Forming Disciples of Christ

Rosie Bartel, Green Bay's Religious Education Director, relies heavily on the General Directory for Catechesis and the National Directory for Catechesis to form the core of the diocesan strategic planning in this criticaL area. Here is a synopsis of her philosophy on "Forming Disciples of Christ:"

The reason we catechize is to bring people into communion and intimacy with Jesus, to help them have a relationship with Him. The object of catechesis is communion with Jesus Christ. The “General Directory for Catechesis” (GDC) describes the Christian life as a process of continuing conversion. Our growth in the faith never ends. “Living in Christ” means continuing to grow in our relationship with Him.

There are six fundamental task of catechesis. These six tasks are listed in the “General Directory for Catechesis” (GDC) and are discussed in detail in the “National Directory for Catechesis” (NDC), which states that each of the tasks corresponds to an aspect of faith in Jesus. The six tasks of catechesis are:

Promoting Knowledge of the Faith – This means teaching the “basics” of the faith, such as the Creed and key aspects of God’s self-revelation, found in Scripture and Tradition. This task of catechesis is a response to the individual’s desire to know. This desire comes naturally when individuals have had opportunities to encounter Christ and His message and have experienced an initial conversion.

Liturgical Education – This task involves helping others know about our celebrations in the faith, especially the sacraments. Liturgical education not only includes teaching about the form and the meaning of liturgical celebrations, but also helping individuals prepare their minds and hearts to enter into the mysteries of the faith.

Moral Formation - Moral formation is more than learning the Ten Commandments. It is about learning the moral teaching of Jesus, which is the fulfillment of the commandments and learning how to apply His teaching to our everyday lives.

Teaching to Pray – The GDC states, “When catechesis is permeated by a climate of prayer, the entire Christian life reaches its summit.” The “climate of prayer” in catechesis invites individuals into relationship with God. Prayer is conversation – talking as well as listening. This task of catechesis is accomplished by helping individuals enter into this conversation.

Education for Community Life – Catechesis prepares the Christian to live in community and to participate actively in the life and mission of the Church. Catechesis should prepare us to live and work with one another, both within the Church and in society as a whole. Catechesis should encourage a spirit of simplicity and humility, a special concern for the poor, particular care for the alienated, a sense of fraternal connection, common prayer, mutual forgiveness and fraternal love that embraces all these attitudes.

Missionary Initiation – This task involves preparing individuals to spread the Gospel to others by word and example. While only some may be called to other lands to minister in Christ’s name, all are called to live in such a way that they serve as witnesses of the faith to those who are around them.

In the NDC the bishops state that “all efforts in evangelization and catechesis should incorporate these six tasks”. In this way we pay attention to several different dimensions of faith, with the ultimate goal of forming disciples of Jesus.