WASHINGTON – As the Catholic Church embarks on the mission of teaching the Christian faith, the Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelization has released a new Directory for Catechesis today.
The new Directory for Catechesis lays the how-to guidelines for catechesis and presents universal norms to guide pastors and catechists in the work of evangelization and affirms the presentation of the Catholic faith articulated in the Catechism of the Catholic Church as a sound point of reference for instruction while drawing deeply from Scripture and the writings of recent popes, especially Pope Francis’s 2013 apostolic exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium (The Joy of the Gospel).
These guidelines are important for bishops for use in their local dioceses and will also be indispensable for those responsible for formal religious instruction, including pastors and parish priests, deacons, lay and religious catechists, and religious education teachers in parishes and schools. Furthermore, the Directory will aid directors of formation who train the faithful in the forms and means of catechesis, including seminary rectors, directors of formation for the permanent diaconate, and lay ecclesial minster formation program directors. The Directory is available at http://store.usccb.org/