Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI
by Andrew Doan Thanh PhongBac Ninh (Agenzia Fides) – In Vietnam, all pupils across the country have a 3-month summer vacation from June to August, and catechism classes are also on summer vacation. Therefore, catechists also have a break after 9 months of teaching catechism to children. This is also a reasonable time for catechists to improve their professional knowledge in teaching catechism. For that reason, most parishes across the country organize short-term courses for catechists.Recently, at the Pastoral Center of Bac Ninh Diocese, the Diocesan Catechetical Committee organized a summer training course for Catechists in the year 2025 for some parishes in the diocese. At the beginning of the training day, Father Dominic Nguyen Nhu Khue shared about the current situation of catechism teaching in the diocese, emphasizing the need to innovate content, methods and lesson plans to suit the current pastoral situation. He also affirmed: “The essential role of the team of catechist is as ‘bridges’ to bring the Word of God to children, and catechists should become people who inspire catechism learning through their living testimony and dedicated service”.In the current digital age today, young people are absorbed in their mobile phones playing games and participating in social networking sites. The Catechism Pedagogy presented by the nuns in the course do not only provide basic knowledge but also open up flexible approaches that are suitable for each locality and each specific group of students.In the homily at the opening Mas of the course training Catechism for 80 catechists in Bui Chu Diocese in Northern Vietnam, Father Joseph Nguyen Trong Tinh – in charge of the Committee for Catechism, mentioned the role of the Holy Spirit in evangelization. He said: “The Holy Spirit was the power that helps the apostles courageously go out to preach the Gospel despite the danger and the same for catechists, they need the help of the Holy Spirit.”According to statistics, the number of Catholics in Vietnam today is about 7,294,713 people, accounting for 7.21% of the population in 27 dioceses, of which there are about 56,133 catechists. They are a very important part of the parish, teaching catechism to children from 4 to 18 years old. Depending on the specific situation, the number of students and catechists in each parish is different. In addition to male and female religious, most of the catechists are parishioners who volunteer to serve the work of teaching catechism. The training and selection of catechists are also flexible in The Church of Vietnam, they are directly managed by the parish priest and under the guidance of male and female religious in tern of knowledge and skills to teach catechism to the parish’s children.Also in Hai Phong Diocese, in the north Vietnam, the Catechetical Committee organized training courses of catechetical pedagogy to the diocesan parishes with the participation of 140 catechists. Ms. Mary Magdalene Pham Thi Thuy – The Secretary of the Catechetical Committee of the Archdiocese of Saigon – introduced to the fundamental contents of catechetical pedagogy such as: principles of teaching, skills in presenting the Word of God, and methods of approaching children in the new era. In addition, the catechists also learned important topics such as: Psychology of children, methods of preparing lessons, and especially the presentation of the Word of God in relation with the inner life of prayer.Father Peter Hoang Van Do, Head of the Catechetical Committee, advised and invited each catechist to become a living witness of the Word of God in the environment of faith education. The mission of a catechist – he said – is also to be a companion, a sower of faith and a bridge connecting children with Christ, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, to help children truly encounter the Word of God in a living way. (Agenzia Fides, 11/7/2025)
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