Catechists inspire the gift of faith at Our Lady of Pilar

Yolanda Moreno, catechism coordinator in English, at left and Ramira Hernandez, register her granddaughters Anaya and Anabel Benavides in the background. See more photos below.
 

Gloria Romero | for STC
 

When religious education classes begin at Our Lady of Pilar Parish, the Molina neighborhood is transformed – it’s as if everyone has come to attend a party. Every Sunday morning, church bells ring, and the streets and grounds are filled with cars arriving. Children and youth, accompanied by parents, spill out of cars to begin the courses that will prepare them to receive the sacraments and learn more about their Catholic faith.

The first lesson begins with the celebration of Mass in English, where children and young people learn to participate in the Mass, always coordinated by the catechist in charge. There is an established order where the pews closest to the altar are first filled with small children and youth, while parents fill the pews behind them.

After the eucharistic celebration, churchgoers meet in the parish hall for breakfast and fellowship. Spanish speaking students from neighboring parishes arrive, eager to attend the classes with the other children in their age group.

Our Lady of Pilar offers classes in both English and Spanish. Esperanza Dávila, an educator by profession, is the coordinator of catechesis in Spanish, while Yolanda Moreno is the coordinator of the English classes.

Dávila began teaching catechism at Our Lady of Pilar 25 years ago. She saw the need for catechism classes in Spanish since many of the families who attended Mass did not speak English. So, after speaking with Msgr. Marcos Martinez, she volunteered to teach it herself. She started with seven students, and at one time, has been charged with up to 140 students. “I feel honored, blessed, and grateful to the Lord to be able to work with children and teach the Catholic faith,” Dávila said.

Ever since she can remember, Davila has wanted to teach catechism. She recalls that her mother was a coordinator of catechism classes in Cuspala, a little town where she grew up in Jalisco, Mexico. As a child, she knew that she liked to serve, help the little ones and the elderly.

Well, they say that the most important teacher is in the home and for Dávila that is true. Her greatest inspiration is her family. “We were 16 siblings, we all have a lot of faith in God, and in one way or another, we are involved in church ministries. The youngest of my sisters is a religious sister. It is from her that we learn a lot,” she said.

These days she worries about teenagers and young people who want to be in a gang, “not because they are bad, but because they have not been educated in the love of God. You have to talk with youth and instruct them in religion and moral values. To guide them in their way of thinking and of conducting themselves in life,” she said.

As a coordinator, she works with confirmation classes because she feels that it is the young people who have the most need for guidance. “I talk to them a lot, not just about the sacraments and the commandments, but about so many temptations in the world, about evil and different issues,” she said. Her experience as an educator in public schools where she worked, made her notice the significant absence of God and values.

For Dávila, infusing the teachings of the catechism in childhood is essential, to lead them step by step through the sacraments and commandments is to give them tools for a path of greater happiness. Sometimes, it is difficult for parents to make them understand the importance of the catechism when children are older, but she tells them that as they prepare for the life of this earthly world, going to school and studying a career or trade, so we have to prepare for the eternity that we will have with our Lord.

 The program that both coordinators follow is very similar, they use some books, but their main source of knowledge is the Bible, and the readings and the Gospel each Sunday is woven into the teachings of the classes, according to the age group and educational level.

Moreno, the coordinator of catechesis in English, is in charge of eight classrooms of students, starting from age four to adolescence.

 Moreno says that she began teaching catechism when one day during his homily, Msgr. Martinez invited parents to enroll their children in catechism classes and actively participate in their teaching.  She remembers registering her eldest daughter in classes for first Communion. Her daughter was seven years old at the time; now, she is 24. She proudly says, “since then, I have not failed any Sunday.” For her, the experience of sharing her knowledge of the Catholic faith was a sign from God.

What she had learned as a child was what she began to teach. Now they follow the same program in English and Spanish. During the week, they prepare the material they will use Sunday, focusing on the Gospel and liturgical seasons, such as Lent, Advent, or a saint’s feast day.

To Moreno’s surprise, Msgr. Martinez offered her the position of coordinator ten years ago, which she gratefully accepted. “Since I started teaching about God, I found purpose in my life, which makes me happier. It fills me with love.”

Moreno’s family is her greatest inspiration. Her daughters, who have been altar servers for many years, hope that the chain of faith and love for God will continue through generations to come.

This month the children will choose a saint for the feast of All Saints. Each child will choose a saint that they feel trust or devotion to. The parish provides the clothing the children will wear for the presentation. Through this small action, a conversation begins, and all age levels learn about the saints.

“I believe this program has been successful because the children who have been in catechesis finish their preparation. I have students who return and become catechists,” Moreno said. For Moreno, the most important seed they can plant in each student is faith and learning about the life of Jesus. It has been so in her own life and that of her daughters. She says that what stimulates growing in faith is the support and enthusiasm of their children and the community because they get involved. It’s like the love of a big family.  

See the story in Spanish here.

All photos by Gloria Romero | for STC