The process of elementary catechesis is situated within the framework of the entire Christian community and life. The whole of parish life forms and nourishes faith by facilitating the ongoing process of conversion. The Family, the Parish, the Catholic School and Faith Formation processes are evangelizing agents whose Gospel witness mentor children in the ways of Christian discipleship.
The Ongoing Journey of Conversion
First Penance and First Communion |
For children baptized as infants, the domestic church—the Christian family nurtures the faith life of the child through the Gospel witness of the parents and their participation in the Church’s celebration of the Sunday Eucharist. As early childhood draws to an end, the child, whose baptismal faith has been fed through catechesis, is welcomed to the table of the Lord, and later in adolescents is sealed with the gifts of the Holy Spirit in the sacrament of Confirmation.
Persons are meant to enjoy a full and vibrant sacramental life, and sacramental catechesis assists in this goal. Preparation for the celebration of a sacrament of Penance and First Communion is seen as an important priority for the person and his or her family and the parish community.
Sacramental formation for the sacraments of Confirmation, Eucharist and Penance is accomplished through distinct Phases of Sacramental Catechesis and Celebration, which are termed: remote catechesis, immediate catechesis, celebration and mystagogical (ongoing) catechesis.
The Process of Christian Initiation of Children |
"The sacraments of Christian Initiation--Baptism Confirmation and the Eucharist--lay the foundations of every Christian life..."
The Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1212
The work of Christian initiation is not primarily a human work, but the work of God the Holy Trinity who softens the heart of the one who hears the Good News of Jesus Christ and is awaken by a new faith. The Church, mirroring the divine synergy of the Holy Trinity, lovingly guides the first tentative steps of the journey of faith and conversion of heart.
The entire Christian community—all of the baptized share in the ministry of Christian initiation. Through a faithful living of the Gospel, the community of faith heralds the living Word of God by example. Parents, catechists, clergy, grandparents and the whole of Parish life itself are agents of the conversion journey.
