Diocesan Pastoral coordinators from the different dioceses in Sudan said the formation of catechists is a priority for the Catholic Church in the country.
Sr. Maria Goretti, assistant pastoral coordinator for Rumbek Diocese, was among church officials that took part in a meeting held in Khartoum last week.She told Good News Radio that the first point in the agenda was to find a common methodology to be used across Sudan to equip Catechists with skills for evangelization since each diocese follows its own courses and books.
Sr. Goretti said that in Rumbek diocese the pastoral team moves from parish to parish to meet and instruct catechists where they minister and the system works well.
She added that other challenges shared by the Pastoral coordinators included language barrier on the part of animators and the sustainability of catechists who sometimes leave their pastoral work in search for what she described as “greener pastures”.
Sr. Goretti said the national pastoral coordinators encouraged catechists to take up paid jobs and cultivate their land not to depend on the meagre incentives they get from the diocese while doing part-time teaching.
Catechists played a very instrumental role in the spread of Christian faith in Sudan especially through several decades of war.