Cathal BarryChurch needs to find new ways to pass on the Faith
The publication of a new Irish catechism does not mark the end of a process, but the beginning of a new journey to help Irish Catholics rediscover and live their faith, Bishop Brendan Leahy has said.
Dr Leahy, one of the key architects of the project, told The Irish Catholic that the challenge for the Church is to ensure its teaching is more than just a set of rules and regulations for people. He said the key to renewing the Faith in Ireland is helping Catholics to “live it out”.
Bishop Leahy said that the Church has to find new “creative and imaginative” ways to ensure that the Faith is lived out and passed on to future generations. He also warned against complacency.
“It’s never enough to simply provide a text. We now have to be creative and imaginative in promoting it. That is the big challenge for the whole Church now,” he said.
Dr Leahy said the new catechism represented a challenge for all Irish Catholics. He said it is now up to dioceses, parishes, and various movements within the Church to take steps to “open up the text” of the new teaching aide.
The new Irish Catholic Catechism for Adults was given approval by the Vatican in recent weeks and it will now be rolled out in parishes and dioceses across the
country.
Church leaders are keen that the book can act as a core summary of what the Church teaches and assist parishioners in enriching their faith in order to take up Pope Francis’
challenge of reaching out beyond the Church to those who feel alienated from the Faith.
Bishop Leahy said the catechism was a direct response to a growing need for a faith formation textbook specifically tailored to the needs of Irish adults.
“We don’t stop growing in faith and now we have an authoritative textbook that responds to the questions we come to as an adult,” he said.