Mexico: Archbishop of Monterrey warns of express catechism courses

Given the upcoming catechism courses that are about to begin in the parish communities, Mons. Rogelio Cabrera López, Archbishop of Monterrey and president of the Conference of the Mexican Episcopate (CEM), called on the faithful to avoid the “express courses of catechism,” warning that they are not “an option for faith formation.”

Currently it is possible to find paid courses on the Internet for training in the sacraments of Christian initiation, which promise to grant a certificate in less time than traditional programs.

However, Bishop Cabrera López recalled in his August 25 message that catechism classes should not be seen as “meeting a requirement, nor fulfilling a social commitment; “It is about joining efforts to contribute to true Christian formation.”

“Good training will be of great benefit to everyone,” he stated, noting that a committed and strengthened Christian becomes “a radiant light in the midst of environments dimly illuminated by the lack of faith and hope.”

The archbishop also urged parents to “not skimp on the spiritual formation of their children,” stressing that the catechism is an opportunity for those who are unaware of the truths of the Catholic faith to discover “the richness we have in living a life sacramental”.

Likewise, Mons. Cabrera López recognized the work of the catechists and called on Christians to “not underestimate the effort that the catechists make to collaborate in the formation of the little ones and also of the young people who for some reason have not received his sacraments of initiation.”

Express catechesis is a “very limited, poor and meaningless doctrine”

Father Otoniel Ochoa Nieto, executive secretary of the National Dimension for the New Evangelization and Catechesis of the CEM (DINNEC), pointed out that the proliferation of “express catechism” offers began during the pandemic, when the impossibility of holding face-to-face meetings led to the opening of virtual options to receive the sacraments.

However, the priest highlighted that these offers not only persisted after the pandemic, but intensified, in part because some parents “consider it important for their children to receive sacraments, but they do not see the catechesis processes as relevant.”

Father Ochoa Nieto lamented that some priests “unfortunately tolerate and consent to these proposals,” reducing the reception of sacraments to “a mere opportunity to receive monetary income, neglecting the primary purpose of catechesis, which is to lead to an encounter with Christ.”

The priest warned that an “incomplete Christian formation,” such as that offered by these express methods, fails to link the catechist with the Christian community, nor does it provide him with the “tools to learn to pray,” much less offer him “training in the Christian life.”

Express catechesis, he noted, transmits a “very limited, poor and meaningless doctrine. This proposal lacks the power to transform life and make the catechist a true disciple.”

He concluded by emphasizing that the purpose of an adequate catechesis process is “to make disciples and followers of Jesus, provoking conversion.”