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Getting to know God in your native language
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September 27, 2023“The teaching of the catechism is fundamental... It is where you learn to live the Faith, and the person develops integrally in the sacramental and spiritual aspects,” says Father Fernando Gámez, Parish Priest of Our Lady of San Juan de los Lagos, Mother of the Church.
While in some parishes, interest in catechism classes in Spanish has waned, in Our Lady of San Juan de los Lagos, Mother of the Church, it is flourishing.
Parents and grandparents worry about registering their children and grandchildren in catechism classes. In Corpus Christi, on September 13, the parish hall of Our Lady of San Juan de los Lagos, Mother of the Church, was filled with more than 100 families who attended the first classes that prepared students to receive the Sacrament. of Confirmation.
With great joy, Father Fernando welcomed the families interested in starting the catechetical course. He spoke to them about how important it is to learn to pray and know God in the foundations of the Catholic Faith. He imparted a warm and profound blessing and introduced Juanita Flores, course coordinator for Confirmation preparation. She distributed teachers, catechists, and students in 4 classes, 2 in English and 2 in Spanish. The Spanish ones are the most popular.
Among the people who have promoted the teaching of catechism in Spanish is Esperanza Dávila, who observed at Mass that many families did not speak English and suggested to Monsignor Marcos Martínez, then (1993) Parish Priest of Nuestra Señora del Pilar, the classes catechism in Spanish. Esperanza, an educator by profession, started her classes with a group of 7 children that multiplied until she had 140, as she spread the word that in “El Pilar,” catechism classes were given in Spanish. Within catechetical education, she included activities, visits to the elderly, and celebrations consistent with the liturgical season of the church. She wanted to provide an education integrated into the love of God and neighbor within the framework of the needs and traditions of the community.
“I feel honored, blessed and grateful to the Lord to be working with children and involved in teaching the Catholic Faith, it is something that has always motivated me, and that comes from my childhood because I saw and accompanied my mother to give her catechism classes, in the little town where I grew up; Cuspala, in Mexico,” Hope said. “Since I was a child, I knew that I liked to serve, to help children and the elderly; I felt that responsibility.” For Esperanza, instilling the catechism's teachings in children is leading them step by step through the Sacraments, the Commandments, prayer and the life of the Church, which form a moral foundation and are tools for a path of greater happiness. Her concern is the young people since, in her experience as an educator, she realized the absence of God and the values that exist in them.
“Because of that need for belonging and acceptance, it happens that sometimes they get involved in gangs, and it is not because they are bad but because they have not been educated in the love of God,” said Esperanza, who, that day when school started, was happy to feel hope for the future. Not only because her coordinator had been one of her first students but also because of the enthusiasm of the community and the way her parish priest was involved. “You learn everything with the grace of God,” she said.
Juanita Flores felt a little nervous because of her responsibility, but her enthusiasm radiated confidence among people. Her encounter with Jesus has strengthened the seed that Esperanza planted in her childhood.
“I am in love with Christ and feel the duty to make them fall in love with Him. Teaching catechism in Spanish is a great blessing, especially since I learned the importance of the Sacraments of Initiation because if we understand those sacraments, our Faith is fuller. They help us understand why we were baptized.”
Juanita says that she grew up in a Catholic family. When she emigrated from Mexico to the United States, she arrived at Nuestra Señora del Pilar, where Esperanza taught her and had her First Communion and Confirmation. “The catechists do their job, but at a certain age, we move away, although the seed remains and bears fruit in due time. Catechesis has a great mission: to make our young people fall in love with God like our grandparents did, who taught us a lively Faith. Now people do not want to talk about God, nor commit to teaching.” Juanita said.
“One day at Mass, Father José Salazar talked about Jesus embracing His people with so much love that, upon hearing him speak, I strongly felt to give my tithe not only in money but in time to the Church of God. Father José marked me, and the Lord put him in my path so I could make the change… I understood what it means to serve and have a purpose in life,” Juanita said.
Both for Esperanza Dávila and for Juanita Flores, the enthusiasm of the community to grow in the knowledge of the Love of God and put the teachings of the Church into action strengthens the chain of Faith in generations.
