Rethinking religious education

The Catechesis department of the Czech Bishops’ Conference has prepared a new document that focuses on an important aspect of the life of the Catholic Church in the country: catechesis and religious education. The publication of the document was preceded by years of discussions and by the hard work of experts from catechesis centres in dioceses nationwide and by authorities involved in religious education. The document is addressed to all those who are directly responsible for the management, coordination and support to catechetical activity, for pastoral ministry in their diocese, and to those who actively participate in the catechetical service of the Church. Evangelization tool. “The text of this document inspires reflection on the process to implement, within our environment, the general Directory for Catechesis published in 1997 by the Congregation for the Clergy”, said Mariusz Kuzniar, director of the Catechesis section of the Bishops’ Conference. The document features new formulations of proposals and principles generally considered valid for catechesis and religious educations. The bishops describe them as basic guidelines meant to “stimulate and support the dimension of evangelization within catechesis along with religious education”. Taking into account the different situations, “there is room for every dioceses to find specific solutions”. “This document is the first, fundamental fruit of a project for the renewal of catechesis and religious education coordinated by the Czech Bishops’ Conference”, Kuzniar continued. The different working groups envisaged in the project that focus on child education in parishes, catechesis for young people and adults, religious education in schools run by the Church and in schools run by the State, will be tasked with producing materials based on this understanding in view of the “effective development of catechesis and religious education”. To this regard, new methodological materials will be prepared for education and for the permanent formation of catechists and teachers. The internal and external context. The document consists of three parts. The first presents the basic contents for catechesis and religious education in the Czech Republic today. It focuses on the “external” as well as the “internal” environment that should be taken into account by the Church in her pastoral and evangelizing efforts, thereby formulating the fundamental principles of methodological and organizational approaches in this field. The second chapter introduces four basic areas that necessitate a new approach on the part of the Church. For Kuzniar this involves in particular a “new understanding of certain themes adopted in the field of catechesis along with the need to discern the various stages of the evangelization process”. The focus is also on the responsibility of the Christian community vis a vis evangelization and the impact of this principle on the role and practical formation of catechists and teachers in the field of religious education. It is worthwhile remembering that the Catholic Church in the Czech Republic is the only religious authority that guarantees – in cooperation with other subjects – a large network of schools and educational institutions, many of them with high quality standards of education, with a total number of about 15 thousand students enrolled. The Church also covers requests of “Catholic religious education” as an optional subject in public schools, with over 40 thousand students attending such courses. Dedicated to young people. “Chapter 4 of the document focuses on the concrete organizational aspects of religious education in the Czech Republic”, pointed out the director of the Catechesis department, conveying his gratitude to all those who contributed to the process for the creation of this document dedicated to the young generations of Catholics. The last part of the document features a set of guidelines for the renewal of catechesis addressed to specific groups of recipients, taking into account their different needs, underlying specific features and defining relevant criteria of catechesis. “We believe it will be of great help and will constitute a source of inspiration for all those involved in active catechetical service who have at heart the future of religious Catholic education in our Country”, concluded Kuzniar.