Program of Study for the Catechumenate
June 24 - 29, 2011
June 24 - 29, 2011 marked a historical milestone in the history of our Ukrainian
Greek Catholic Church: the presentation of the new Catechism of the Ukrainian
Greek Catholic Church, "Christ Our Pascha" after ten years of work. However,
along side of the Catechism presentation, work on the development of an outline
for the Catechumenate also took place. 
Members of the Patriarchal Catechetical Commission, from around the world
worked to develop an outline for presentation to the Bishops Synod in Brazil
in September 2011. After approval, this three year outline will be further
developed into a program of studies for people who want to become members of
our Church. Prior to Baptism, Chrismation and Eucharist they will undergo instruction
for three years (depending on their background knowledge and experience). The
new Catechumenate program is based on the new catechism "Christ
Our Pascha" whose two fundamental resources are the Nicene Creed and the liturgical
anaphora of St Basil the Great.
There are three parts to the catechism: the faith of the Church, the liturgical and sacramental life of the Church (the Prayer of the Church) and the spiritual and moral dimensions of the Church (the Life of the Church). Saint Basilês Anaphora gives a rather full account of the history of salvation culminating in the resurrection and in this way the main truths of the Christian faith are elaborated. These truths along with the Creed constitute the first part of the Catechism.
ææææææææææ
æ The second part of the Catechism, takes for its focus the words from the anaphora of the institution of the Eucharist during the Last Supper. This liturgical interpretation of the Eucharist is the centre from which the liturgical cycles of the Church emerge (daily, weekly and yearly) and the Mysteries, the birth of the spiritual life and the blossoming of devotion.æææ
ææææææææ The spiritual and moral dimensions of private, family and the socio-political life of persons is also remembered in the anaphora and so this forms the content of the third part of the Catechism, which concerns the deification of people and the transformation of their lives.
The publication of our catechism is timely because Patriarch Sviatoslav Shevchuk,
proclaimed in his inaugural press conference, "The No. 1 priority for . . .
the church is evangelization, preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ in todayês
world." Pope Benedict XVI has selected as the topic for the XIII Synod of Bishops
of the Catholic Church, The New Evangelization for the Transmission of the
Catholic Faith. The lineamenta (discussion document) makes special mention
of the Eastern Catholic Churches in the context of discernment of new ways
of being Church:
Attending the historical event and subsequent catechetical meetings on the Catechumenate from North America were Sr. Ann Laszok, OSBM, Director of Religious Education of the Eparchy of St. Josaphat in Parma, Fr Peter Babij, Iryna Galadza and Oleh Bych from the Office of Religious Education in Toronto.
"Christ Our Pascha" is available for purchase in Ukrainian only - a hard
cover version in Ukrainian is $30.æSoft cover will be available soon for $25
(English version not yet available) at http://www.stjosaphateparchy.org/Store.html.
