Caroline Farey - The Pedagogy of God: Its Centrality in Catechesis and Catechist Formation

Emmaus Road Publishing
827 North Fourth Street
Steubenville, Ohio 43952

2011 Franciscan University of Steubenville
All rights reserved. Published 2011
Printed in the United States of America
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Library of Congress Number: 2011931372
ISBN: 978-1-931018-72-2

Except when referenced with a cf. in the citation, Scripture quotations are taken from the Catholic Edition of the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1965, 1966 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Excerpts from the English translation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church for the United States of America copyright 1997, United States Catholic Conference, Inc.Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Noted as Catechism in the text.

Quotations of Vatican documents (English translation) are taken from the Vatican website: www.vatican.va/archive.

Cover design and layout by Julie Davis, General Glyphics, Inc., Dallas, Texas (www.glyphnet.com)

This book, arising from an international catechetical conference held in Rome in 2009, examines what the Church, in her recent documents on catechesis, understands by the pedagogy of God and what the relationship is of this pedagogy to the discipline and practice of catechesis and to catechist formation. We hope that this volume will be particularly useful for catechetical leaders in the Church. The language of the pedagogy of God is not very familiar to many of us. As a result, it is not yet significantly influencing our approach to catechetics or our formation programs for catechists. Yet it is crucial. The pedagogy of God provides a framework for understanding the nature and purpose of catechesis: a close examination of the Congregation for the Clergys General Directory for Catechesis (1997) and of John Paul IIs Catechesi Tradendae (1979), in particular, enables us to see that this pedagogy provides us with universally valid principles that are the necessary foundations for the communication of Revelation. This focus upon the pedagogy of God is rooted in the current renewal of catechesis proposed by the Church. The retrieval of this concept is a key part of the more general theological ressourcement following the Second Vatican Council.

In this book, the central features of this pedagogy are traced, including some of the scriptural roots of the concept and its patristic development. The relationship of Gods pedagogy to catechetical formation is explored and implications are then traced into the concrete areas of doctrinal and moral formation, formation in prayer, sacramental and liturgical formation, and Christian initiation. Particular chapters focus upon implications of the pedagogy of God for the catechetical methods we employ and for the catechists understanding of his or her own vocation.

Where it seemed appropriate, the original style of a conference paper or address has been maintained. In other cases, some adjustments have been made to adapt the paper given at the Conference for this publication.

Many have collaborated on this project. The translation work by Anne Harriss, Anne St. John-Hall and Bernard Farrell-Roberts has been invaluable; and the work of Colleen Rainone at Franciscan University of Steubenville, with her kindly and patient reminders and proofreading of the text, has facilitated much of the process for completion. May this book serve the coming of Gods Kingdom as Christ was born of Mary in Bethlehem.

The following abbreviations are used for the books of the Bible cited in the text:

THE FOLLOWING ABBREVIATIONS ARE USED FOR OTHER WORKS CITED IN THE TEXT