Hispanic Ministry office certifies 46 new catechists

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SALT LAKE CITY — On Sept. 17, parishes and missions all over the Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City celebrated Catechetical Sunday to “acknowledge the importance of the Church’s teaching ministry and to honor those who serve the Christian community as catechists,” states the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

The root of the word “catechesis” comes from the Greek word to echo or resound.

 “Catechesis is the act of resounding or bringing the Church’s teachings to the world. A catechist is one who teaches in the name of the Church,” the USCCB states.

The diocesan Office of Hispanic Ministry this year will certify 46 new catechists as part of the faith formation program in Spanish. The Diocesan Office of Faith Formation is in charge of the faith formation leaders in English.

Among the 46 newly certified catechists is Mathilde Toledo, a parishioner of Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church in West Valley City.

For Toledo, being a catechist is more than a vocation; it has been a blessing. She knows firsthand what it means to have challenges and struggles in life.

“When I was 11 years old the government took me and then I got adopted,” she said, but “instead of making me angry with God, in some sort of special way it made me get closer to him.”

Her life lesson that she wants to share is that with God by your side nothing is impossible, she said.

“The Lord has been very generous in my life; he has poured lots of blessings in my family, especially in my children,” she said, noting that she began serving in her parish when her daughter was 3 years old; her daughter now is 15.

“As parents sometimes we lose the focus on the most important thing that we have besides God, and this is our children,” Toledo said, adding that parents need to form their children in the faith.

“Sometimes people don’t dedicate time to the faith, but in my case that was also part of why I decided to become a catechist,” she said.

 The biggest change that she has felt in her faith journey is “the way I see how the catechist really teaches our kids to love Jesus Christ,” Toledo said.

However, people should not force the faith on children, she said.

“Showing our Lord as a merciful, loving person, as someone whom you can talk to and share your feelings, is the best route to teach them to get to know our Lord, our Savior,” she said, adding that it is also important that catechists teach children that God is a place “to go, where we can shelter in him, and he will always listen to us and never judge us.”

Being able to teach the younger generations through the catechism “is a great blessing,” Toledo said. “This is an honor and a privilege that came from God.”

In a world that tends to make people distant and self-centered, “getting to know more about our Lord leads us to real moments of joy. We have to realize that God is our joy; he is the source of it,” Toledo said.

Encouraging parents to listen and dedicate quality time to their children, Toledo said, “The quality of time that we give them is really important. Focusing on ‘me’ is not important; we need to be less selfish.”

Toledo also invited parents to offer service to their parishes. “We also need to activate our faith, to put it into action,” she said. “There are lots of needs, and our Lord is calling us.”