At the heart of the Church’s mission to all people, an evangelizing catechesis seeks to deepen a personal encounter with Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit: (1)It proclaims the core message of the Gospel, the kerygma; (2) it accompanies people to a response of faith and conversion to Christ; (3) it provides a systematic exposition of God’s revelation within the communion of the Catholic Church; (4) and it sends out missionary disciples as witnesses to the good news of salvation.(5)
(1) The Directory for Catechesis (DC) offers a more expanded description in paragraphs 55 and 56.
(2) Cf. DC, 2: The kerygma “manifests the action of the Holy Spirit, who communicates God’s saving love in Jesus Christ and continues to give himself so that every human being may have the fullness of life.”
(3) Cf. DC, 3: The process of accompaniment leads to an internalizing of the Gospel which “involves the whole person in his unique experience of life.”
(4) Cf. DC, 4: “The act of faith is born from the love that desires an ever- increasing knowledge of the Lord Jesus, living in the Church.”
(5) Cf. DC, 4: “All believers are active participants in the catechetical initiative…and because of this are called to become authentic missionary disciples.”