The word “catechesis” or “catechism” means to inform, instruct, and teach orally, to distinguish it from teaching carried out through writing, that is, through books. While book learning is done individually and silently, catechesis (or catechism) is carried out in the presence of an instructor (catechist), teaching orally and bearing witness to what is being taught (1).

Father Vincent de Paul did not write anything expressly on catechesis. But he was an extraordinary catechist: he lived, taught, and bore witness. It is in the Conferences to the Daughters of Charity and to the Mission Priests that we grasp his thought on the subject. He begins by presenting the objective: to instill in children and adults the knowledge and love of God, to teach the mysteries of faith, to lead them toward a better life:

You must take the sick poor two kinds of food: corporal and spiritual, that is, to tell them some good thought from your meditation- five or six words to prompt them to fulfill their Christian duty or to practice patience […] Another purpose of your Company, Sisters, is to teach the fear and love of God to children in schools (CCD:IX:467).

To two Sisters sent to Ussel for the foundation of a “Charity,” he reminded them that the catechesis of those people (religious instruction) would be their main mission:

The people of that region are very good, docile, and strongly inclined to what is good, but are in the greatest ignorance that can be expressed. That will be your ministry, namely, to do your utm0ot to help them to know and love God. What is greater than that? To make known the greatness of God, His goodness, and His love for His creatures, teaching them the mysteries of faith and, from that knowledge, leading them to love Him (CCD:X:382).

In his words we discover a particular fondness for an active method that awakens the attention and interest of participants. He himself, in a colloquial language, applied it in instructing the Sisters and recommended that they themselves use it in catechesis. Through questions and answers, one should correct what is wrong, perfect what is imperfect, and add a word of praise for what is right. And because adults in general, and especially grandparents, are delighted by the children’s answers, a kind of “recitation” should be organized before them so they can admire how well the little ones express themselves about the contents of faith. He experimented with and recommended the use of images, especially with children, through pictures related to the topic of catechesis.

The need for preparation in catechetical teaching did not go unnoticed by Father Vincent. Before leaving for the parishes, where they were to teach catechesis to children and the sick, the Sisters were to work on this theme among themselves:

The Sister who presides listens to the answers and explains to them anything that is not clear enough and that they might not understand […] This is a means of forming yourselves, dear Sisters, and if you make good use of it, you’ll be able to teach catechism to poor persons [CCD:X:502].

In favor of this practice, Father Vincent de Paul points out that this is how it is done in Seminaries and other meetings where those to whom a ministry is entrusted undergo preparatory exercises (celebrating, confessing, preaching, baptizing, …), which prepare them for their functions. So it must be with catechetical teaching. For a more technical and refined preparation, he considered sending some Sisters to the Ursulines and the Daughters of the Cross, considered the best trained.

In the Popular Missions there were moments dedicated exclusively to catechesis in the strict sense: catechesis for children in the morning; catechesis for adults in the evening, without climbing into the pulpit to avoid confusing it with preaching, and whose duration should not exceed half an hour (cfr. CCD:XIIIA:387).

Bearing witness to this traditional concern for the teaching of catechesis, as a family inheritance, there is in the archives of the Fathers of the Congregation of the Mission in Lisbon a handwritten report from the eighteenth century (1744–1834) in which catechesis (doctrine) appears as a daily activity during the mission, alongside others (preaching, confessions, initiation into mental prayer, pacification and social reconciliation, …), and for which a single missionary was designated exclusively, given its importance.

There is no Christian community without catechesis—that is, without instruction, without formation, without proclamation, without the witness of life of the one who proclaims (the catechist). The catechism (book) may be lacking, but may the catechist never be lacking. What we celebrate in the Sacraments, especially in the Eucharist, is what was proclaimed to us and what we received through instruction (catechesis). Hence its fundamental importance!

For decades we invested heavily in catechisms (books); we invested heavily in the technical training of catechists. Very good. It was necessary. The result has not been very encouraging. So what is missing? The spiritual dimension of the catechist! Men and women of faith. Fortunately, there are many to whom the Church owes a great deal. But it is necessary that all of them be so: men and women of faith, of deep spiritual life, capable of communicating orally, and of being able to say, like the author of the First Letter of Saint John: What we have heard, what we have seen, what we have contemplated… this we proclaim to you (cf. 1 Jn 1:1,3).

Fr. José Alves, CM

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(1) Catechesis (from Late Latin catechesis, in turn from Greek κατήχησις, also derived from the verb κατηχέω, meaning “to instruct orally”) is instruction.