Catechesis and Teaching Catholic Religion in Poland

Abstract

Teaching religion in school has a long tradition in Poland, and its return to school in 1990 gave the Catholic Church the task of adapting catechesis to a new educational reality. There was great motivation to meet this challenge. Today, after almost 30 years, it can be said that teaching religion in Poland's schools is protected by international and Polish law, it is well organized, has well educated catechists and is constantly being enriched with new programs and textbooks. Nevertheless, many bishops and catechists emphasize that parish catechesis has been left on the margins of ecclesiastical life and many efforts are being made to reactivate it.

By decision of the Polish Episcopate Conference, catechesis and religious education in school should complement each other. This has only partially happened. Analyzing the rich achievements of Poland's catechists in teaching religion in school, we can see similar experiences in other countries in which religion is taught in school. It should also be noted that Polish catechists do not want to copy foreign solutions, because the situations in individual Churches are significantly different. That is why they accepted the idea that religion in school be treated as part of catechesis, i.e. as a specific form of catechesis. Although parish catechesis has remained on the margins of pastoral life, the Catholic Church in Poland, through thriving parishes, carries out the basic tasks of catechesis focusing on sacramental catechesis. Traditional forms of catechesis are also developing, for example, the one proclaimed during the phenomenon of going on pilgrimages in Poland, or newer forms like preaching catechesis in the media.