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Our Parish Catechists: Building A Foundation Of Faith For Young Parishioners And Their Families
The family is the first place children learn the faith. This is why the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops lays out a number of ways to build the “domestic church” within our own families — like always attending Sunday Mass, praying a Rosary as a family, and inviting priests, deacons and sisters into your home, to name a few.
Here at Queen of the Holy Rosary, we are blessed with catechists who all volunteer to share the faith and help our families build up the domestic church. For Denise Godinez, who has served as Director of Religious Education for 26 years, this work is important to her and the volunteer catechists. She is thankful for the catechists who share their time and talents with our parish.
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Dolores is a current catechist, and she went through the program as a student.
“Within a parish, there are many who help others understand God’s teachings, but catechists are God’s essential workers for religious education for young people,” Denise says. “These individuals have openly accepted God’s request to teach His word to a new generation.”
Our School of Religion Program, for kindergarten to eighth-grade students, is held on Sunday mornings, following 9 a.m. Mass. Catechesis of the Good Shepherd is held on Wednesdays at 4:45 p.m. for 3 to 6-year-olds. Sacrament Preparation is for students in second, seventh, and eighth grades
Our catechists come from a wide range of professions, but they are united in their desire to serve our Lord through teaching the youth. Josie Werkowitch has taught Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (CGS) for the past nine years. She loves how this program gives the children time and space to listen to the Holy Spirit.
The Parish School of Religion bulletin board offers a welcoming message to all.
“It helps them begin to understand the riches of the Catholic Church and the love of Jesus for us all,” she says. “Parents sending their child to CGS are helping their child to contemplate the significance of the words we hear every time we go to Mass, ‘This is my Body.’” continued on page 5
Megan Fuller teaches third grade at the School of Religion and has taught children of many ages throughout the years. As a school psychologist, she has a passion for working with students.
Eighth-grade students write summer prayer intentions on a tablecloth.
“Religious education classes give me the opportunity to share our faith with students and help them grow in their own faith,” she says. “By listening to the children and understanding their perspectives, my faith deepens.”
Jodi Reno’s own children have gone through various religious education programs at our parish. She also taught in the program for older students for about 10 years. She loves that religious education not only helps children learn the faith, but it’s also a valuable opportunity to make friends in the faith.
“I loved being a catechist because it brought joy to my face seeing children come to me for the next activity,” she says. “It also brought my heart great love to see the energy of children wanting to learn more about their faith.”
Here at Queen of the Holy Rosary, we are blessed with catechists who all volunteer to share the faith and help our families build up the domestic church.
Denise knows that raising youth in the Catholic faith — whether at home or in a religious education program — is essential work.
“Catechists have accepted the job to plant and cultivate the tiny seed of faith in young people, selflessly presenting the best of themselves to show the growth of God in each young person they teach and encounter,” she says.
As time goes on, the importance of this work continues to grow. Our world needs people of faith, and these religious education students are being equipped to go out as disciples.
Our catechists are united in their desire to serve our Lord through teaching the youth.
“Religious education not only focuses on doctrine, but it also focuses on the center of human life, contributing to the quality of the world by how we think, act and speak toward one another,” Denise says. “Catechists contribute positively to the beauty of the human person.”
