The Catechist in the Community of the Church — a Witness of Faith and a Mistagogue

Abstract

While establishing the lay ministry of the catechist, Pope Francis expressed his hope that, as was the case in Christian antiquity, the catechist—because of the tasks entrusted to him—would be simultaneously a witness of faith, a master and a mystagogue, a companion and an educator who teaches on behalf of the Church. The aim of this article is to highlight the mystagogical dimension of the education of catechists preparing to enter the ministry in parish communities, and to present the related directions of pastoral activities carried out in the Church of Katowice as part of the Archdiocesan Centre for Pastoral Formation. The main research problem concerns the nature of the formation of catechists serving in parish communities and their specific competences. The study uses the methods of analysis and synthesis. The analysis of catechetical documents, carried out in the light of chronologically (sequentially) complementary guidelines concerning catechists' formation enabled to distinguish the mystagogical elements of the theological-pastoral formation of catechists. The article emphasises the postulate expressed in the Catechetical Directory for the formation of catechists as “witnesses of faith and mystagogues” and the lay ministry of the catechist established by Pope Francis, as a possibility and necessity for the formation of two types of catechists that complement each other through their competences: the school catechist—a teacher of religious education, and the catechist who undertakes ministry in the parish community. Pastoral initiatives supporting the formation of parish catechists conducted in the Archdiocese of Katowice are presented as an example of catechetical-pastoral implementation of the postulated activities. They serve as an inspiration for activities in other formation centres.