On our pilgrimage of hope through Jubilee 2025, September 26–28 marks a special Jubilee of Catechists. Throughout the year, we have commemorated many Jubilee days designated by the Holy See to recognize and celebrate different groups of people and ministries – you can see the full calendar here.
A catechist is a “Christian who receives a particular calling from God that, when accepted in faith, empowers him for the service of the transmission of faith and for the task of initiating others into the Christian life” (Directory for Catechesis, no. 112)
Reflecting on this special Jubilee of Catechists, we want to encourage all our partners in liturgical ministry to remember the importance of their work for catechesis. The Church teaches that the liturgy is “the privileged place for catechizing the People of God. ‘Catechesis is intrinsically linked with the whole of liturgical and sacramental activity, for it is in the sacraments, especially in the Eucharist, that Christ Jesus works in fullness for the transformation of men’” (CCC 1074).
This is a wonderful reminder that catechesis is not a process of learning information, but of growing as members of the Body of Christ. Liturgical catechesis is traditionally called “mystagogy” because through it we enter the mystery of Christ. Learning about the liturgy allows us to more consciously and actively participate in the liturgy, leading us “from the visible to the invisible, from the sign to the thing signified, from the ‘sacraments’ to the ‘mysteries’” (CCC 1075). In this sense, true liturgical catechesis is our doorway to the life of the Trinity.
We pray for all catechists on this journey of hope through Jubilee 2025 – those men and women who are part of the instituted ministry of catechist, as well as the many volunteers to who serve in parishes, student ministries, and more.
The USCCB has provided a wonderful packet of resources for catechists in support of their Jubilee, available here.