"With An Evangelizing Catechesis, James Pauley ... reveals the essential link for catechists between who we are and what we teach. ... In these pages, we encounter what we ourselves are challenged to do: boldly proclaim the Gospel with tenderness, patience, knowledge, and zeal." -- Leonard J. DeLorenzo, PhD, University of Notre Dame, author of A God Who Questions
The catechist is vitally important when it comes to teaching the Faith. No book, no program, no text, no training can replace the teacher.
And that, my friend, is you.
In An Evangelizing Catechesis: Teaching from Your Encounter with Christ, author and speaker James C. Pauley shows you how every form of catechesis must be evangelistic in nature, fully centered on Christ, and designed to draw students into a life of missionary discipleship. You are a living witness of the Faith, and your relationship with God, the Church, and the sacraments should animate your natural gifts and talents as you teach. This is what will bring about lasting fruit in your catechesis.
Filled with powerful testimonies from catechists; the fundamentals of evangelization, catechesis, and discipleship; and even helpful connections for parents, An Evangelizing Catechesis will change your approach to teaching the Catholic Faith. It is perfect for parish catechists, Catholic school religion teachers, parish and diocesan catechetical leaders, youth ministers, RCIA coordinators, pastors, and parents.
"Doctor James Pauley's An Evangelizing Catechesis: Teaching from your Encounter with Christ is a book I would wish to place in the hands of every catechist. This short work provides not only an accessible guide and encouragement for the vital task of catechesis, Doctor Pauley urges every catechist to discover the call to holiness in carrying out an apostolate which is both beautiful and demanding. The pages are filled with lessons drawn from Scripture, Church teaching, and the witness of the saints, together with lively anecdotes from catechists in our time so the reader could never put this book down without finding encouragement for their mission. Doctor Pauley shows how every catechist must learn the primacy of the interior life of prayer and union with Christ, summed up in Our Lord's words, 'Apart from me you can do nothing' (Jn. 15:5). The catechist in the field will be able to fruitfully return again and again to these pages in striving to grow 'to become a saint who contributes to the making of saints.'" -- Most Reverend Mark Davies, Bishop of Shrewsbury
"In this scholarly yet accessible work, Dr. James Pauley outlines a comprehensive vision for evangelizing catechesis in an easily digestible format integrating stories from parents, catechists and Catholic school teachers. Dr. Pauley deftly navigates the challenges and opportunities of facilitating encounters with Jesus Christ by drawing insights from the Scriptures, wisdom from the Church Fathers and papal encyclicals." -- Julianne Stanz, Director of Parish Life and Evangelization, Diocese of Green Bay.
"It has been my joy to work in Catholic education for over thirty years. To support my faculty and staff, I would develop a library of resources to guide their professional development. An Evangelizing Catechesis: Teaching from Your Encounter with Christ, by Dr. James Pauley is a book every Catholic educator should read and quite frankly put into practice. He brings together in accessible way the essentials of being a catechist-disciple. This book furthers the renewal of catechetics which has flowed from the Catechetical program at Franciscan University of Steubenville founded by Barbara Morgan. It belongs in the hands of all catechists who have the awesome responsibility of transmitting all God has revealed." -- Sister John Dominic Rasmussen, O.P., Disciple of Christ, Education in Virtue
"With An Evangelizing Catechesis, James Pauley offers us a master class in becoming master catechists. His book embodies what it professes: a substantive, compassionate, inspiring, relatable, and confident act of teaching. He awakens our desire to awaken others to the good news of Jesus Christ. He charges us to be missionaries in a day and age when the customary ways of the world are foreign to Christianity. He reveals the essential link for catechists between who we are and what we teach, because a catechist is a witness to the faith above all. Drawing from his deep reservoirs of scholarship and his extensive experience as a teacher, he presents us with a vision of holistic faith formation founded in and molded by the mysteries of the Catholic faith. In these pages, we encounter what we ourselves are challenged to do: boldly proclaim the Gospel with tenderness, patience, knowledge, and zeal." -- Leonard J. DeLorenzo, Ph.D, University of Notre Dame, author of A God Who Questions
"In recent decades Church documents on catechetical ministry have consistently re-focused attention on the vital relationship between evangelization and catechesis. The contextualization of catechesis as one very remarkable moment in the whole process of evangelization has revitalized catechetical ministry in our time. Evangelists and catechists discover their mutual interdependence as they initiate, instruct, and form disciples of Christ. In this two-part book, James Pauley takes the reader on a journey of discovery on ways to engage in discipleship-based catechesis. With countless stories and insights into elements of a catechesis that evangelizes, Pauley sows seeds for a fruitful catechesis that forms missionary disciples whose ministry is rooted in a life-transforming encounter with Christ." -- Dr. Jem Sullivan, author and professor of Catechetics
"This timely contribution to the missionary activity of the Church informs and inspires. Grounded in powerful testimonies, Pauley seamlessly links theory with practice, examining the key movements that make evangelizing catechesis through an encounter with Christ not only desirable but eminently doable! A must read for parents, RE teachers, catechists, RCIA leaders, youth ministers, pastoral associates, sacramental coordinators, and anyone involved in leading others to a life in Christ." -- Catherine Hilder, Leader of Learning Adult Faith Formation & Evangelization, Sydney Catholic Schools, Sydney Australia
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
James C. Pauley is Professor of Theology and Catechetics at Franciscan University of Steubenville and the editor of The Catechetical Review. He holds STL and STD degrees from the Liturgical Institute at Mundelein Seminary and has served in parish, diocesan, and university catechetical formation for thirty years.
