Introduction
The Church understood as “People of God” has been used quite prominently by Vatican Council II. This terminology focuses on the more general claims that give to mankind a right to God’s mercy and other blessings. This seems to be the reason for the increased use of that name today, especially since Vatican II, which clearly prefers “People of God” to other titles.
With this conception of Church as “People of God”, theologians have thought of a kind of shift from the Pyramidal model of the Church which was more hierarchical to a Circular model of the Church where all, from the Pope to the newly baptized, are sited at a circle facing Jesus our unique savior. In this type of Church, the call for participation as well as the call to holiness have been extended beyond consecrated life or religious life and have reached all spheres of daily activity. The point I want to highlight is that, in the aftermath of their increased participation in ministry, the basic role of the laity cannot be overlooked.
Having said this, I would like to reflect on the conditions of the catechists in parishes, basing my reflection on the model of Rerum Novarum and trying to find finding a way of applying Quadragesimo Anno in this situation.
The crucial conditions of Catechists
Looking at the pastoral ministry in Catholic parishes, the place of the catechist is very visible in terms of doctrinal teaching and organization of different celebrations. The catechist plays a very prominent role in the parish which takes most of his time. I want to reflect of this issue, mostly because priests, Christians, even catechists themselves don’t consider the job these lay men are doing in the parish, or if it is considered it is at the level of a mere sacrifice.
It is a good thing that we have lay people committing themselves to the Church as catechist to prepare Christians for different sacraments, guiding them for good liturgical celebrations, helping the priests in charge for good management of the parish. From the Synod of Bishops it is said that becoming a member of the priestly and missionary people by means of baptism, along with other sacraments and gifts, every Christian is called actively and responsibly to participate in the unique salvific mission of the Church.[1]
Following this call, many lay men and women have committed themselves for the Church as catechists and have done great job for the spread of the Christian faith. Nevertheless, in many cases, the Church has closed the eyes to their needs and has used them simply as people of good will paying very little attention to their needs according to the work they do.
You will agree with me that this issue of catechists is difficult to solve and it is not free from danger. It is hard to address a situation which no body has seen as a problem. In my view it is obvious that in most of our parishes catechists are counted as benevolent. Despite the good and big role they play in the parish, little attention is given to them. This common mistake has blinded people to the extent that it seems normal that a catechist can work a whole day without claiming something and those in charge of the parish have secured themselves in a false conscience that nothing can be given to a catechist at the end of the month as his or her salary.
If the priests at the parish are under the care of the parish because of what they are doing, why not so for the catechist? Looking into the matter, my concern is to bring about this common mistake with which we live without knowing it is a mistake. I have been observing the type of life catechists live, especially in parishes located in rural areas. They spend their time in parish work (teaching catechism, visiting the sick, helping in the parish office, preparing Christians for sacraments …) and at the end of the day they receive little if not nothing while the priests are enjoying the fruits of the parish and probably the fruits of the work of these catechists.
As Vatican II mentions it, the responsibility of one and all must be recognized and promoted within and for the people of God. The Church has always recognized and instituted different forms of ministry among the laity. They are called to work with their pastors in the service of the ecclesial community, for its growth and life. It is certain that side-by-side with the ordained ministers, the Church recognizes the place of non-ordained ministers which are able to offer a particular service to the Church.[2] But I don’ think that this meant that their job should be benevolent or a kind of sacrifice for the sake of the kingdom.
The condition of catechists in the light of Rerum Novarum
Regarding the work of catechists in our parishes, as far as pastoral in concerned, it is doubtless and worthy that this be considered as remunerative labor. I am convinced that even if laymen commit themselves to the Church as catechist out of good will, the qualities of justice, fairness and human dignity impel us to more consideration for them. It is not only out of charity that this should be done, but, as Pope Leo XIII said, “it is surely undeniable that, when a man engages in remunerative labor, the impelling reason and motive of his work is to obtain property, and thereafter to hold it as his very own. If one man hires out to another his strength or skill, he does so for the purpose of receiving in return what is necessary for the satisfaction of his needs; he therefore expressly intends to acquire a right full and real, not only to the remuneration, but also to the disposal of such remuneration, just as he pleases”.[3]
The situation Pope Leo XIII is addressing in Rerum Novarum seems to be different from this one of catechists. But on my view this seems to be worse in the sense that nothing is mentioned on the crucial conditions of catechists. Whereas Leo XIII shows the role of the Church calling people to return to Christian moral values for the consideration of the poor workers, ours is to point out the evil in the Church regarding the consideration of catechists. In his own words, the Holy Father says that: for no practical solution of this question will be found apart from the intervention of religion and of the Church. It is We who are the chief guardian of religion and the chief dispenser of what pertains to the Church; and by keeping silence we would seem to neglect the duty incumbent on us.[4]
In the same line, it is we who are in charge of the parish, helping Christians to observe the moral Christian values, by developing such insensitivity towards catechists who help us we seem to contradict our mission of promoting, not only charity, but also justice and fairness. As the gospel says that the worker deserves his salary, the work of the catechists should not be taken as benevolent, but justice impels us to give to them what they deserve.
As the Church insists on the authority of the Gospel, not only concerning charity, but also and especially concerning justice, the ball is in her camp. There is a need to treat with fairness those who work with us in pastoral.
Applying Quadragesimo Anno in the case of Catechists today
Pope Paul VI in his encyclical On Social reconstruction mentions a similar issue addressed by Leo XIII saying: “You know, Venerable Brethren and Beloved Children, and understand full well the wonderful teaching which has made the Encyclical, On the Condition of Workers, illustrious forever. The Supreme Pastor in this Letter, grieving that so large a portion of mankind should "live undeservedly in miserable and wretched conditions," took it upon himself with great courage to defend "the cause of the workers whom the present age had handed over, each alone and defenseless, to the inhumanity of employers and the unbridled greed of competitors." He sought no help from either Liberalism or Socialism, for the one had proved that it was utterly unable to solve the social problem aright, and the other, proposing a remedy far worse than the evil itself, would have plunged human society into great dangers.[5]
This situation of the time of Pope Leo XIII can be seen in our time, especially in the situation of catechists today. As Paul VI puts it, it is certainly most lamentable, Venerable Brethren, that there have been, nay, that even now there are men who, although professing to be Catholics, are almost completely unmindful of that sublime law of justice and charity that binds us not only to render to everyone what is his but to succor brothers in need as Christ the Lord Himself, and - what is worse - out of greed for gain do not scruple to exploit the workers. Even more, there are men who abuse religion itself, and under its name try to hide their unjust exactions in order to protect themselves from the manifestly just demands of the workers.[6]
Both, Rerum Novarum and Quadragesimo Anno, describe the status of non owning worker in relation with the enormous quantity of riches which are so abundantly produced in the age of "industrialism," as it is called, and which are not rightly distributed and equitably made available to the various classes of the people. The point in these encyclicals is that the redemption of the non-owning workers must necessarily be sought. Applying the same aim to the situation we are dealing with, we say that to each, therefore, must be given his own share of goods, for the laborer deserves his salary.
Therefore, with all our strength and effort we must strive that at least the work of catechists be remunerative, that they may increase their property by thrift, that they may bear, by wise management of this increase in property, the burdens of family life with greater ease and security, and that, emerging from the insecure lot in life in whose uncertainties non-owning catechists are cast, they may be able not only to endure the vicissitudes of earthly existence but have also assurance that when their lives are ended they will provide in some measure for those they leave after them.[7]
We summarize this reflection making a call for justice in our parishes. Our point is that catechists should be counted among the workers in our parishes with adetermined salary for them. It is not enough to consider them out of charity, but, taking the words of Leo XIII, their work should be seen not as a mere commodity, on the contrary, their human dignity in it must be recognized.[8]
[1] Synod of Bishops, Lineamenta. Vocation and Mission of the Laity in the Church and n the World Twenty years after the Second Vatican Council (United States: Catholic Conference, 1985), p. 19.
[2] VATCAN II, Presbyterorum minsterio et vita Presbyterorum ordinis, n. 2 (AAS LVII, 1966) pp. 991-992.
[3] Leo XIII, On the Conditions of the Workers. Rerum Novarum (Nairobi: Paulines Publications Africa, 2009), n0 9.
[4] Ibid. n0 16.
[5] Paul VI, Quadragesimo Anno. On Social reconstruction (Nairobi: Paulines Publications Africa, 2009), n0 10.
[6] Ibid. n0 125.
[7] Ibid.n0 61.
[8] Leo XIII, On the Conditions of the Workers. Rerum Novarum, n0 83.
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