The beauty of Enders Island, the warmth of the sunshine and gentle ocean breezes, were the perfect backdrop to remind Diocesan catechists that they are grounded in God’s love, a love that is as steady as the rolling waves off the nearby Atlantic Ocean.
In early June, nearly 60 catechists and catechetical leaders throughout the Diocese of Norwich gathered at St. Edmund’s Retreat House at Enders Island in Mystic for a day of prayer and reflection co-sponsored by the Office of Faith Events (OFE).
Deacon Dennis Dolan, the keynote speaker for the day, told the catechists that they are securely grounded in God’s love. Using an image of a mountain surrounded by clouds and wind, he told the group, “Remember, you are not the weather. You are the mountain and God is the ground securely anchoring you at all times. There is no way to know where the mountain begins or ends or where the ground begins or ends. The weather will change but God’s love and commitment to you will never change no matter what happens around you.”
Dolan emphasized how invaluable each catechist and leader is in evangelizing the Church’s mission not only to the youth of their parishes but to their parents and the whole parish community. He told the group to use their individual gifts and talents to make God real in the lives of those for whom they minister. Acknowledging the challenges each will face in proclaiming the Gospel message in today’s world, especially among polarizing cultures, political ideologies, and economic structures, he told the catechists to meet people ‘where they are at’ as Jesus did.
Doing so can be difficult, he said, urging them to take time daily to pray and remain centered on Jesus Christ. “You can’t do it alone,” he said adding that each of them needs to nourish themselves spiritually before they can nourish others placed in their care.
He closed his remarks by giving each person a Lego building block as a visible reminder that they are but one, yet critical piece of the foundational materials Jesus Christ uses in building up His kingdom. Dolan tied the image of the Lego block into the closing prayer, The Prayer of Oscar Romero, written by the late Bishop Ken Untener, of the Diocese of Saginaw, Michigan. The prayer emphasizes that each of us is part of a greater whole in the mission of the church. We plant and water seeds that provide the opportunity for God’s grace to enter and do the rest.
One line from the prayer underlines Dolan’s remarks during the day, “We accomplish in our lifetime only a tiny fraction of the magnificent enterprise that is God’s work…We may never see the end results, but that is the difference between the master builder and the worker. We are the workers, not the master builders, ministers, not messiahs. We are prophets of a future not our own.”
As in the past, this year’s day of reflection for catechists was co-sponsored by William H. Sadlier, Inc., a publisher of many of the catechetical resources our diocesan schools and parishes use. Lynn Wilson, Sadlier’s regional representative for this area has a special connection to Connecticut as her own sister is Sr. Marie Andre, a member of the Baltic Sisters of Charity of Our Lady Mother of the Church, and a teacher at Sacred Heart School, Taftville.
“Sadlier recognizes how important catechists are to moving the mission of the church forward through the education of our children on matters of the faith,” said Andrea Hoisl, director of the OFE.
She added, “It is so important to recognize our catechists and catechetical leaders for the work that they do. They are doing such important ministry in their parishes and much of it goes without recognition. They deal with a lot of adversity, wear many hats, and oftentimes don’t get the acknowledgment they deserve for what they do. We want to make sure they get that recognition every year.”
By Mary-Jo McLaughlin