SALT LAKE CITY – "Handing on Your Faith to Others" will be the theme of Jo Rotunno’s presentation at the 45th annual Pastoral Congress Sept. 29 at the Skaggs Catholic Center. With its theme, "Encountering the Living Christ," the Congress, once directed at religious educators, is open this year to everyone. With 39 years as a Catholic school educator, Rotunno has moved into publishing. A representative of RCL/Benziger, her presentation will emphasize the important role of catechisis in the lives of all Catholics. "The National Directory for Catechesis tells us that next to home and family, catechists may be the most important influence in the faith development of their learners," the congress program says of Rotunno. "Come and learn what it means to be an effective witness: How to faithfully proclaim our Catholic faith and serve as an effective role model for those you catechize…" "Handing on the faith has been one of the great gifts of my life," Rotunno said in a telephone interview with the Intermountain Catholic. "My theological training comes from the early 60s, the pre-Vatican II era. Later, I was involved in the fervor and the excitement of the post-Vatican II church, in which one of the emphases was God’s revelation as he speaks with us. This is even more exciting work. "What I came to learn and know as a catechist is we stand for the Church, but it’s important that we don’t let ourselves be overcome by the responsibility." Rotunno said the role of the catechist is to hand on what you have received, and in the spirit of St. Paul, continue learning more. Transmitting the doctrine of the faith, whether it is being done by a parent or a catechist, means the catechizer is being called to witness his or her own faith in Jesus Christ. "In my presentation I will refer to the national documents on catechisis," Rotunno said. "They tell us that our primary goal is to bring others to a more intimate relationship with Jesus Christ; a deeper love. It is not just talk, it is sharing with a child or an adult. It isn’t a one-way street, either. It is meeting someone else where they see God." Crucial to the role of anyone who catechizes, she said, is creating experiences of prayer, which she loves. "I’m in product development of catechetical resources," she said. "My job gives me an ongoing opportunity to create experiences of prayer." Having taught largely in junior high grades, Rotunno said there is something special about teaching seventh and eighth grade students and young people going through the Sacrament of Confirmation process. "Junior high students take more skill and they ask a lot of tough questions. Catechists have to establish trust with them and we have to respect who they are; respect their openness, what they’re thinking and feeling. They are looking for answers, and sometimes they won’t agree with a catechist or a parent." Rotunno said sometimes faith is hard. "Everyone has faith struggles. As catechists we have to keep listening, stay with the questions young people keep asking and accept them because they can see that we struggle with the same questions they do." Parents, religious education teachers, and catechists can help young people discover Christ in their own unique environments, Rotunno said. "What they learn from us runs counter to what they find in culture and in school," she said. "Faith is a life-ling journey, and catechists can’t do all the training. Parents and catechist have to support each other. We must help students feel as good about their faith as we can. Positive catechesis helps to establish a sense of community at church, at school, and at home. The key is to keep the lines of communication open; talk with one another. Keep up the engagement, the excitement." Rotunno said catechists and students being together is not enough. "We must be creative, engaging their imaginations as well as their faith."
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