It seems a long time now since we began Come & See, our diocesan process for renewal, back in November 2005. I wonder what your memories are of receiving two copies of the specially produced edition of St Mark’s Gospel, one for you and one to pass on to someone else? Did you ever read it? Did you pass it on?

Each year since then, beginning in Advent, Come & See has moved through different themes: Scripture and Prayer in Year 1, Repentance and Reconciliation in Year 2 and Being the Local Church in Year 3. Through diocesan and local events, and through the distribution of resources for parishes and schools, we have planted seeds of mission and put the spotlight on the importance of sharing the gospel. It was Pope Paul VI who, back in 1975, said that the Church exists to evangelise and that in preparing ourselves to evangelise we too need to deepen and revive our understanding and practice of our faith. This is the purpose of renewal in our diocese.

We now arrive at the beginning of Year 4 of Come & See where the focus is Catechesis and Commitment under the banner heading of Passing on the Faith. The word catechesis comes from a Greek word which means “to sound aloud” or, to put it another way, “to echo.” Catechesis therefore describes the process by which we sound aloud, we echo, the person and teaching of Jesus Christ in and through the Church he founded on the faith of the first apostles.

This year we are invited to renew our commitment to learning more about the Catholic faith, especially by engaging with the Catechism of the Catholic Church. A catechism is a summary of the Christian faith expressed as clearly and precisely as possible. There are, and have been, many different types of catechism, but the Catechism of the Catholic Church is the most important one to have been produced since the Second Vatican Council. It is an authoritative and reliable presentation of the Catholic faith and is supported by the shorter Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church which conveys a simplified content in question and answer format. The Catechism does not say everything that could be said about our faith, but it is the essential reference point for understanding and echoing what we believe. We hope that during this fourth year of Come & See more and more people, especially catechists and teachers, will be encouraged and enabled to open this text and mine the rich treasures it contains.

To speak of passing on the faith has two senses. First it relates to me. Somehow, somewhere, someone passed on the faith to me. I was given a precious gift and I have the responsibility for nurturing it and allowing it to grow. So, personal questions to reflect and act upon this year are: How am I nourishing my faith? How am I deepening my appreciation and understanding of what I believe? When I say the creed, what does this mean? On the basis that I cannot pass on what I do not have, knowing and living my faith is the foundation for all catechesis and evangelisation. Passing on the faith then has a second dimension. It relates to how I share my faith with others, how I witness to what I believe, how I contribute to the Church’s mission of preaching and teaching the faith. Here too there are some questions: In what ways do others know that I am a Catholic? How might I explain my faith to others? Can I offer something to my parish or school community which will help in passing on the faith to others?

We hope that over the coming months, seeds of renewal in catechesis will be sown in our diocese which will continue to grow and develop long after Year 4 of Come & See has ended.