 One of the advantages of getting older is you forget a lot. Well, it's a disadvantage, too. But as a bishop, people remember everything about you. Nice story, Ron. Right side up. I don't know where do I point this? Nothing has happened yet. Which way? Point it behind me. Now we're going too far. OK. There we go. Technology. I have intentionally used the expression parish priest in the title of my talk as a term of art. It is the common English translation of the ecclesiastical Latin word parochis. We usually say pastor. But pastor in proper ecclesial parlance signifies those who have the fullest role of shepherding God's people. Indeed, bishops are the church's foremost pastors. And almost none of us operate primarily at the parish level. In fact, you might be surprised that in many English-speaking countries, parish priest is the term, routinely used for the fellow who decides on the mass schedule, who works out the agenda for pastoral counsel, and who supervises the staff. For the sake of convention here, though, I will use pastor. Speaking of managing mass schedules, directing the parish counsel and overseeing the staff, the pastor is carrying out one of his three roles in imitation of Christ. You are all familiar with the triple office of the Lord, prophet, priest, and king, by which he fulfills the three principal offices of the Old Testament. Over time, the church discerned that the ordained priesthood mirrored this paradigm as did the people of God as a whole. All three offices or roles, Munara in Latin, are significant, indeed indispensable, whether in Christ or in the parish priest. Actual experience, however, tends to place much more emphasis on the kingly or governing role of the parish priest than on the priestly or sanctifying role. And finally, the least emphasis on the prophetic or teaching office. Would you have recognized the fellow I described above as readily if I had described him as the one who writes a weekly column for the bulletin, who leads the Wednesday evening discussion group and who looks for potential new catechists? In fact, when you saw the title of this talk in the conference brochure, the parish priest as catechetical leader, you might have thought, wow, this will be a short one. Tragically, in the last couple of months, three Midwestern bishops have resigned because of inadequacies in their role of governance. Jesus, although often accused by the Jewish authorities of straying from orthodoxy in his teaching, was ultimately crucified by the Jewish authorities for making himself king. The pastors of parishes are judged most often and most strongly on the basis of their administration. Much should we or do we expect the pastors in the fulfillment of their teaching office. I think we should expect a lot. Having said that, let me look at those of us who are pastors proper, us bishops. Now, I will speak only of myself. Where do my energies go? Yep, just like the pastors and parishes, governing first, sanctifying second, and teaching dead last. Now, it is impossible to do everything expected of us. That's true for all of us. And also, we are blessed today to recognize the charisms of a lay faithful and their right to exercise those charisms. Your presence at this conference is testimony to that vision. Nevertheless, the role of the pastor in catechesis, especially his leadership, is essential. It cannot be ignored. It cannot be delegated wholesale, even admitting that the pastor has an important role to play in catechetics. Most of you, experienced catechetical leaders yourselves, would say, we know what his role is. We can tell you. So this can still be a short talk. Yet the magisterium has considered the role important enough to have described and defined it in numerous documents, both at the universal and national level. Knowing that magisterial tradition accomplishes two things. First, we can all stand on the same ground. Second, we have a basis for accountability. So how does the church, in its official teaching, define and describe and encourage the role of the parish pastor as a leader in catechesis? Forgive me if I start with canon law. I am a canonist. I do not pray out of the code of canon law, nor do I consider canon law to be everything. But I have found my canonical training to be of immense help in my Episcopal ministry. The post-Vatican II Latin code, which came into force in 1983, reflects the principles of the council and many of the later magisterial documents that built upon them. Indeed, at the same moment that St. John the 23rd called the council, he also authorized a new code of canon law, precisely because he knew that a new way of thinking would require a new way of acting. The principle canonical material concerning catechesis is found in Book III of the code of canon law, the teaching function, munus docendi, in Latin, of the church. It is important to note that there are two codes of law for the church, one for the Latin church and another for the Eastern churches. I will be referring to the four mercenaries that applies to most Catholics in the United States. Chapter II of that book is titled Catechetical Instruction. As always in the code, the first canon of a section is important because it tends to lay out general principles. So here with canon 773, allow me to quote it in full. It is a proper and grave duty, especially of pastors of souls, to take care of the catechesis of the Christian people so that the living faith of the faithful becomes manifest and active through doctrinal instruction and the experience of Christian life. In this introductory canon, pastor is used in the wider sense, meaning those given the care of souls, primarily diocesan bishops and parish priests. Proper means that responsibility for catechesis belongs directly, personally, to the church's pastors. And that responsibility is a grave one. One might say that in this regard, the lawgiver is deadly serious. The responsibility is a grave one. The end result of the catechesis they are to assure is a manifest and active faith, a living faith, not just head knowledge. The means to this end is a combination of instruction and experience, learning, and practice. I probably should have put that canon 773 on one of these, but sorry I didn't do that. Of course, these are fundamental principles of catechesis, which you already know. Yet how many of our programs actually embody them? How many of our pastors take care, as the code says, that this happens? The next canon, which would be 774, deals with the responsibility of all the faithful in regard to catechesis and parents in particular, followed by a canon on the role of the diocesan bishop and bishops' conferences. The key canon for our context is 776. Again, allow me to quote. By virtue of his function, Munus, a pastor, parochus, is bound to take care of the catechetical formation of adults, youth, and children, to which purpose he is to use the help of the clerics attached to the parish, of members of institutes of consecrated life and societies of apostolic life, taking into account the character of each institute, and of lay members of the Christian faithful, especially of catechists. None of these are to refuse to offer their help willingly unless they are legitimately impeded. The pastor is to promote and foster the function of parents in the family catechesis mentioned in canon 774, paragraph 2. Take care is used here, as in canon 773. However, bound, tenetor, to take care, creates an even more strenuous responsibility. I think this is so because while the bishop as pastor of the diocese has an overarching responsibility for catechesis, it is the pastor of the parish who must truly assure that good catechesis happens. Note that the canon speaks of catechetical formation, not just instruction. It is the whole person who must be formed as a disciple, prepared to live the faith in concrete circumstances. This refers back to the same points made in canon 773. Notice that the pastor is responsibility for the catechetical formation of adults and youth. It does not stop with confirmation. Nor, in my view, can the conscientious pastor settle for a handful of teenagers in a youth group or a couple of adult Bible study groups? Perhaps it is in these areas that cross parish efforts would bear fruit, and the diocesan resources could certainly be of assistance. What about getting all those other clerics and religious in on the act? There are so many. I do believe that our deacons, whose numbers are growing in many of our dioceses, can be of great assistance in catechetical efforts. What is especially noteworthy about this portion of the canon is the obligation that those clerics and religious attached to the parish have to assist with catechetics. This seems to highlight the importance which the lawgiver attaches to catechetics and the role of the pastor in harnessing available resources. Finally, canon 776 assigns the pastor responsibility to promote and foster the catechetical function of parents. It is hard to imagine how this duty can be fulfilled without some direct contact with parents as parents. The next canon, 777, lists five areas that call for the pastor's special attention. First is the sacramental catechesis in general, in preparation for the reception of the sacraments. Second is the preparation of children for the reception of the sacraments, of penance, Eucharist, and confirmation. Third is the continuing catechetical formation of children after First Communion. Fourth is providing appropriate catechesis for members of the faithful who are mentally or physically impeded. Fifth is strengthening and livening and developing through various means and endeavors the faith of youth and adults. However, all of these concerns are to be attended to according to the norms established by the diocesan bishop. I would like to mention three other canons, even though they do not refer directly to catechesis. Canon 757, in the general section on the ministry of the divine word, binds pastors of parishes in a special way to proclaim the gospel of God. No matter how many meetings and budgets, no matter how many masses and prayer groups Jesus did, after all, send his apostles to proclaim the good news. Then Canon 768, in the chapter on preaching, lays out some principles that readily apply to the pastor's role in catechetics as well. Most important is the obligation to impart, in so many words, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Although it would probably be painful someday when I am retired and if my mind is still functioning, it would be a good exercise for me to hear a summary of every homily I have preached and every other form of teaching that I have given to see how well I have presented the gospel and the Catholic faith. So the pastor must first be a good teacher, a good model for others who would teach the faith. Catechists need to know not just that the pastor appreciates what they do, but that he is one of them, one of the best, one of the most ardent and one of the most faithful. Canon 771 was specially written for those pastors who don't have enough to do. It exhorts pastors to show concern that the word of God is, quote, proclaimed to those of the faithful who because of the condition of their life do not have sufficient common and ordinary pastoral care. They are also, again, to quote, to make provision that the message of the gospel reaches non-believers. Some of you will go home and tell your pastors about this talk. Those of you with high levels of courage and or no concern for job security. Be sure to mention Canon 771. One fundamental principle of Canon law is never settle for one Canon or section of Canon to answer your question. So far, we have been looking into book three of the Latin code on the teaching office. Book two on the people of God has a section on parishes and their pastors. And one Canon there, number 528. Certainly sound like bingo. Number 528 addresses the pastor's duties with regard to the mooness Dochendi. A pastor, parochis again, is obliged to make provision so that the word of God is proclaimed in its entirety to those living in the parish. For this reason, he is to take care that the lay members of the Christian faithful are instructed in the truths of the faith, especially by giving a homily on Sundays and holy days of obligation and by offering catechetical instruction. He is to foster works through which the spirit of the gospel is promoted even in what pertains to social justice. He is to have particular care for the Catholic education of children and youth. He is to make every effort, even with the collaboration of the Christian faithful so that the message of the gospel comes also to those who have ceased the practice of their religion or do not profess the true faith. So when you discuss Canon 771 with your pastor, be sure to add the duties imposed by that last portion of Canon 528. Note too that the Canon speaks of those living in the parish, not just those who show up at church and that the pastor is to offer catechetical instruction personally. It cannot all be delegated even to the finest of catechists. It is good for the pastor to be seen with his own sleeves rolled up. Before walking off the canonical stage, I wanted to mention the increasing circumstances in which a pastor is assigned to more than one parish. Some things like finances, sacramental records, and I believe the parish pastoral council should remain distinct. However, I am unaware of any canonical norm that would prohibit or even discourage parishes, especially those cared for by the same priest, from sharing catechetical resources and programs. Indeed, many times the pastor can fulfill his responsibility more efficiently and effectively by doing so. As I mentioned earlier, John the 23rd called for a revision of Canon Law in the same address in which he called for an ecumenical council. Of course, unlike my presentation this evening, the council came first. So let's move to Vatican II. Catechesis was not a major topic at the council. The significant developments in Catechesis occurred after the council and were certainly influenced by it. As you might expect, Catechesis is referenced in Gravisimum Educacionis, but there is virtually no connection made between the parish priest and Catechesis, not even between the parish priest and the Catholic school. The greatest attention to Catechesis in the conciliar documents is in Presbyterorum Ordinus, the decree on the ministry and life of priests. Presumably it is there because Catechesis was dealt with in that section of the 1917 Code of Canon Law as a direct function of the pastor and within the limited framework of parish life. References to Catechesis and the pastor are found in three paragraphs of the decree, Presbyterorum Ordinus. These paragraphs fall in chapter two on the ministry of priests and in the first subsection on priestly functions. Most references are to priests in general, of Fort Ciori to pastors. Paragraph four speaks of the proclamation of the gospel and sharing the gospel truth. Among ways priests can accomplish this task are honorable behavior, pre, boy, honorable behavior, preaching and proclaiming the mysteries of Christ, handing on the Christian faith and explaining the church's teachings and striving to deal with contemporary problems in the light of Christ. Although this paragraph uses the term preaching, clearly the intent is to understand the word in the broadest sense. Paragraph five addresses the liturgical life of the church clearly from a parochial perspective and largely from a catechetical one. A quote, those under instruction are introduced by stages to a sharing in the Eucharist. Pre should instruct the Christian faithful to offer Christ in their own lives to the Father at Mass to submit their sins in the sacrament penance, to participate sincerely in the celebrations of the sacred liturgy in general and to pray in daily life. They should encourage the faithful to discharge the duties of their proper state in life and to grow in the evangelical councils. Paragraph six, this is still Presbitterorum Ordinus. Paragraph six is concerned with the communal life of the church and service in the larger world. Priests as educators in the faith are to assist the faithful quote to a development of their own vocation as required by the gospel, to a sincere and active charity and to that freedom with which Christ has made us free. This next sentence is quite telling. Ceremonies, however beautiful or associations, however flourishing will be of little value if they are not directed toward educating men in the attainment of Christian maturity. The paragraph ends with this admonition. In building the Christian community, priests are never to put themselves at the service of any ideology or human faction. What humility, honesty and charity it takes to teach the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Of course, the documents of the Second Vatican Council provided only a framework for the church's adjustments to the realities of the modern world. Many additional documents as anticipated by the council fathers were produced both by the Holy See and Episcopal conferences around the world to give more precise shape to the conciliar reforms in a variety of areas of ecclesiastical life. Catechesis was one of those important areas. There are two principal documents, the General Directory for Catechesis was published in 1997 by the Congregation for Clergy. In the United States, the National Directory for Catechesis made its appearance in 1998. On a smaller scale, Pope John Paul II issued the apostolic exhortation Catechesis Tridenti in 1979. The Congregation for Clergy published a directory on the Ministry in Life of Priests in 1994. While the US bishops added to the official literature with our hearts were burning within us a pastoral plan for adult faith formation in 1999. All five documents provide guidance for pastors and their catechetical work in parishes. There are surely additional resources but I have written one doctoral dissertation and that's enough. Besides, you wanna go home tonight. The General Directory for Catechesis I mentioned was published by the Congregation for Clergy. Reflecting the structure of the 1917 Code of Canon Law, Catechesis was viewed as a direct function of the pastor even though he might share it with others. So you know, the Congregation for Clergy published the General Directory for Catechesis. Not until 2013 was a responsibility for Catechesis in the Roman Curia transferred to the Pontifical Council for promoting the new evangelization by Pope Benedict the 16th. Do you understand what I'm saying here? But even in the Roman Curia, the concept was that Catechesis was the responsibility of the pastor. Even the structure of the Roman Curia was that way. The General Directory places the catechical role of priests squarely within the sacrament of holy orders, though each priest is configured, oh, excuse me, through which each priest is configured to Christ, both as pastor and teacher. Quote, the ministry of the priest, says the Constitution, is a service which forms the Christian community and coordinates and strengthens other charisms and services. In Catechesis, the sacrament of holy orders constitutes priests as educators of the faith. They work therefore to see that the faithful are properly formed and reach true Christian maturity. Priests foster the vocation and work of Catechesis and assist them in carrying out the function which springs from baptism and is exercised in virtue of a mission entrusted to them by the church. Thus the pastor is more than the parish's CEO. His role stems from ordination, while that of Catechesis arises from baptism. Of course, lay Catechesis are indispensable and in almost every parish, some layperson needs to carry out the day-to-day responsibility of organizing and overseeing the catechetical program, whether as a paid employee or as a volunteer. Yet the role of the pastor is unique, just as it is in the celebration of the sacraments and in the overall organization of the sanctifying work of the parish, precisely because he represents Christ the teacher within the community. It was to the 11, that is the 12 minus Judas, that Jesus gave the great commission to teach and make disciples. The pastor then is not one catechist among catechists. He is the principal catechist who promotes, animates and supports the work of the other catechists. The general directory goes on to enumerate five specific catechetical tasks that are proper to priests and particularly to parish priests or pastors. First, to foster a sense of common responsibility for catechesis in the Christian community, a task which involves all and a recognition and appreciation for catechists in their mission. In our highly professionalized and specialized modern church, and I am happy that we have so many professionals and specialists, there is a risk of losing the responsibility every member of the Christian faithful has for living out the faith, both in one's personal life and in the life of the community. Instructing the ignorant is one of the spiritual works of mercy, incumbent on every member of the church. The more important forms of instruction, at least in the long run, is there, excuse me, what more important form of instruction, at least in the long run, is there than the sharing of our faith. The seeing to it that all parishioners have the opportunity and are encouraged to take advantage of it to grow in knowledge of their faith and then inspiring them to share that faith in whatever circumstances are appropriate is truly exercising pastoral care, directly and indirectly. My own sense is that the role of our pastors is becoming increasingly crucial in bolstering the role of parents in catechesis. Of course, we decry a hatch, match and dispatch approach to church participation. The reality though is that regular mass attendance is now in many places on a par with our Protestant brothers and sisters. While I am convinced that Catholic schools are the best means we have to repair our children for living out the faith as adults, even that depends largely on the reinforcement provided by parents. So any contact that pastors have with parents, especially in their capacity as teachers of the faith is very important. So the second specific responsibility that the general directory puts in front of pastors is to care for the basic orientation of catechesis and its planning by giving emphasis to active participation of catechists and by insisting that catechesis be well structured and oriented. I had one course on catechetics in the seminary. I doubt the seminary curriculum has changed much in that regard over the past 40 years. In other words, we priests are not truly qualified to deal with the structure of catechetics, although most of us consider ourselves experts at everything. During my years in the seminary, I worked at a scout camp. One year we had a director, a real gung-ho guy, and he used to say, give me two men in a shovel and I can get any job done. Sometimes pastors are kind of that way. But that does not absolve the pastor of his responsibility, even though we really are not experts. He does have sufficient theological training and he needs to equip himself with the fundamentals of how a good catechetical program ought to be structured and operate. He should take it upon himself to review the textbooks and other basic materials. It doesn't hurt for him from time to time to look at the religious education schedule to make sure that as much time as possible is available and that the time is well used. It really is amazing how much two men in a shovel can accomplish. The third task, quote, to promote and discern vocations to the service of catechesis and as catechist of catechists attend to their formation by giving the greatest attention to this duty. Note that the director uses the term vocation when referring to catechists. Almost every pastor will tell you that he is always on the prowl for volunteers. Since you work in the field of catechesis, you know that recruiting good, enthusiastic catechists is challenging, even within day schools, identifying teachers who can teach religion well and who want to is not easy. But we are not talking about filling empty slots on an organization chart. We're talking about vocations, a charism provided by the Holy Spirit. Prayerful discernment in this regard is indispensable. Prayerful discernment led by the catechist of catechists. And while direct divine intervention, a la Gabriel and the Blessed Virgin is nice, it is not very common. Nothing succeeds better than a personal invitation from the pastor. I'm still on number three here of the tasks laid out for the pastor and the directory. Then there is the formation of catechists that requires the greatest attention of the pastor. Not my quote, that's from the directory. This is still number three, dealing with the catechists. Now I know that most dioceses provide excellent certification programs for catechists. Indeed, it would be foolhardy for individual pastors and parishes to mount such efforts. Yet how much good would come from the pastor spending time with the catechists of the parish, perhaps the occasional day of recollection, or speaking with them about some dimension of the faith and how it might be taught to different segments of the Christian faithful. Note that the directory speaks about the formation of catechists. Formation is very broad. Even the least talented and most reluctant of pastors can find something in his toolkit. The fourth task, quote, to integrate catechical activity into his program of community evangelization and foster the link between catechesis, sacraments, and the liturgy. His program of community evangelization. I checked the official Italian, French, and Spanish versions of the directory. There is, alas, no Latin edition. None of them uses the personal pronoun. All of them merely use the impersonal article, the program of community or evangelization. Why the discrepancy among the official versions I cannot explain. There are a lot of things I cannot explain. Still, I thought the use of the personal pronoun in English was an interesting twist. It does highlight the personal role of the pastor, his program of community evangelization. More importantly, this fourth specific role of the pastor in the general directory connects catechesis with evangelization in general. Then it connects catechesis with the sacraments and the liturgical life of the parish. Integration is an incredibly important principle. We learn the faith in order to practice it. We require the grace of the sacraments in order to practice what we have learned. We give thanks to God for our awareness of his goodness and for the grace we have been given to live the faith. Our gathering in prayer strengthens our bonds in Christ and reinforces what we believe. In my two major parish experiences before becoming bishop, I noticed considerable difference in this regard. As a young priest, I served for several years as parochial vicar at a large suburban parishes. There were 600 children in the school and even more in the religious education program. Then after some diocesan assignments, I served as pastor of an 800 household parish in a town of 3,000 in a rural area. About 500 children and teens were enrolled in the RE program and they all came. Every week, there was significantly more integration in the smaller rural parish than in the larger suburban parish. The complexity of our large parishes makes integration among the various dimensions of parish life more challenging. Nevertheless, no one has a shot at making that integration happen other than the pastor. He is involved in all of those dimensions of parish life. The fifth task that the general directory lays out for the pastor to secure the bonds between the catechesis of his community and the diocesan pastoral program by helping catechists become active cooperators in the common diocesan program. What's this? Helping catechists become active cooperators in the common diocesan program. I suppose you need to ask whether there is a common diocesan program. No doubt there is considerable variation around the country. I would be remiss though if I were not to remind you that the diocesan bishop is the true pastor of the local church, which remember is why the fellow at the parish is called formerly in Latin parochis, not pastor. The pastor, so to speak, is appointed by the bishop to care for that portion of his flock. So the pastor must always assure that the catechetical program of the parish is in sync with the diocesan program if there is one, and that parish catechists have a positive attitude to what comes from downtown. We will leave the general directory for catechesis with the words at the end of the section that addresses pastors. Experience bears out that the quality of catechesis in a community depends very largely on the presence and activity of the priest. You have my permission to print that out in banner style and hang it in your office. The year after the publishing of the general directory, the US bishops published their national directory for catechesis. Obviously, that document relied heavily on the one provided for the church as a whole. While the general directory placed the pastor's role for leading the parishes catechetical program within his priestly office, the national directory, not surprising, begins by putting emphasis on his relationship with the bishop. Quote, pastors are the bishop's closest collaborators in ensuring that the goals of the diocesan catechetical mission are achieved. The directory then proceeds to list the five point specification of Canon 777 that we have already covered. I don't want to belabor the point, but it is important for the pastor to realize that no parish is an island, and no parish catechetical program can be formulated in isolation. The bishops do, though, give attention to the catechetical responsibility of priest as a rising quote directly from the sacrament of holy orders, which constitute priest as educators in the faith. In his preaching and teaching and in the sacramental ministry of the church, the priest transmits the gospel of Christ, encourages conversion to him, fosters the life of faith and ongoing formation in faith, and inspires the prayer of the community of faith. In his parish, the priest has a responsibility of forming the Christian community and ensuring that the faithful are properly formed and reach true Christian maturity. Once again, we see here the importance of integrating catechesis with the general life of faith. Catechesis is formation for Christian living, not just gaining knowledge. The pastor is the generalist in ministry, who alone is in a position to pull things together. The National Directory does include a list of some additional specific tasks for the pastor. He is to ensure that catechesis is emphasized in a way that provides age-appropriate opportunities for adults, youth, and children. That a total parish plan for catechesis is developed and implemented in consultation with the parish council and parish catechetical leadership. That catechesis for adults in all ages is a priority. Adult formation should be provided in such a way that parishioners would recognize it as the parish's primary catechetical mission. That catechesis of youth and young adults is situated within a comprehensive plan for youth ministry in the parish. That catechists at all levels are well-formed and trained for the task. That catechetical formation is available for all language groups. That baptismal catechumenate is a vital component in the organization of catechesis in the parish. That the catechumenate is an essential process in the parish, one that serves as the inspiration for all catechesis. Since this is, I think, the last event of the day, I will limit my comments on this list of specific tasks. This is really the bread and butter that you deal with. The second point above, developing a catechetical plan in consultation with the parish council, touches on one of my pet subjects, the role of parish pastoral councils. It is a subject worthy of an entire presentation. Suffice it to say that the correct title, parish pastoral council, like diocesan pastoral council, indicates that this advisory body is intended to assist the pastor with the pastoral life of the parish. All temporal matters, except perhaps review of the overall annual budget, which like the weather affects everything, should be dealt with at the finance council. How many pastors do you know who routinely discuss the parish's catechetical program in all its many dimensions with the parish pastoral council and engage its members in a serious review of that program? The fourth point above touches on the issue of integration, assuring that catechesis worship and service form a comprehensive whole. Here, the emphasis is on youth and young adults. Most parishes struggle to maintain a catechetical program with those members. Is there some decent prospect of success with catechesis if it is combined with worship and service? And although many of our middle-aged pastors feel unsuited for ministry with the young, they still have the best chance, especially in large parishes, of inspiring and motivating and integrated program, even if behind the scenes. The last two points address the catechumenate. Allow me to say two things. First, in my view, there is too much separation between the catechetical and liturgical dimensions of the catechumenate. Second, for all the effort that goes into so many of our catechuminal programs, the impact on the parish as a whole is generally minimal. In both situations, and once again, the pastor seems to be in the best position to promote improvement in both areas. More generally, the national directory encourages the pastor to, quote, work with parents, school, and catechetical personnel, and appropriate boards and commissions in the parish to plan and carry out the catechetical mission of the local parish. The pastor has the primary responsibility to ensure that the catechetical needs, goals, and priorities of the parish are identified, articulated, and met, close quote. This sounds like meetings, performance reviews, evaluation sessions, and more meetings. Christ has risen from the dead and sits in glory at the right hand of Father. We hope to follow. In the meantime, we go to meetings. Following the old Latin maxim that one cannot give what one does not have, the bishops conclude the section of the directory for priests by saying, quote, in order to enrich their ministry as catechists, priests are to give careful attention to their own catechetical formation and continue their education and spiritual formation after ordination. Catechesis tradende on the catechesis in our time came 20 years before the general and national directories that we've been talking about. It was John Paul II's apostolic exhortation written at the conclusion of the fourth general assembly of the Synod of Bishops in 1979. It is a bridge between Presbitterorum Ordinus and the general directory, far more developed than the former, less so than the latter. Exhortation asserts in the section on priests that all believers have a right to catechesis. All pastors have the duty to provide it. It shall always ask civil, I shall always ask civil leaders to respect the freedom of catechetical teaching. But with all my strength, I beg you, ministers of Jesus Christ, do not for lack of zeal or because of some unfortunate preconceived idea, leave the faithful without catechesis. The Holy Father acknowledges in the exhortation that quote, catechesis can be given anywhere but that in accordance with the desire of very many bishops, he wishes to stress, and here I continue to quote, that the parish community must continue to be the prime mover and preeminent place for catechesis. That is why every parish has the duty to train people completely dedicated to providing catechetical leadership, to provide the equipment needed for catechesis under all aspects, to increase and adapt the places for catechesis to the extent that it is possible and useful to do so and to be watchful about the quality of religious formation of the various groups and their integration into the ecclesial community. The parish must rediscover its vocation, which is to be a fraternal and welcoming family home where those who have been baptized and confirmed become aware of forming the people of God. In that home, the bread of good doctrine and the Eucharistic bread are broken for them in abundance in the setting of the one act of worship from that home, they are sent out day by day to their apostolic mission in all the centers of activity of the life of the world. End of the quote. This was an enthusiastic, dedicated pastor writing two years before he was knocked back by a bullet. He understood that no one but an enthusiastic, dedicated pastor could translate that poetic vision of parish life with his integration of catechesis, liturgy, and service into reality. We're getting there. Like catechesis trident, catechesis tridentae, the directory on the ministry in life of priest issued by the congregation for clergy preceded the two major catechetical directories but only by a few years. As its title suggests, the directory covers a broad range of topics, only a single paragraph deals with catechetics but it is a rich paragraph. Consistently referring to the priest, clearly the intent in many cases is the pastor of the parish. Certainly so in the paragraph on catechics. The priest is dubbed the catechist of catechists. He is quote or has rather has received the mandate and responsibility of encouraging, coordinating, and directing the catechetical activity of the community with which he has been entrusted. He must know how to integrate such activity into an organic project of evangelization. Among the catechists, he is to form a veritable community of disciples of the Lord which serves as a point of reference for those receiving instruction. In 1999, just one year after they published the National Directory, the U.S. Bishops issued our hearts were burning within us, a pastoral plan for adult faith formation. Not surprisingly, they viewed the parish as the primary locus for adult faith formation and cited the pastor first among those with key roles to play. As they put it, the pastor bears the pastoral and spiritual responsibility for catechesis in the parish and for ensuring an authentic presentation of the faith to adults. He personally models mature faith and is its principal advocate in the parish. He sees to it that adults of all ages have opportunities to learn and grow in faith throughout their lives. The pastor establishes parish policies and procedures and that give priority to the vision and practice of adult faith formation. In other places, our hearts were burning clearly indicates that adult faith formation is not only to be a priority in parish life, but is to suffuse much of what goes on in the parish. For example, quote, the pastor ensures that all staff members promote adult formation as a parish priority. And again, and I'm quoting, the parish places adult catechesis at the center of its state admission and goals and promotes the importance of adult faith formation at every opportunity. The vision of faith formation as a lifelong journey coupled with opportunities to promote that journey hold a prominent place in strategic planning efforts in the formulation of mission statements and in the determination of annual goals. And in addition, the parish pastoral council and other leadership bodies accept support, promote and participate in this vision in their work of leading and serving the parish. All this suggests that catechesis rather than being segregated as an area of specialized ministry needs to occur as a routine part of parish life and it's myriad activities. Teaching and learning can happen anywhere, anytime. And here again, it must be pointed out that only the pastor is positioned to facilitate the integration of catechesis and formation into all aspects of parish life. As we move toward conclusion, I would like to attempt to summarize the role of pastor, parish priest, as catechetical leader with these six points. The pastor works to ensure that catechesis leads to the formation of the whole Christian disciple. That is that the outcome of catechesis is a deeper faith and a more active Christian life. Secondly, the pastor creates an atmosphere that encourages the integration of catechesis, worship and service in parish life. Third, the pastor is involved in the selection, formation, supervision and support of the catechetical leaders and catechists. Four, the pastor ensures that his parish's catechetical program operates in harmony with the diocesan program and is faithful to the universal magisterium. Five, the pastor facilitates ways for his parish to collaborate with other parishes, especially in adult and youth catechesis. And six, the pastor engages personally in catechesis and in his own ongoing formation. As I mentioned at the beginning, Jesus was condemned to death by Pontius Pilate because of his claimed kingship. Yet, he never presented himself as a king, nor was he perceived principally as an administrator, only after his death and much reflection would his disciples perceive his priestly office. No, during his earthly ministry, they called him teacher, rabbi. Even his miracles were usually intended to instruct and lead people to a deeper faith. We use the word father for the one who leads the community we call a parish. Just as we look to fathers of families for leadership, so we look to the fathers of parish families. Fathers of families have many governing duties and even some priestly ones. I am certainly grateful to my own father for fulfilling those two roles faithfully. Most especially though, I am grateful to my father for fulfilling his role as teacher. We are grateful to the pastors of our parishes for fulfilling their catechetical, their role as catechetical leaders, as teachers. The National Directory for Catechesis, at the end of the section directed to pastors of parishes states, priests are absolutely essential contributors to an effective catechetical program. Their zealous leadership is essential to parish catechesis. Is this expecting too much? As one of my seminary professors once said, excuse me, as Bishop Ottenweller of one of my predecessors, excuse me, the Bishop of Toledo, once said, being a pastor is like having a big funnel positioned on top of your head. Everything is poured in and lands on you. The pastor's teaching role specifically as leader of catechesis. As envisioned by the church's official documents is extensive and weighty. It is good to have ideals, goals to aim for. Having served once as a parish pastor and now as a diocesan pastor, I know how frustrating and humbling it can be to fall short of ideals. And I know how frustrating it can be to have that funnel on top of your head. So we ask Christ, whom we call teacher, and rightly so, to encourage and strengthen his brothers, who help him teach his flock.