The role of religious education in state schools and the preparation for the sacraments of Christian initiation are the object of the pastoral letter that the bishop of Kaisiadorys, the Most Rev. Juozapas Matulatis, sent to the faithful of the diocese in recent days. The letter warns of false expectations, in particular the “claims that the religious education taught in schools is enough to prepare children to receive the sacraments”. Though underlining the importance of religious education in schools and consequently urging parents to choose this optional subject on the curriculum for their children, Bishop Matulatis makes the point that “preparation for the sacraments must take place in the parish” and appeals to parents to “transmit the practice of the faith to their children by regularly attending Sunday mass and receiving the sacrament of confession”. Following the introduction of religious education in state schools in the 1990s, the bishops of Lithuania have made numerous interventions on the importance of parish catechism for proper preparation for the sacraments.
