Graduating students from The Kino Catechetical Institute gathered at St. Mary’s Basilica June 4 to receive their ­diplomas after two years of study. There were 71 students from 28 parishes. (Billy Hardiman/CATHOLIC SUN)
Graduating students from The Kino Catechetical Institute gathered at St. Mary’s Basilica June 4 to receive their ­diplomas after two years of study. There were 71 students from 28 parishes. (Billy Hardiman/CATHOLIC SUN)

The catechesis he received from the Kino Catechetical Institute left a lasting impression on Estevan Sandoval.

“Baptism is wonderful and we hear about the faith every Sunday of our lives, but it has no meaning until you have the education that goes with it,” Sandoval said.

Sandoval is one of 71 students to graduate this year from the Kino Institute, which was capped with Mass at St. Mary’s Basilica June 4. He said he plans to take the knowledge he gained and use it actively within his parish, St. John Vianney in Goodyear, by helping launch its first men’s fellowship group.

“We want to try to bring in a spiritual way the masculinity of God’s Church back to His Church,” Sandoval said.

EN ESPAÑOL: Graduados del Instituto Catequético Kino responden a la llamada a servir

The students were awarded diplomas for completing two years of study at the Kino Institute. “Our courses are meant to be a systematic, comprehensive overview of the doctrine of the faith, both what Catholics believe and more importantly, why we believe it,” said Steve Greene, director of the Kino Institute.

Greene went on to explain the need for well-catechized Catholics is crucial for the Church today. “As society and the Church part ways further and further on the truth about the human person, faith and the value of religion, it really falls on us to form ourselves well as Catholics, so that we’re able to articulate and defend the faith with confidence and charity, in whatever way the Holy Spirit is going to call us to do that,” he said.

Kino Catechetical Institute

Are you feeling called to a deeper understanding of your Catholic faith? Kino Catechetical Institute offers a dynamic education in Church teaching to help you articulate and defend your faith with confidence and charity. All Kino programs are offered in both English and Spanish. Applications are currently being accepted for Fall 2015.
Info: (602) 354-2300

Students at Kino take 14 courses during their two-year formation, each course lasting approximately five weeks. In addition to these courses on the doctrine of the faith, there are also four courses, each spanning two days, which cover the methodology of catechesis.

Josefina Mata, another graduate and St. Jerome parishioner, said she actually never planned to attend Kino. “Two years ago, I was waiting at the diocesan chapel for an appointment that I had, and then Sr. Celia was passing by and she grabbed my hand,” Mata said. “She asked me ‘Are you planning to come to Kino?’ and I was so afraid that I told her no. She grabbed my hand and said ‘Yes, you are coming to Kino.’”

Coinciding with the Year of Consecrated Life, the Kino Institute encourages its participants to see they can lead a life consecrated to God, regardless of their specific vocation.

“When you look at consecrated life and really seeing yourself as set apart for service under the mission of the Church, I think that’s a call that should echo with all Catholics,” Greene said. “For our students, even if they’re already married and have kids, that can mean setting some part of themselves, maybe a particular gift or talent, or maybe just time they have available, to the service of the mission of the Church.”

Fr. David Sanfilippo, vicar for priests, presided over the graduation ceremony and encouraged the graduates to follow the promptings of the Holy Spirit, saying, “May God bring to completion the good work He has begun in each of you.”