KUALA LUMPUR — The KL Archdiocesan Catechetical Ministry organised a series of online training sessions for new catechists in February and March 2021. In total, 26 sessions were held – nine in English, eight in Bahasa Malaysia, three in Tamil and six in Mandarin. The topics covered were Vocation and Mission of the Catechist, Spirituality of the Catechists and Creative and Engaging Online Teaching.
According to Dr Steven Selvaraju, although the catechetical situation has changed drastically with classes shifting from the traditional teachinglearning context to online learning, it is important that every catechist, especially those who have just joined the ministry, is reminded about his or her vocation, mission, and spiritual life. Although circumstances may change and new challenges may arise, the call and ministry of the catechist remains the same – the organic and systematic teaching of the Catholic faith to the young.
Dr Steven added, “I am happy that the sessions were well received, not only by the new catechists but also by a large number of senior ones. I am also proud that those who presented the sessions were persons who had attended a one-year “Catechist Trainthe-Trainer” Course conducted by the Archdiocesan Catechetical Centre in 2018. Some of them were invited to present the sessions, and they carried out their task creatively and effectively.”
With the support of Archbishop Julian Leow and Fr Christopher W. Soosaipillai, Ecclesiastical Assistant for Catechetics, many other efforts have been taken by the Archdiocesan Catechetical Ministry to equip and support the parish coordinators and catechists since the classes went online last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Catechesis@Home
Among the first initiatives taken was the preparation of the Catechesis@Home material. Dr Steven shared that the first issue of Catechesis@Home was prepared in the English language for Palm Sunday 2020. After a few weeks, there were requests for the material to be prepared in other languages. A number of dedicated people came forward and volunteered to assist with the translations. After that, the materials were shared with other dioceses. It has been about a year now, and the Catechesis@Home materials are still being produced on a weekly basis in four languages.
Theology of the Body
Over time, the Archdiocesan Theology of the Body team started having online TOB camps for teenagers at the invitation of the parish. The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd Team also played a role in coordinating with the parish teams in providing lessons online to the younger learners. RCIA coordinators and formators too remained committed to their ministry in keeping the catechetical sessions going in the parishes and preparing the catechumens to be initiated into the Church.
Training Sessions
In addition, a common online domain was set up where catechetical resources are uploaded for catechists to access and use for their lessons. In May and June 2020, a series of training sessions in different languages on the use of online apps were held.
Among these was the training given by Ms Grace David, a Certified Google Trainer who was invited to present sessions on the use of Google Classroom and Google Meet to the catechists, and Dr Donnie Adams, a Certified Microsoft Team Trainer who was invited to share his expertise with RCIA Coordinators.
Towards the end of 2020, Mr Antoine Augustine presented an online session on “Online Registration for Catechism via Google Form” to help catechists register their students online.
Resources for Parents
This year, the Archdiocesan Catechetical Ministry will focus especially on a number of urgent needs brought up at the Clergy Annual Pastoral Assembly (CAPA) in January 2020. These include finding ways to help parents take responsibility and carry out their role as primary catechists to their children, as well as providing more online re sources for catechists and parents. In addition, there is also a project to provide, where possible, electronic gadgets to learners who are unable to attend catechism classes due to the lack of a device.
The past year has been a challenging one for many people, including those involved in the catechetical ministry. It called for a complete change in the way catechesis is carried out. “The most enriching experience during this difficult time”, says Dr Steven, “has been my collaboration with the parish Catechetical coordinators. They are an amazing group of dedicated, hardworking and resourceful people. Meetings are held every three months and it is by sharing and listening to one another that numerous solutions were found on how to address the challenges faced by catechists with online teaching-learning. One such idea is the “Buddy System”, that is, where a parish which is doing well with online catechesis supports another parish still struggling to adapt. Truly, we have to be thankful to the coordinators and catechists for their dedication and hard work, and for responding to their vocation and mission in teaching the faith to the young.
