The Identity and Ministry of the Catechist in the Light of Pope Francis’ Apostolic Letter Antiquum ministerium

Abstract

The purpose of the analyses carried out in this article is to present the new ministry of the catechist, which was established by Pope Francis on May 10, 2021 in the Motu proprio Antiquum ministerium. He referred to a practice that had been going on since apostolic times, when such a ministry was entrusted to laymen. Their establishment on the basis of a special rite should be motivated by the current needs of the parish community. Pope Francis locates their activity within the liturgy celebrated and in the other pastoral spaces of the Church. The task of the diocesan bishops, on the other hand, is to take care of the proper formation of the candidates, who should be characterised by their human and religious maturity and receive an adequate theological, biblical, pastoral and pedagogical preparation. To this end, schools of catechists must be established in dioceses. The main method of approaching this issue is through an analysis of the papal document establishing the ministry of catechist and the post-conciliar Church’s teaching on the subject. This has made it possible to distinguish the essential elements of the new ministry and to indicate the possibilities of its adaptation to Polish conditions, where a lively discussion is currently taking place concerning the tasks of the catechist. The idea is to plan them in such a way as not to duplicate the activities of catechists with the canonical mission. Therefore, the problematic under analysis is original and expected in the catechetical environment. Addressing this problematic is intended more to start a substantive discussion than to show definitive solutions. The areas of practical activity of the catechist proposed in the article may become an inspiration for the implementation of the papal initiative in Polish conditions.