Proclaim the Gospel–revisited
by Bishop Edwin M. Conway

You may recall that in the fall of 2000 a column appeared in The Catholic New World (Oct. 8-14) entitled, “The Church Exists to Evangelize: Proclaim the Gospel.” The column announced the initiation of the Special Task Force on Catechesis. Cardinal George charged the Task Force with the duty “to study the state of catechesis for adults, youth and children in the parishes and schools of the Archdiocese of Chicago and make recommendations to the Cardinal for its continued improvement.”

On March 4 the Task Force was gathered for its final session, thanked for its generous and thoughtful service and the recommendations were presented to the Cardinal. The next step will be for the Cardinal to appoint the implementation agents to process and carry forth or operationally modify the recommendations.

What did we learn from over 12,000 hours of consultation by the 100-member Special Task Force? Sixteen recommendations ranging from the concerns for appropriate catechesis for adults, young people and children, the training and support of catechetical personnel, policies and finances have been finalized. The recommendations are preceded by charges from Church documents for successful catechesis and the points of learning from our consultations. Suggested personnel who can be charged with carrying forth the process of the study are listed following the recommendations.

You may be interested in just a few of the many specific points of the study:

- There are several elements that give strength to the catechetical ministry of the Archdiocese. There are thousands of prepared catechists, catechetical leaders, pastors, parochial ministers and parish educational committees who support this ministry. The documents of the Church giving direction to catechesis provide a pathway for future formation and instruction. (A new “National Directory on Catechesis” is about to be published.) Previous Archdiocesan studies corroborated our findings. Our own Archdiocesan personnel and offices continue to guarantee a commitment to catechetical excellence.

- The need surfaced to stress catechesis for adults as well as children and young people. The obvious racial, ethnic and cultural diversity of the Archdiocese will flavor the implementation of the recommendations. We know that new settings for catechesis should be explored, such as public schools, after-class Catholic schools, in families, and the opportunities provided by the explosion of electronic communication. We became aware of the need to stress the comprehensive nature of catechesis over a narrow view of merely doctrinal instruction, such as development of a prayer life, spiritual formation, liturgical participation, etc.

- The Task Force experienced an enthusiastic acceptance from all sectors and individuals in the consultation process. From the Archdiocesan department directors, parish staff and publishers, to parents, we encountered openness to the study and encouragement that the appropriate time had come to speak to a new thrust for catechesis. This enthusiasm is an indication that the people of the Archdiocese and our staff at various levels are ready for the recommendations to be enacted.

- The methodology and systematic addressing of catechesis is varied in the Archdiocese. No one model could be brought forth as the best and only model. The recommendation is that we continue to gather information on the methods of catechizing and provide “best practice” models.

- As in many ventures in the Church today, we had difficulty in finalizing how resources, both financial and personnel, could be gathered, distributed and monitored. It is foreseen that pastors and Archdiocesan officials will have to deliberate on these priorities and propose some solutions.

- The participants in the study are very concerned about the future preparation, spiritual formation and support of catechetical leadership and catechists. They foresee the need to prepare clergy and parish ministers in a more focused way to assimilate the total catechetical approach in the parish.

There are many people who deserve your and our appreciation for their contribution to the study. They include:

- The members of the Special Task Force, numbering over 100, labored many days and nights in listening to suggestions, studying documents and discerning the material that was fashioned into the recommendations. Most of the members participated while maintaining full-time staffing in other positions. Thank you also to the supervisory staff for freeing up time for the members to serve.

- The people involved in catechetics whose ministry provided the basis and strength upon which the study rests.

- The priests and parish staff who cooperated in completing the parish survey which provided direction for the study.

- The individual and corporate donations that provided the financing for the project.

- The ministers and people of the Archdiocese who patiently and wisely entered into dialogue and discussion with the Task Force at Work Group meetings, at Field Testing gatherings, Focus Groups and Vicariate Hearings. We also are aware of and appreciate the many prayers that were offered for the participants and process of the Task Force.

- The agencies and staff of the Archdiocese who gave themselves to the study, especially the personnel of the Office for Catechesis who warmly and professionally supported the Task Force’s efforts.

On personal a note, I am grateful for the shared leadership and labor of the Management Team and Work Group Chairs who kept the process going. Sharing in that gratitude is the “writers group” who worked to put the recommendations in their final form. All of us are appreciative of the comfortably honest and direct leadership provided by BVM Sister Vivian Wilson who directed the project. The Cardinal was supportive in initiating the project and personally participated in four presentations of reviewing the recommendations and offered helpful suggestions. Thank you.

In announcing the work of the Special Task work two years ago we quoted Pope Paul VI, “The Church exists to evangelize,” and Pope John Paul II, “Catechesis is a moment, a very remarkable one, in the whole process of evangelization.” Of course, these Vicars are declaring what Christ proclaimed to us 20 centuries before, “Go into the world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature.” The members of the Special Task Force hope that their labors, your cooperation and our prayers will strengthen that proclamation in our time here in the Archdiocese of Chicago.



A full copy of the Task Force report will be sent to each parish. It is also in the process of being translated into Spanish and Polish. The full text of the report can be obtained by simply entering one of several network sites: www.archdiocese-chgo.org, www.catechesis-chicago.org, or www.archdiocese-chgo.org/schools.

Bishop Edwin M. Conway

(Cardinal George's column will return)

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