Rome (Italy). From 26 to 28 September 2025, catechists from all over the world met in Rome to renew their vocation as disciples and witnesses of Jesus, taking part in the various events organized for the Jubilee of Catechists: the pilgrimage to the Holy Door, the Prayer Vigil in St. Peter’s Basilica, the Jubilee Audience of the Holy Father, and catechesis by language groups.
The Jubilee ended with the Holy Mass presided over by Pope Leo XIV in the presence of 50 thousand faithful. In his homily the Holy Father stressed the importance of proclaiming a Truth that saves:
“As catechists you are those disciples of Jesus who become His witnesses. The name of your ministry comes from the Greek verb katēchein, which means ‘to teach aloud, to make resound.’ This means that the catechist is a person of the word – a word that he or she pronounces with his or her own life.”
During the celebration, 39 candidates from fifteen countries around the world received the Ministry of Catechist from the Pope. Each one was called by name and responded, “Here I am” and received the cross, “sign of our faith, cathedra of the truth and charity of Christ: proclaim the Lord with your life, with your actions, and with your word.”
Among the candidates, there was also Ana Tenorio Castro, Past Pupil of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians of Cusco, Peru. Ana is a member of the National Team of the Catechesis Commission of the Peruvian Episcopal Conference, a specialist in the formation of Pastoral Agents and catechists at a national level. Her testimony:
“This experience meant renewing my ‘yes’ to the Lord, ever since I decided to follow Him as a missionary disciple with my life. The Lord showed me His grace; I perceived it in details of people, in small special moments in this time. The beginning of this year was difficult due to the loss of my mother in February. However, I saw her in a dream two days before the Jubilee Eucharist, she was happy and dressed for the occasion, accompanying me from heaven.
A very significant phrase from the Pope’s homily for me is, ‘the catechist is a person of her/his word’, and I firmly believe that behind the word there is being a testimony of the faith that I profess and live, to joyfully continue to proclaim our Savior until the end of my days. For this reason, certain of His merciful presence, I say to the Lord, Thank you, my Jesus, for Your grace and blessing, expressed in a very special way in these holy days through many people who accompanied me with their close prayer and many visible signs in this Jubilee experience; for having been designated Minister of Catechesis and for the gift that this entails. Thank you also for the presence of my Heavenly Mother, Mary Help of Christians, who accompanies me at every moment.”
The event of the Jubilee of Catechists also acquires a certain relevance for the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians in relation to the implementation of the choice of General Chapter XXIV: to give “new impetus to the first proclamation of Jesus, to evangelization, and to pedagogical, pastoral, catechetical, and communicative formation, according to the Christian anthropological vision.”
In a contemporary society often ‘without Jesus’, it is in fact urgent to seek new languages and new ways to continue proclaiming the Truth, the hope that gives meaning to life and fills the heart with joy: Jesus Christ. This was precisely the heart of Pope Leo XIV’s homily in the Jubilee Mass, during which the Pontiff took up the words of his predecessor, “This center around which everything revolves, this beating heart that gives life to everything is the Easter proclamation, the first announcement, the Lord Jesus is risen, the Lord Jesus loves you. He gave his life for you; risen and alive, He stands by you and awaits you every day.”
The Youth Ministry Sector of the FMA Institute participated in the Jubilee Catechesis for Italian catechists, held in the Paul VI Hall in the Vatican on 27 September, by Monsignor Cesare Pagazzi, archivist and librarian of the Holy Roman Church, on the theme, “Proclaimers of hope and of the mercy of God”. During the meeting, a catechist raised a practical question: how can we respond to the needs of each member of the group in a limited time of catechesis, with children and young people already tired after school? Monsignor Pagazzi responded with an evocative image, taking the example of Jesus. “I imagine Jesus cooking for His disciples, waiting for them while they go fishing. For Peter, He prepares a fish that is a little raw because he certainly likes to sense the aroma of the lake. Perhaps for James, one that is well-roasted … thus, He thinks of each one because He knows them. Likewise, in catechesis, we are invited to know each one and prepare for each one what they need.”
The Institute of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians continues its commitment to strengthening catechesis in its educational realities and works. The International Catechesis Commission continues to promote online formation launched in 2022. This is a series of webinars in 5 languages dedicated to the knowledge and in-depth analysis of the New Directory for Catechesis. Topics covered so far include:
- Catechetical and evangelizing identity of the Institute of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians
- An overview of the New Directory for Catechesis
- The Identity of catechesis
- Catechesis at the service of the New Evangelization
- The identity, vocation, and formation of the Catechist
- Methodology in catechesis I
The next appointment, in December 2025, will address the theme “Methodology in catechesis II”. (Video FMA AMBITO PG)
With renewed impetus, we continue on the journey, making our own the recommendations left by the Holy Father, “the catechists mark, that is, they leave an internal sign. When we educate to the faith, we do not present a teaching, rather, we place the word of life in the heart, so that it may bear fruits of a good life.”
