The Message photo by John Rohlf
By John Rohlf, The Message assistant editor
Catechists from around the Diocese of Evansville gathered Aug. 23 at the Catholic Center in Evansville for Catechist Formation Day.
The day featured a talk from keynote speaker Dr. Mark Ginter titled “What Does it Mean to Form Families?” The day also included an introductory session on the many parts of lifelong formation, small group discussions, prayer and a closing session of theological reflection. Bishop Joseph M. Siegel led the morning prayer service, proclaiming the gospel, sharing a homily and blessing the catechists in attendance.
The theme for this year’s Catechist Formation Day was “Forming Families in Faith.”
Diocesan Director of Catechesis Joel Padgett said although everyone who has a more formal role in faith formation in the diocese should constantly pursue growth in their personal formation in the faith, there are few opportunities to gather everyone from around the diocese to do so.
“Catechist Formation Day is just such an opportunity,” Padgett said. “There are so many different ways for us to grow in our faith as individuals. But once a year, Catechist Formation Day allows us to grow together around a common theme.”
Padgett said families are the nucleus of society. It is essential to accompany families in our faith in order to help build up the Family of God, Padgett said.
“The Catholic Church can be understood as the Family of God,” Padgett said. “In this sense, we can understand our local parishes as families of families within the Family of God.”
During his presentation, diocesan Associate Director of Catechesis Nicholas Soellner said the parents are their children’s primary catechists. He encouraged the catechists to compliment parents, of small children especially, the next time they see them at church.
“Affirm them that this was a really good thing,” Soellner said. And when they set a good example for their kids at Mass, compliment them again … They’re observing what their parents do at Mass. If they’re actively and consciously participating, it’s going to be the first and most powerful witness of that for their children.”
Soellner also outlined several different resources for the catechists to assist in supporting parents. He said he could not say the number of parents over the years who conveyed a concern about their children asking the tough questions. Magisterium AI and Truthly are two language learning models designed to provide catechetical answers, he said.
“It’s kind of just a quicker way of looking things up nowadays,” Soellner said. “Certainly not to be used exclusively, but they are really remarkable things on hand for parents who maybe have some very poor catechesis themselves that are just now starting to learn more.”
Padgett said he hopes the attendees came away from Catechist Formation Day with “a renewed sense of zeal for the great gift” of the Catholic faith and “a renewed desire to accompany in faith” those families they interact with.