CHESTERTON – Hope was the theme and renewal was the reason as dozens of catechists from throughout the Diocese of Gary gathered at St. Patrick on March 8 to switch from teachers to students under the tutelage of Lucas Pollice, author, professor and director of the New Evangelization and Missionary Discipleship for the Diocese of Colorado Springs.
“Pope Francis chose ‘Pilgrims of Hope’ for the theme of this Jubilee Year 2025 … a time of charity and the outpouring of God’s grace celebrated every 25 years,” said Pollice, who chose the same theme for his lesson.
Calling Jesus “the hope that does not disappoint,” Pollice said the Jubilee Year should be a time of “genuine personal encounter” with Christ by all catechists. “If we are not convinced (in the hope of Christ), we aren’t going to be very good at going out to share our faith,” he noted.
“The Holy Spirit has prepared the (Catholic) Church for these times – that is what is exciting about the New Evangelization,” said Pollice, referring back to the Second Vatican Council (1962-65). “The Church is not behind the times, not floundering.
“Go back and read the Acts of the Apostles; that’s what we are called to be, the same today as then,” he said. “We have to awaken the people in the pews (because) everyone is called to be missionary disciples. God has equipped us with gifts.”
Pollice pointed out that Pope Francis said: “We don’t need spiritual sourpusses, we need vibrant, joyful missionary disciples.”
Stressing that “the fields are ripe for the harvest,” Pollice told the catechists: “We need to reveal to (the people) the hope that doesn’t disappoint them. We have a ‘home field advantage,’ because the human person was wired for God because we were created by Him to come back to Him (after Adam and Eve turned away from God).
“This is not a time to be ashamed of our faith. We should shout it out,” said the longtime catechetical trainer.
Pollice gave plenty of attention to prayer in terms of missionary discipleship. “Prayer is so important,” he said. “No matter how busy we are in the Church, we still have to pray.
“The Eucharist,” he continued, “is the sacrament of hope. We anticipate the joy of our future glory in the Eucharist … (and), in the words of St. Pope John Paul II, “with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in baptism and confirmation, the baptized share in the same mission of Jesus as the Christ, the Savior-Messiah.”
Pollice shared his own acronym to encourage evangelization: “Be fishers of men and women and B.A.I.T. them for Christ:
Be open: We need to be open to the opportunity to evangelize.
Ask: Pray for others and ask God to open their hearts to Him.
Invite: Pray to the Holy Spirit to provide an opportunity to invite them for coffee or an event at your parish, etc.
Tell: Tell them about the difference God has made in your life.”
The day’s program also included a midday Mass celebrated by Bishop Robert J. McClory, who termed the day’s readings “fantastic. We will hear of the mercy of God as we begin the Lenten season.”
In the Reading from Isaiah 58:9b-14, the bishop highlighted a passage: “If you bestow your bread on the hungry and satisfy the afflicted, Then light shall rise for you in the darkness, and the gloom shall become for you like midday.”
Bishop McClory also offered inspiration to the catechists in the 94 people preparing for baptism who were scheduled to participate in the Rite of Election later that same day, including eight who are in prison. “How beautiful that they want to join the Church” said the bishop, despite their incarceration.
“Let us preach that, (and) live that, day by day, they inspire us to be led by God’s mercy.”
After lunch, Pollice spoke of kerygmatic catechesis and the methods and ways of teaching fidelity to Jesus and the liturgy, which he called “the best catechist.”
“You should end every catechetical lesson with a call to conversion,” he added.
Every catechist, no matter whether formally teaching faith formation, or simply a lay person in the Church, said Pollice, using St. Pope John Paul II’s vision, “must constantly endeavor to transmit by his teaching and behavior the teaching and life of Jesus. He will not seek to keep directed toward himself and his personal opinions and attitudes the attention and consent of the mind and heart of the person he is catechizing.”
Pollice encouraged the assiduous study of the Word of God in Scripture, as well as the diligent study of the “Catechism of the Catholic Church.” In it, he said, “We find the wealth of teaching that the Church has received, safeguarded and proposed in her 2,000 years of history.”
With a reference to Jesus as the Vine and his people as the Branches, Pollice urged the catechists to cultivate “a profound familiarity with Christ and the Father,” as well as a spirit of prayer and a devotion to the Rosary, which is, at its core, the study of the mysteries of Christ. Reaching for “a detachment of self,” he added, “It is not about us, it is about allowing Christ to teach through us.”
“Much is at stake,” stressed Pollice. “Despite innumerable signs of the denial of God, (the world) is painfully experiencing the need of Him … The world calls for and expects from us simplicity of life, the spirit of prayer, charity towards all, especially towards the lowly and the poor, obedience and humility, and self-sacrifice.”
Marylynn Drygas, who teaches faith formation at St. Patrick, noted that “the temptation is away from God on Sundays,” leading her to talk with her fourth graders about encouraging their parents to bring them to Mass. “I came today to learn more about my faith, and some things Mr. Pollice spoke about were reaffirming, like reading the Acts of the Apostles” and how catechesis leads back to the Mass.
“I believe we can never get enough formation, and we need to constantly challenge ourselves,” said second-year catechist and director of faith formation Roslyn Davila from St. John Kanty in Rolling Prairie.
Caption: Raquel Martinez, a catechist at Our Lady of Guadalupe in East Chicago, shares a phone app that helps in her ministry with Michael Barron, a catechist at St. Thomas More in Munster. The duo met at the Diocese of Gary's Catechetical Conference hosted by St. Patrick in Chesterton on March 8. (Marlene A. Zloza photo)
