Catechesis

My beloved daughters and sons, I am very happy to see the task of catechesis that you carry out as part of the St Raphael work. It was the first form of apostolate in Opus Dei, and it is reasonable that this should be so, since all our apostolates are a means of giving doctrine: they are catechesis. We have to catechise the whole world. I always tell you that the catechism is for children to learn and for both children and adults to put into practice.

Gratitude of parish priests

To do this work, we have gone to the poorest neighbourhoods, giving preference to those most in need and providing parish priests with this service for the souls entrusted to their care. These priests begin to understand our spirit and to appreciate the Work, when they see the zeal with which you and the St Raphael fellows carry out this apostolate, as you prepare the children to receive First Holy Communion and also explain the catechism to adults.

Preparing catechists

Nevertheless, before inviting the St Raphael fellows to run these classes, you need to prepare them well. They have to know the doctrine they are going to teach, both in depth and in extension, and they should have enough formation in teaching to be able to take on this catechesis competently. The level of preparation required is in proportion to the condition of their hearers: children, adults, and so on. This preparation can never be taken for granted, and very often they will have to acquire it at your side.