By: Belen Liboon
As part of the 100 foundation anniversary of the Daughters of St. Paul, and in response to the Holy Father’s appeal to go out to the peripheries during this Year of the Poor, Paulines Publishing House offered a half-day seminar workshop for catechists on April 30, 2015. More than three hundred catechists from different parishes in Metro Manila and some provinces attended the Catechists’ Seminar and Book Launching of Flores de Mayo: A Decade a Day, Catechism in May by Fr. Mario Antonio Baclig, SDB at the Alberione Home Auditorium of the Daughters of St. Paul in Pasay.
Fr. Mario started with a 20-minute-demonstration on how to conduct the “Flores de Mayo” catechism for Grade 3 with the attendees acting as pupils. After the demo, Fr. Mario explained that the catechism he presented is based on the mysteries of the rosary. This is different from the traditional “Flores de Mayo” catechism being given in the parishes which are usually based on the titles of the Blessed Virgin Mary. We must be able to give an integrated catechism that presents the basic truths of the Catholic faith taken from the following: the Sacred Scriptures, doctrine, moral, and worship.
Fr. Mario gave emphasis on the role of the as facilitators and enablers of growth. The catechists are called to be like children – to be catechists of the heart who have the ability to explain important ideas in the level that children will love and understand. He also encouraged the catechists to be actively involved in the social media, and to be familiar with the developmental stages of the children. They are as follows: Kindergarten (age of play), Grade One (age of self-discovery), Grade Two (age of others), Grade Three (age of reason), Grade Four (age of friendship), Grade Five (age of dreams), Grade Six (age of decisions), Grade Seven (age of self-discovery), and Grade Eight (age of deeper friendship).
In conclusion, Fr. Mario said, “The Good News is already good; the Catechists should make it better. Through a popular devotion to Mary, that is ‘Flores de Mayo’, the children will be brought to God the Father, to Jesus, to the Holy Spirit, to the Church, to the sacraments, to the commandments, to heaven, and to eternal life.”
For those who were not able to attend the seminar, check out the video below the photo gallery.
