In the midst of his study of the catechism written by Louise deMarillac “The Catechism of Saint Louise de Marillac” Benito Martínez, CM offers some insight into the value Vincent and Louise placed on the catechisms and some of Louise’s concern about why the Daughters should be involved as well as her fears. See the following quotes…
Vincent on the importance of catechism
“During the seventeenth century the Catholic Church was not only convinced about the usefulness of catechisms but was equally convinced about the need for them… The common people, however, could not distinguish between a Catholic catechism and one that contained the doctrine of the so called reformers…
“Convinced of the importance of the catechism, Vincent began to establish a process of catechisis in Clichy, Châtillon and on the lands of the de Gondi family…. Vincent appears to have indicated this when he wrote to her in 1635: Mon Dieu! how I wish your Sisters would make an effort to learn and read and that they might really know the catechism you are teaching (CCD:I:305). We should remember that Louise began to write this catechism in 1629, the year she began to collaborate with Vincent in visiting the various Confraternities and teaching the girls who were poor….
Louise as author of her personal catechism
“Louise wrote this catechism for her own personal use, for example, to be used when she was teaching doctrine to the young girls in the different towns and villages … Vincent appears to have indicated this when he wrote to her in 1635: Mon Dieu! how I wish your Sisters would make an effort to learn and read and that they might really know the catechism you are teaching (CCD:I:305). We should remember that Louise began to write this catechism in 1629, the year she began to collaborate with Vincent in visiting the various Confraternities and teaching the girls who were poor…
“It can be said that the catechism is well-written. The sections that address the religious life of Christians are well ordered … as if these sections were written to be given to each child. Was this Louise’s intention? These sections appear to be more than a catechism because they are a series of responses to questions that one could easily imagine the children asking…
“Today we would view Louise’s catechism, with its methodology of questions and answers (as well as the other catechisms of that era) as antiquated and useless for modern catechists. Nevertheless these were the catechisms that were used by the Daughters of Charity to catechize the children of that era. We cannot fall into the historical anachronism of analyzing those events with the mentality that we have formed as a result of the Second Vatican Council.
“The world has changed not only scientifically, culturally, technically, and economically … but it has also changed with regard to the manner in which we explain religion, the manner in which we perceive and live Catholicism.
“If we begin with the fact that the kerygma is the proclamation of the reality that Christ became incarnate and was crucified in order to save us, that he rose on the third day and that he is the Second Person of the Trinity, true God who sent us the Holy Spirit so that we can proclaim and live the Kingdom of God as proclaimed in the gospels, the Acts of the Apostles and Saint Paul.
“The second phase, then, is to catechize: to help believers reflect on their faith, to incorporate themselves into the Body of Christ through the sacraments and to live as Jesus lived fulfilling the commandments and asking him, through prayer, for the grace to live according to his law and to proclaim the Kingdom. Today, however, we find ourselves in a situation in which the majority of people are not believers and therefore we have to begin with the kerigmaand proclaim the gospel to them.
“Today the beneficiaries of catechetics are those persons who do not practice their beliefs even though they might be people of faith. Therefore catechists ought to be witnesses of the faith they want to share with the catechumens. The new guidelines for catechesis begin with the conviction that God exists, that Jesus Christ is present in the sacraments and that the Holy Spirit is in all persons and yet people live in a way that distances them from these realities.
“Therefore the objective of catechetics is to help people become aware of these realities and live in accord with this new awareness. The catechist should be one who accompanies others rather than one who teaches. The catechist accompanies people in the process of growing in their faith … faith which is a gift from God but nevertheless needs to be lived on a daily basis in order to become more rooted in the person.
“In the seventeenth century everything was different … many men and the majority of women had not gone to school and were ignorant with regard to Catholic doctrine. There was a danger that these persons would follow the religion of the reformers. People needed, therefore, to be taught Catholic doctrine because even though these people were religious and performed many pious acts, they did not fully understand what they were doing. At one time Vincent exclaimed: If there is a true religion … what did I say, wretched man that I am …! God forgive me! I am speaking materially. It is among them, among those poor people that true religion and a living faith are preserved; they believe simply, without discussing everything (CCD:XI:190).
“In light of this situation catechetics involved teaching doctrine, done by teachers who were learned and well prepared with the best catechism and the most appropriate means to teach people the fundamental of faith. This was all the more necessary in the midst of a society that was in conflict with the new reformed religion of Calvin that was spreading and threatening many regions in France.
The catechism of Auger, Canisius and Bellarmine were for teachers, individuals who taught the message of Jesus Christ, catholic doctrine, in a rational, intellectual manner. Louise’s catechism was also systematic, concise and clear, nevertheless, it was unique in uniting faith with life (it did this by using examples taken from daily life). In other words, Catechesis is an education in the faith of children, young people and adults which includes especially the teaching of Christian doctrine imparted generally speaking in an organic and systematic way, with a view of initiating the hearers into the fullness of Christian life (Catechism of the Catholic Church, #5). The questions and answers in the catechism touched upon daily life and the conflicts that ordinary people encountered. This is also the task of the modern catechist: to initiate people in an attitude of faith so that they can establish a personal relationship with God — obsequium fidei — a relationship that then has implications in areas of spirituality, piety, as well as pastoral activity,
“Today we would view Louise’s catechism, with its methodology of questions and answers (as well as the other catechisms of that era) as antiquated and useless for modern catechists. Nevertheless these were the catechisms that were used by the Daughters of Charity to catechize the children of that era. We cannot fall into the historical anachronism of analyzing those events with the mentality that we have formed as a result of the Second Vatican Council.
In outline…
- 1 The importance of catechisms during the seventeenth century
- 2 The catechism during the time of Vincent de Paul
- 3 A catechism to be used by the Sisters
- 4 Catechism for personal use
- 5 Structure of the Catechism
- 6 Validity of Louise’s catechism
- 7 Footnotes
Tags: Louise de Marillac, Vincent
