Catechists' Retreat stresses the encounter with Christ

Friday, Apr. 07, 2017

LAYTON — Nearly 50 people gathered at St. Rose of Lima Parish in Layton on the morning of March 25 for a Catechists’ Retreat. The retreat team began in quiet prayer before the Blessed Sacrament. Fr. Clarence Sandoval, the parish pastor, blessed the team members and sent them to greet the retreatants.

The first session of the retreat started with a musical prayer composed and led by Deacon Manuel Trujillo. Discussion and reflection sessions were offered in both Spanish and English, with periodic bilingual sharing sessions.

A team of nearly 20 people coordinated the retreat, offering participants a variety of perspectives as well as providing child care and breakfast. The content of the retreat was broken down into three parts. Each focused on a different aspect of catechesis – the Word of God, the One Being Evangelized, and the Evangelizer.  Participants were invited to emulate Christ’s teaching methods by using stories and examples whenever possible. They were also encouraged to learn to see Christ in all of their students – even those who are a challenge in the classroom. Finally, they were asked to understand themselves as catechists and to identify what they need in order to help their students encounter Christ.

The retreat is the latest step in the pastoral planning process at St. Rose. Over two years ago, the parish held a series of meetings to identify the parishioners’ priorities. The top two were the creation of a youth program and the enhancement of the existing Christian Formation (catechesis) program.

A youth group started in the fall of 2016 and a planning committee began to meet to explore new models and approaches for Christian Formation. As a result, the Christian Formation program will be making changes for the next school year.

One of these changes is a renewed focus on linking Christian Formation to the Eucharist. Classes will be held on Sunday, allowing families to come for Christian Formation and stay to attend Mass after. Lessons – including informal discussion groups for parents – will be tied directly to the lectionary readings for the week. Formation will be offered in both English and Spanish.

“It was very edifying to participate with the team members and seeing the transformation of the participants in the retreat. God was very present,” said Fr. Sandoval.

The retreatants expressed excitement about what they had learned and many of them indicated that they are looking forward to the opportunity to share the faith with children and young people in the upcoming school year.