With the words of the laity

The 11th Congress of bishops and delegates of the Bishops’ Conferences for catechesis in Europe, promoted by the Council of the Bishops’ Conferences of Europe (CCEE), ended in Rome on 7 May. Devoted to “The Christian community and first evangelization”, the congress, coordinated by the Most Rev. Vincent Nichols, Archbishop designate of Westminster and CCEE bishop delegate for the Commission on “catechesis, school and university”, was attended by 65 delegates from 27 European countries. “One of its new findings – explained Father Ferenc Janka, deputy general secretary of the CCEE, in a briefing to SIR – was the need to involve the laity more actively in first evangelization, a task that is not only incumbent on priests, religious or seminarians. So it was not just a theoretical or theological, but a practical reflection, full of new ideas and approaches, for example, how to use the internet, or how to produce a publication or magazine, useful for first evangelization”. Below we report a series of experiences in various European countries.In Serbia, a country with an Orthodox majority and “with the dilemma of having to choose between identification with a people and identification with a faith”, Catholics only form 5% of the whole population, and “there’s the risk, especially in the case of mixed marriages, of their assimilation to the Orthodox community”, explained Mgr. Andrija Kopilovic, national director for catechesis and ecumenism of the Serbian Bishops’ Conference. Since the Orthodox Church “does not recognize first evangelization and catechesis”, explained Mgr. Kopilovic, it “does not understand the emphasis that the Catholic Church gives to them”. “The life of Catholic communities is difficult” he added, but he also expressed his conviction that “the practice of first evangelization must not be abandoned”.In Spain “the Sunday homily is no longer the mainstay of evangelization”; that’s why “it is indispensable to plan and develop new pastoral programmes” for catechesis, says Father Xavier Morlans (diocese of Barcelona). He recalled the experience ‘Returning to the Faith’, which was held over the last seven years in two parishes of the Spanish city and which “has inspired similar experiences in other dioceses”. Aimed at young adults, it began, explained Father Morlans, with “a conference-cum-entertainment” on “contemporary issues”, followed by the proposal, first, of fortnightly meetings, and then of weekend retreats. Important features of this experience, in the expert’s view, were “the welcoming atmosphere; respect, at least initially, for the anonymity of the participants; and the relaxed and friendly style of the meetings”.In France. It’s the contemporary cultural context “that inspires the missionary dimension of catechesis”, says Mgr. Jean-Christophe Lagleize, Bishop of Valence and member of the episcopal Commission for catechesis and catechumenate of the French bishops. He described two experiences of first evangelization based on the “National document for guiding catechesis in France” (2005). The first, in the diocese of Poitiers, is aimed at “communicating the Gospel” not “according to the compulsive and brilliant model of advertising”, but “more gently within human relationships” as “expression of truth in the workplace, during visits to the sick, and so on”; the second, at Besançon, is aimed at “developing models for first evangelization” in the consciousness that it, in contrast to catechesis, “does not presuppose the assent of the person to whom it is addressed”.In Hungary. “After 50-60 years of oppression the theme of first evangelization is of great actuality in Hungary today”, says Sister Judit Fogassy, who chairs the Committee for catechesis of the Hungarian Bishops’ Conference. Budapest is one of the five European capitals that have participated in the “City Mission” project. The experience, held in 2007, “united many sectors of the Church community. Individuals and groups united in prayer for evangelization”. During the mission “churches remained open longer than normal to give everyone a chance to enter. Museums too were involved”. “The City Mission”, concluded Sister Judit, “demonstrated that there’s a need for evangelization even in charitable activities and in hospitals”.In Croatia. “The paradigm of evangelization” has changed, says Mgr. Djuro Hranic, President of the Council for Catechesis of the Croatian Bishops’ Conference. In response to secularization “Christians feel disoriented, not knowing what is really central and essential in their faith”, but “Christian values are not completely abandoned” and a “new yearning for the religious dimension of life can be felt”. The Croatian Bishops’ Conference has published a document on “Parish catechesis in the renewal of the parish community” which “places the emphasis on the missionary dimension of the parish community, the creation of particular communities” and “the return to the family”. In the document “Called to holiness”, he adds, “the bishops seek to radically change the method of evangelization, especially that of the Sunday homily and parish catechesis”.