Church is home and family.

3. Prayer as a source

The catechist's heart is nourished by personal and community prayer. One cannot give what one does not have: those who accompany others in the faith need to drink daily from the living fountain of their relationship with God. Prayer sustains in moments of fatigue, enlightens in decisions and turns catechesis into something more than a class: it is an encounter that can lead to a personal encounter with God.

4. Parresia to proclaim the Gospel

Parresia is the audacity of the Holy Spirit: to proclaim the Gospel with courage, joy and inner freedom. A good catechist is not held back by fear, shyness or "what people will say", but trusts the Spirit and adapts to the language and reality of those in front of him. Like Jesus, he or she seeks to make the Good News understandable, without watering down its content, but making it relevant and relevant.

What do catechists ask of their catechists?

1.No to beatings

A catechist defines well what it means to have this vocation: "to be a witness and not to beat people up". Catechesis cannot be a bombardment of content or a moralizing discourse. Faith is not imposed, it is proposed; it is not transmitted from the coldness of a manual, but from the closeness of a real experience that inspires to believe in Him. A good catechist knows how to accompany, listen and adapt to the rhythm and reality of his or her catechized students, so that catechesis becomes a space of encounter, dialogue and growth, not of boredom or imposition.

2. Consistency

Nothing has more impact than example. A catechist can have many didactic resources, but if his or her life is at variance with what he or she teaches, the message is devoid of force. To live coherently does not mean to be perfect, but to strive to align one's daily life with what is announced: prayer, participation in the community, charity, forgiveness. This authenticity, even if imperfect, is what awakens confidence in the catechists and shows them that the Gospel is possible in real life. As one of them said: "I don't expect my catechist to be a saint, but I do expect him to believe in what he says".

3. Empathy

Each person who comes to catechesis has his or her own story, doubts, rhythm and wounds. A good catechist needs, in addition to training, emotional intelligence to put himself in the shoes of his catechizees, to welcome their questions without being shocked, to listen without judging and to find a way to accompany their process. This empathy creates a climate of trust in which they can open themselves to the Gospel message. The catechists express it this way: "We feel listened to when we are not treated as a number, but as persons with a name and a life of their own".

4. Discernment

Not all advice is opportune, nor is every path the same for everyone. Therefore, in addition to empathy, a catechist needs discernment: to know how to read the signs of God in the life of each person, to pray for those he or she accompanies and to let the Holy Spirit inspire his or her words and actions. Discernment helps to guide without imposing, to suggest without pressuring, to indicate paths that lead to an encounter with Christ and not just simple prescriptions. Thus the catechist becomes a true companion on the way, helping each person to discover what God wants for his or her life.