MANILA, Feb. 5, 2013— Taking an active role in promoting “new evangelization”, the Catholic Church in the Philippines has come out with guidebook for catechists in the country.
Published by the newly constituted Office for the Promotion of New Evangelization (OPNE), the book titled “Called to be Catholic” is a “lesson plan” for catechists to help in their role as evangelizers.
Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas, OPNE chairman, said C2BC aims to invite the faithful to a deeper understanding of the 12 tenets of the Catholic beliefs as stated in the Creed.
“So it is supposed to be a formation and renewal program dwelling on the 12 articles of the Apostles Creed,” said Villegas, currently the vice president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines.
The guidebook has actually been tested among some catechetical practitioners and they found it “useful and catechist-friendly,” said Villegas.
In responding to the youth, Villegas said the book’s title was also acronymed “C2BC”.
“It can be used for BECs (Basic Ecclesial Communities) and also for adult catechesis,” he also said.
The program also follows the National Catechetical Directory for the Philippines’ principles of being “integrated, inculturated and community-forming”.
“It is integrated in that it takes on St. Augustine’s triple definition of faith for its structure: knowing the truth (what can we know?), living the truth (what should we do?), and celebrating the truth (what may we hope for?),” part of the book reads.
“It is inculturated because it contextualizes the faith into the Philippine setting, highlighting the faith as truly Filipino.”
“It is community-forming because the interaction with other participants and the team allow for greater bonding with the local parish community of which they are part of,” it added.
Pope Benedict XVI earlier called on the Filipino bishops to a new evangelization in the country, a campaign that calls on the faithful to deepen their faith, believe in the Gospel and spread it. (CBCPNews)
