RCL Benziger, a member of the CFM Publishing Group, was formed in 2007 in order to best serve the evolving ministry of catechesis in the United States. Committed to working in partnership with all areas of the catechetical community, RCL Benziger is determined to engage in serious conversations with all of our partners in ministry in order to identify the critical issues impacting the ministry and strategize ways to strengthen the mission of catechesis.

In order to facilitate a deep and meaningful discussion concerning catechesis, RCL Benziger hosted a symposium To Explore the Future of Catechesis. The symposium was held from Wednesday, June 18, 2008 through Friday, June 20, 2008 at the Conference Center at the Maritime Institute in Baltimore, Maryland with representatives from various branches of catechetical ministry representing every region from across the United States.

Symposium Report

Twenty-seven catechetical leaders from across the United States participated in this two-day event. (For a full list of the participants, click here.) They listened to four excellent presentations, engaged in deep and interactive discussions, and offered a series of group responses concerning where the field of catechesis may be in the year 2018.

Symposium participants said that they found the experience to be very valuable; they loved the opportunity to engage in conversation with others, and looked forward to hosting similar events in their local areas once the talks and discussion questions were posted on the website. Their only disappointment was that there simply wasn’t enough time to take everything they had heard, process it, and then engage as fully in the conversation as they wished. One respondent’s comments seem to sum up the general response to the symposium: “This was one of the best meetings I have ever attended.” (For other comment from Symposium participants, click here.)

Following each of the presentations, participants engaged in table conversations. The responses from these table conversations were written on newsprint and posted around the room. To read these responses, click here.

Symposium Papers

The symposium focused on four key areas:

• Presentation:            The Changing Face of Those to be Catechized

Questions to be considered: What are some of the cultural changes that are taking place within the Church in the United States? How will these changes affect catechesis? How must the ministry of catechesis change in order to effectively catechize in the coming years.

Presenter: Alejandro Aguilera-Titus, Assistant Director, Secretariat for Cultural Diversity in the Church.

• Presentation:            The Changing Face of Catechetical Leaders

Questions to be considered: Who will be the catechetical leaders of the future? Where will they come from? What will they look like? What needs to be done to prepare them for their roles?

Presenter: Dr. Thomas Walters, Dean, St. Meinrad School of Theology, has conducted research on this topic for nearly 20 years.

• Presentation:            The Changing Face of Catechetical Materials

Questions to be considered: What will catechetical materials look like? How will they be used most effectively?

Presenter: Sr. Catherine Dooley, OP Emeritus Professor, Catholic University of America, has explored the topic of catechetical materials for many years.

• Presentation:            The Changing Face of Catechesis

Questions to be considered: What challenges will we face in catechesis? How will the changes to American society and Catholic communities influence the effectiveness of our catechesis?

Presenter: Dr. Michael Horan, Professor of Theological Studies, Loyola Marymount University, offered three primary questions to established the framework for this conversation. To read these responses, click here.

Hosting a Conversation on the Future of Catechesis in Your Parish or Diocese

While we cannot hold this same conversation with everyone personally, we do want to encourage everyone involved in catechetical ministry to hold similar conversations at the local level to consider what the future of catechesis will mean for you. On this website we offer you the tools—the papers and discussion questions—that you can use to hold similar conversations in your diocese, parish, or school. (Click here for the symposium papers and discussion questions.)

List of Participants • Symposium Snapshots • Major Addresses