Thank God for Moms and Dads and all our Catechists

BISHOP KEVIN J. SWEENEY

When a child is presented for Baptism, parents are asked, “What name do you give your child?” After giving the name, they are asked, “What do you ask of God’s Church (for your child)?” They reply, “Baptism.” Before baptism takes place, parents receive an exhortation, an encouragement, to pause and reflect on the meaning of the responsibility that they accept with their child’s baptism; the minister of the sacrament asks parents to make a solemn promise before God:

You have asked to have your child baptized. In doing so, you are accepting the responsibility of training him (her) in the practice of the faith. It will be your duty to bring him (her) up to keep God’s commandments as Christ taught us, by loving God and our neighbor. Do you clearly understand what you are undertaking?”

The parents respond, “We do.” The godparents are then asked, “Are you ready to help the parents of this child in their duty as Christian parents?” They reply, “We are.” With those promises made, a child begins to take their first steps in faith, literally “baby steps.”

As I have now celebrated my second Easter as Bishop and since we are in what some may call the “Confirmation Season,” I would like to recognize and say “Thank You” to all parents and godparents who have been faithful to the promises that they made when they asked to have their child baptized. In a celebration in which he baptized infants, our Holy Father, Pope Francis encouraged parents: “The important thing is to transmit the faith with your life of faith: that children see the love between spouses, that they see peace at home, that they see that Jesus is there.” The Holy Father emphasizes, as well, that it is the role of godparents to help the newly baptized “deepen and preserve their Christian identity” throughout their lives.

Parents are the first to pass on the faith to their children but catechists also have a share in handing on the faith. We should also always be grateful for (and remember in our prayers), those who serve the Church and collaborate with parents in the ministry of catechist. As Pope Francis reminds us, baptism is indispensable to our union with Christ: “There you will find the roots of our life in God; the roots of our eternal life that Jesus has given us through his incarnation, passion, death and resurrection; our roots are in baptism.” One of the gifts of this Easter season is to celebrate in a special way, the parents, godparents, pastors, and catechists who so joyfully hand on the faith to young people and who help them begin walking with Christ in his Church.

In so many ways, this is a wonderful time of year. We will celebrate Mother’s Day May 8 and Father’s Day June 19. May is a month dedicated to Mary, our Blessed Mother. May and June are months when, as the Church and as families, we celebrate many wonderful moments, such as First Communions, Confirmations, Ordinations, Weddings, and Gradu­ations. Of course, these Sacraments and moments can occur throughout the year, but they seem to be in great abundance during May and June.

The more that I visit parishes to celebrate the Sacrament of Confir­mation, the more I appreciate all those who prepare our young people to receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit. That preparation begins, as I have noted, with the “first educators,” the “first catechists” of each child, their Mom and Dad.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches:

“Education in the faith by the parents should begin in the child’s earliest years. This already happens when family members help one another to grow in faith by the witness of a Christian life in keeping with the Gospel. Family Catechesis precedes, accompanies, and enriches other forms of instruction in the faith. Parents have the mission of teaching the children to pray and to discover their vocation as children of God. The parish is the Eucharistic community and the heart of the liturgical life of Christian families; it is a privileged place for the catechesis of children and parents.

Catechism of the Catholic Church, #2226

During the Confirmation liturgy, the pastor or another catechetical leader “presents” the candidates to the Bishop, and states, “… I testify that they have been suitably prepared to receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit…” By means of that testimony, the pastor or representative publicly affirms that parents and godparents (often with the help of grandparents and many other family members) have been faithful to the promise made at the child’s Baptism, raising their child in the Faith. As I mentioned in the quote from the Catechism, parents are assisted by the parish community in fulfilling their responsibility. It is always a joy for me to see how pastors and priests, deacons, and religious, catechetical directors and youth ministers, Catholic school teachers and volunteer catechists, and others truly collaborate to share the faith and prepare our young people as best as they possibly can to be ready to receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

A young person who receives Confirmation becomes “fully initiated” into the life of the Church and can and should take on leadership, service, ministry and other responsibilities in the parish and other areas. We also strive to remember that “Confirmation is not graduation” and there is a need for the newly confirmed to continue their formation as they mature in the life of faith. Our Catholic high schools, parish and diocesan youth and young adult ministry, as well as college campus ministry and other groups and movements in the Church, strive to continue to form our young people as full and active members of the “community of believers.”

When we think of catechists and faith formation, we should not forget those who serve in RCIA and other adult faith formation programs at the parish and diocesan levels. A particular blessing for our Diocese is those who serve as catechists for children, young people and adults with special needs; we thank them and we pray for them.

In this Easter season, as we celebrate the Resurrection, and hear from the Acts of the Apostles in the First Reading at almost every Mass, we recall that each of us who are anointed with Sacred Chrism in Baptism and made one with Jesus Christ, “Priest, Prophet, and King,” and who are strengthened with the gifts of the Holy Spirit in the Sacra­ment of Confirmation, are “his witnesses” as Acts so frequently describes disciples. Witnessing to the Risen Lord Jesus and the new life that he offers, especially through the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist, let us always be grateful and pray for parents and catechists who testify to the merciful love of our Risen Lord, especially as they pass on and teach the faith. As we rejoice in the gift of baptismal faith, we pray that, as the Solemn Blessing of the Easter Season proclaims, all of us with Christ’s help be led “exulting in spirit, to those feasts that are celebrated in eternal joy.”