“So good to see you again, Miss!” “Where have you been?” “Welcome back!”
These are a few of the comments made to our catechists when they returned to their Special Religious Education (SRE) classes in local public schools in Term 3 or Term 4 after the COVID-19 shutdown.
With the new COVID Safe procedures in place, students and staff welcomed the SRE teachers back into the public school classroom and together began to follow a revised curriculum.
Now, more than ever, students are appreciating the hope, joy and sense of wellbeing that the Gospel message offers. Recent studies confirmed that SRE links positive health and wellbeing outcomes with “belief in God, public and private prayer, concepts of giving and generosity to others, expressing gratitude and values education.”
To be in the classroom in these latter weeks of 2020 has meant that teachers have been able to facilitate these benefits as they teach about Jesus, Mary and Joseph in the Seasons of Advent and Christmas.
As we come to the end of the year and begin preparing for 2021, a new video called The Joy of Being a Catechist is a useful resource for parishes wanting to promote SRE and engage new catechists.
Posted on The Well platform, this short video provides testimony by three SREs who, while they have served in this ministry for different lengths of time, all expressed great satisfaction and enjoyment in their roles.
Anyone interested in joining this important ministry is encouraged to speak to their parish office staff or contact the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine (CCD) Office on (02) 8838 3484 so that necessary arrangements can be made for teaching in 2021.
