One of the most important dimensions to strengthen the faith in the hearts of the people is teaching catechesis in Parishes or Institutions. Catechesis always is an ongoing formation for different age groups. No one is exempted from such a formation. In our parish, we are very particular to reach the message of the Gospel and the teachings of the church on Sundays. Immediately after Sunday mass, the children will be invited to participate in the classes. The syllabi are given to all the teachers who are chosen from the faithful. Parish Priest, religious sisters, and the faithful are allotted students and therefore they are ready with the appropriate and required preparation to teach the people. Usually, the children from age groups 4 years to 18 years are addressed.
The children are the future treasure and leaders of the church in the future. They would lead the church, in particular, the families, the churches in miniature. They are dearer and closer to the heart of Jesus. therefore they are educated in faith by making them listen to stories, drawing, enacting skits, and singing, etc. at times they are helped to watch the lives of the saints and other stories with the right morals and Christian principles. After the completion of the classes, the children are supplied with snacks and tea. Further, those who are interested are allowed to stay back in the church and free to play on the church campus with the available equipment such as carrom boards, chess boards, footballs, and cricket bats and balls, etc.
The youth is always with a lot of dynamism and energy. They are willing to discover the meaning of everything whatever they perform. They are innovative and willing to be recognized and acknowledged. When their talents are focused, surely they will pave the way to the skies. Realizing all these, we, the leaders of the church, take a lot of pain to make them motivated and rooted in the faith. They are given every opportunity to listen to the word of God and helped by the faith formators. Once in a month or once in three months, the youth gather and given sufficient training in the faith to follow Jesus more closely. This training would help them to mingle in the mainstream to promote faith in the forthcoming future.
The faith formation would not come to an end as they get married. The church recommends that the faithful shall be taught the values of the Gospel and the teaching of the Church as they mature. Of course, the grown-ups face more challenges than the former groups. Considering all these, the Parish is very particular to give catechesis before they receive any sacrament viz., Marriage, Baptism for their children, Anointing of the Sick, etc. Though most of them are uneducated or undereducated, they are very receptive and not willing to learn. Most of the time, the Parish Priest takes initiative to teach them and religious sisters also do extend their help. However, it is a dream for us to catechize them in different groups and hope to actualize the same.
"Evangelisation will never be possible without the action of the Holy Spirit". The Holy Spirit is the soul of the Church. It is He who explains to the faithful the deep meaning of the teaching of Jesus and of His mystery. It is the Holy Spirit who, today just as at the beginning of the Church, acts in every evangelizer who allows himself to be possessed and led by Him. The Holy Spirit places on his lips the words which he could not find by himself, and at the same time, the Holy Spirit predisposes the soul of the hearer to be open and receptive to the Good News and to the Kingdom being proclaimed.
Techniques of evangelization are good, but even the most advanced ones could not replace the gentle action of the Holy Spirit. The most perfect preparation of the evangelizer has no effect without the Holy Spirit. Without the Holy Spirit, the most convincing dialect has no power over the heart of man. Without Him, the most highly developed schemas resting on a sociological or psychological basis are quickly seen to be quite valueless". (EN 75).
