Catechetical Sunday

September 15, 2024 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Location: Parishes

Catechetical Sunday 2024 Theme and Image:

Catechetical Sunday is scheduled for Sept. 15.  The 2024 Catechetical Sunday Theme is "Lord, when did we see you hungry" "Señor, ¿cuándo te vimos hambriento?" (Matthew 25:37/Mateo 25:37)

Accompanying the 2024 theme, this icon of Servant of God Dorothy Day ras been chosen by the Committee for Evangelization & Catechesis. Use of this icon has been generously granted to us by its iconographer Kelly Latimore.  The image is currently being prepared with the theme, date, and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops logos.  The posters, prayers cards, and certificates will be available for download from the USCCB by the middle of May. Stay tuned for more by connecting with the USCCB website for Catechetical Sunday at this link. 

For those new to parish formation leadership let me share a little more about why you should advocate with your pastor to celebrate Catechetical Sunday at your Eucharistic celebration on Sept. 15.

Our bishops have asked that each parish not just recognize catechists but to call them forth at the Mass on Sept. 15 to be commissioned for this official ministry of the Church.  This is also an important time to recognize the domestic church as well.  Catechetical Sunday is a wonderful opportunity to reflect on the role that each person plays, by virtue of baptism, in handing on the faith and being a witness to the Gospel. Catechetical Sunday is a timer to invite catechists, in fact the entire parish community, to rededicate themselves to this mission as a community of faith.

Why is being a catechist, youth ministry team member, Bible study small group leader, RCIA team member, Catholic School teacher, etc. something that deserves a special day for commissioning? 

Catechesis is a distinct and special ministry in the Church.  As the Catechism of the Catholic Church makes clear, “Catechesis is intimately bound up with the whole of the Church’s life . . . her inner growth and correspondence with God’s plan depend essentially on catechesis” (no. 7). This ministry of teaching in the name of the Church has a profound dignity, which is why catechists are formally commissioned by the Church.  It is only fitting that we set aside a day to highlight this ministry and invite the entire church community to think about our responsibility to share our faith with others.