Hundreds of catechists meet to strengthen faith, fortify mission

Over 640 Catholic school faith formation leaders attended the annual Catechist Convocation on Saturday, Nov. 4, for a day filled with workshops and collaborative conversations supporting their Catechetical calling.

The Catechetical Office of the Archdiocese of Newark has hosted the conference for decades but this year, with the theme of “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened…” from Matthew 11:28, it broke records in the number of post- covid attendees with 640 participants.

Facing the challenges of today’s world, catechists must learn new methodologies and strategies in order to communicate the Gospel effectively and convincingly to new generations, Patty Rodriguez, Director of the Catechetical Office, said.

The Catechist Convocation also provides an opportunity for “gathering many hearts for Christ together on mission to strengthen their faith and fortify their means to serve others”, Gina Butler, Associate Director for Catechist Formation and Catechesis in Catholic Schools said. 

“People come to be inspired, encouraged, instructed and supported, guided by the Holy Spirit, on the same mission to bring Jesus Christ into the hearts and lives of those we are blessed to serve,” she added.

This year, the English-speaking keynote speaker was Alex Jones, CEO of Hallow, and the Spanish-speaking speaker was Jaime Gil, Director of Spanish Content for Hallow. Hallow, launched just three years ago, has become the world’s top Catholic App for prayer, meditation, music, and the Bible. Butler said their messages were encouraging and inspirational.

The conference, held at Paramus Catholic High School, opened with a Mass celebrated by Bishop Michael Saporito, auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Newark.

In support of the diversity of the Archdiocese, both Spanish and English tracks were offered. The 30-plus workshops included topics such as building authentic friendships, the blessing of grandparents, making faith formation fun, ministering with the ears of Jesus, gender ideology, social justice, facilitating small group studies, how to prepare parents for their child’s sacraments, how to pray in color, ministering to middle schoolers, and faithful citizenship.

Catechists and faith formation leaders face many challenges in today’s world, Butler said. A major challenge continues to be connecting families back to church, the Mass, and to the understanding of what is most sacred and centric to our faith and belief as Catholics — Jesus in the Eucharist,” Butler said.

“Another challenge is passing on the faith within a culture where Christianity exists as merely one way among many ways for young people to choose from,” Rodriguez said.

As catechists, it is essential to stay grounded in our faith and to keep presenting the person of Jesus Christ to those we catechize as we ourselves keep our eyes fixed on Him, Rodriguez said.