GDC 76: Pastoral Coordination for Family, Parish, and School

Parents are primary catechists. Repeatedly we are told this. We haven’t seen a whole lot from the GDC as of yet on that point. This section doesn’t have a lot to say in dancing around the matter. Depending on the culture, the state of faith, and even parish to parish, there are varied concerns. The diocese or region (deanery?) would be the place for a pastoral plan to be discerned, put into place, then continually evaluated as, hopefully, progress is made:

76. Christian education in the family, catechesis and religious instruction in schools are, each in its own way, closely interrelated with the service of Christian education of children, adolescents, and young people. In practice, however, different factors must be taken into consideration in order to proceed realistically and with pastoral prudence in the application of general guidelines.

It is for each diocese or pastoral region to discern the diverse circumstances which arise with regard to the existence or not of Christian initiation of children in the context of the family, and with regard to the formative duties which are traditionally exercised by the parish, the school etc. Consequently the particular Church and the Episcopal Conference shall establish proper guidelines for various situations and foster distinct but complementary activities.

About catholicsensibility

Todd lives in Minnesota, serving a Catholic parish as a lay minister.
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