Last weekend, thousands of catechists from 115 countries gathered in Rome to celebrate their Jubilee from September 26-28, the whole Church turned its gaze to those who, with daily dedication, sustain the service of transmitting the faith. This global event, which culminated in a Mass presided over by Pope Leo XIV, resonates in a special way in the heart of the Mother Candida Family. For us, Daughters of Jesus, catechesis is not only a pastoral activity; it is central to our mission and is a fundamental means of education, as stated in Our Proper Way of Educating.
This Jubilee invites us to return to the sources, to rediscover the evangelizing passion that moved our foundress and that today continues to drive our work throughout the world.
The intuition of St. Candida Maria of Jesus
From the very beginning, Mother Candida had an unshakable certainty: the purpose of the Congregation was “to seek to help the salvation and perfection of our neighbors by educating them in a Christian way. For her, education in the faith occupied “the principal place”, considering it “the best and the principal” part of formation.
His approach was as practical as it was profound. In his “Counsels for Christian Education,” he insisted on two key points:
- Catechism as a solid foundation: Repeatedly, she encouraged the Sisters to always make use of the catechism. Evangelization was to be carried out in the light of its teachings, providing a solid and well-founded religious instruction in the truths of the faith.
- Joy as a method: Along with doctrinal soundness, he asked that “the most joyful method” be used. He understood that faith is not imposed, but proposed with joy, awakening in the students a genuine interest and a deep love for Jesus.
However, her proposal did not stop at isolated religious instruction. Mother Candida promoted an integral formation of the person. Although faith came first, it should not neglect knowledge in the sciences and other areas, so that students could become “useful members of the Church and society”. Inspired by figures such as Madeleine Sophie Barat , founder of the Religious of the Sacred Heart, dedicated to catechizing girls, and demanding “excellent doctrinal preparation” from her novices, she laid the foundations of a pedagogy where faith and culture dialogued to form Christians committed to their times.
Catechesis in “Our Own Way of Educating” (NMPE)
The document “Our Proper Way of Educating” (NMPE) gathers, systematizes and updates the pedagogical thinking of Mother Candida. In it, catechesis is presented as one of the preeminent means for carrying out our educational mission.
The NMPE defines catechesis as the process that seeks to mature the initial faith through a deeper knowledge of Jesus and his message, in order to arrive at a fuller and more committed experience of Christian life. Some of its most important emphases are:
- Complementarity with Integral Education: The document stresses that catechesis and integral education are neither alternatives nor exclusive. On the contrary, “they are closely related, complement each other and are often united in our action as educators”. All our educational action, therefore, presupposes a project of initiation and Christian maturation.
- Adaptation and Diversity: Our catechetical work is adapted to the different environments (family, parish, school) and to the concrete situations of the recipients. It can take the form of catechesis proper, accompaniment in the growth of faith or preparation of new catechists. In contexts where explicit proclamation is not possible, the educational process itself becomes a “true pre-evangelization”.
- Shared Mission with the Laity: In full harmony with the lay ministry that the Pope institutes in this Jubilee, NMPE, which is already more than 30 years old, emphasizes that the Congregation “esteems and encourages the formation of lay catechists”. We recognize that being a catechist is one of the key roles that the lay educator can play, being a fundamental factor for the growth of Christian communities.
A living legacy that drives us
The Jubilee of Catechists confirms us on our journey. The intuition of Mother Candida, who was born in a context of persecution of the Church, continues to be prophetic and necessary in the 21st century. To educate by evangelizing and to evangelize by educating is the legacy that we receive and that remains alive; since there are many Daughters of Jesus who, scattered throughout the world, are catechists and carry out this work with great dedication and heart.
This evangelizing service unfolds in multiple ways: in explicit catechesis within the school or parish, in integral education, and in spiritual accompaniment. In this Jubilee, we celebrate not only our heritage, but the vitality of a mission that is renewed every day in every corner of the world.
The Pope, during his homily at the Jubilee Mass, recalled that the name of the catechetical ministry comes from the Greek verb katēchein, which means “to instruct by word of mouth, to make resounding.” This invites us to recognize that the catechist is, above all, a person of the word: a word that is not limited to being uttered, but is embodied and communicated by one’s own life. Thus, catechists teach by leaving an interior sign; when we educate in the faith, it is not a matter of simple training, but of putting the Word of life in the heart, so that it may produce fruits of good life.
As we join in prayer with the thousands of pilgrims in Rome, we renew our commitment to continue to offer an education that, as our foundress wanted, helps each person to encounter God and to serve others for His greater glory.
