The Ministry of Catechesis is about making our Christian faith alive and real in
the lives of children and youth in St Anthony’s Church. Primarily, the Catechists
seek to lead the children and youth to grow in their faith and love for Jesus.
The Ministry depends on the contributions of many to achieve its goals. This involves
working in collaboration with the church community, youth, helpers, parents and
the larger local community.
For Catechists, we seek to create an environment that allows them to be effective
in Catechesis and to grow in faith. Training and faith formation is available to
both new and experienced Catechists.
For our youth and children, it means understanding them, loving them and seeking
to provide the Jesus-response and answers to their changing needs.
For our parents and stakeholders, we seek to work with them in an effective partnership
for the well-being of our children, and to provide the right information on the
Catechism programme.
CATECHIST ORGANISATION STRUCTURE
The organisation structure of the Catechist Ministry consists of the following groups:
CATECHIST VISION and GOALS
The Catechist Ministry has the following vision for its students :
We want our Secondary 4 confirmants to : (after 10 yrs of catechism)
- be actively involved in the parish.
- be Christ-centred and have more desire for God.
- practise our Catholic faith.
- have better relationships with their families & community.
- be responsible for their actions.
- participate in mission work.
- be positive role models.
To achieve that, from Primary One, the Catechists will facilitate an ENCOUNTER with
the Lord, so that the children/youth can EXPERIENCE God. We will ENGAGE and EXCITE
the children/youth, so that they OWN their faith.
CATECHISM METHODOLOGY
In order to achieve the vision and goals of the ministry, Catechists will be relying
less on the typical classroom methods of lecturing to teach students. Instead, the
challenge is to :
- Engage & excite students.
- Encourage the children/youth to THINK and QUESTION.
- Give them an open environment to EXPRESS their own views.
- Invite students to DISCUSS current events or life issues that they are facing.
- Provide HANDS-ON activities eg role-play, skits, art & craft.
- Provide OUT-OF-CLASSROOM activities.
- Connect lessons to BIBLE verses for the children/youth to remember.
- Tell them STORIES
- Share OUR PERSONAL EXPERIENCES.
A variety of learning methods may be employed, such as :
OUR EXPECTATION FOR CATECHISM CLASS
We have had children who have not gone for the Eucharist for 5 years and this is
not an isolated case. Therefore we require that parents take their children for
the Eucharistic celebration.
In the past we have had parents taking their children out of catechism classes after
first Holy Communion and putting them back when they are in Confirmation 1. We will
no longer tolerate this mentality that catechesis is for the sacraments. It is of
a great disservice to the children. For registration of students into Confirmation
1, they must have completed and have gone through the assessment of the Primary
6 Catechism.
We are having a shortage of catechist and class rooms. Some parents have scolded
the catechist when they are reminded to be punctual for the class or for ending
the classes late. This will not be tolerated. Anyone who scolds a catechist or gives
a catechist a hard time will be asked to remove their children from the catechism
classes. If you have any complaint against the catechist, you are to direct it to
Parish Priest only.
Parents are required to attend and participate / organise in ALL meetings and activities
according to the class/classes of their children as required. In the past, we have
had many parents who claim ignorance. The forms of communication are the bulletin
and the parish webpage. No parent will be excuse for not knowing what is taking
place in the catechism program. You are required to check the webpage regularly.
OTHER INFORMATION :
Class Timings
The class timings for 2012 are as follows:
Primary 1 to Primary 6
Saturday 9.00 am to 10.15 am
Saturday 10.45 am to 12 noon
Sunday 1.30 pm to 2.45 pm
Confirmation 1 and 2
Sunday 9.00 am to 10.30 am
Confirmation 3 and 4
Saturday 4.00 pm to 5.30 pm
Catechism Calendar for 2011
Click HERE for Catechism Schedule for 2011 (Updated: 23 Sep 2011)
(Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader to open)
TEACHING MATERIAL:
- The students from Primary 1 to Primary 3 will be making use of the following Children’s bible : "My Book of Catholic (Bible Stories)" Compiled by Hieid Hess Saxton and published by Thomas Nelson Publishers.
- The students from Primary 4 to Confirmation 4 will be using the "New American Bible" which is widely available in Catholic bookstores.
REGISTRATION:
Catechism Registration Forms can be downloaded from here. Forms are also available from the Parish Office
OUR PHOTOS
Confirmation 4 Camp (16 - 18 March 2011)
Why join the Catechist Ministry?
You will continue to grow spiritually
We foster an environment that supports personal and spiritual growth through continuous
learning. And to support you, we offer access to various development and multimedia
resources and tools.
You will have opportunity to build God’s Kingdom
You will have the opportunity to contribute towards building the Kingdom of God.
Your contributions are valuable
Your contributions in the Ministry are valuable as you will be helping to form children and youth for the Church of tomorrow.
You will join a highly talented team
We have very experienced Catechists. For you, this means the chance to work with
and to learn from others, and to get the support you need to do well in the Catechist
Ministry.
Whom do we seek to join the Catechist Ministry ?
The Catechist Ministry holds many opportunities for you to be of loving service
to others and to grow in faith. If you are interested in joining the Catechist Ministry,
please contact us at
or pick up a registration form from the Parish Office.
PSALM 32 : 8
The Lord says, "I will teach you the way you should go; I will instruct you and advise you."
