As faith formation staff and volunteers from across the Diocese of Phoenix gear up for the new catechetical year, Bishop John Dolan thanked and blessed them for their work on behalf of the Church.
“Thank you for your yes to the Gospel,” Bishop Dolan told the crowd gathered at St. Mary’s Basilica in downtown Phoenix for the annual Mass for catechists.
“As leaders of faith formation, you are not simply passing on information, you are helping people encounter Christ to be transformed.”
With 94 parishes and 24 missions spread over nearly 44,000 square miles, coordinating catechetical efforts is a herculean task. Diane Saunders, director of the diocesan Office of Evangelization, Discipleship and Spirituality, and Eneida Scoby, catechesis and faith formation liaison, developed a plan to ensure smooth communication and support: deanery liaisons.
The enormous territory of the Diocese of Phoenix is divided into 15 deaneries, or clusters of parishes. The liaisons for each deanery meet three times a year for planning, encouragement and coordination.
At the Aug. 24 Mass at the basilica, Bishop Dolan called forth each of the liaisons to receive his blessing and a medallion imprinted with an image of the Sacred Heart similar to the one depicted on his pectoral cross. He also conferred a blessing on all the catechists who were present.
The more than 200 catechists at the Mass received a blessed lapel pin that featured a cross and white dove symbolizing the Holy Spirit.
During the homily, Bishop Dolan pointed to the theme for the new catechetical year, “Always be ready to give an explanation for the reason of your hope,” taken from 1 Peter 3:15.
“In this Jubilee Year of Hope, our task is to bring hope to those saddened by wars and weighed down by poverty, to point beyond temporary solutions to a kingdom of harmony that lasts forever,” Bishop Dolan said.
He also highlighted TILMA, his seven-year pastoral plan on evangelization for the diocese.
“Here in Phoenix, Our Lady of Guadalupe, our patroness, reminds us that we are on a mission to go out” and to testify to the light of the mystery of love.
Bishop Dolan thanked Scoby in particular for her efforts on behalf of faith formation and presented her with a bouquet of flowers.
Scoby, in her remarks, commented on the unity she sees among catechists and faith formation leaders throughout the diocese.
“No matter what different pathways we have in our parishes, what unites them all is the mission as we catechize others and make disciples of all nations.”
Following the Mass, participants attended a resource fair at the Diocesan Pastoral Center in downtown Phoenix where representatives of several publishers of catechetical texts as well as staff from the Office of Mental Health Ministry, Kino Catechetical Institute, the Loyola Institute for Ministry Extension, the Saint John’s Bible and others greeted guests.
