Pope Leo XIV

Alili Tuaz Siaz – Vatican News

“Renew, from the loving knowledge of Christ, the desire to announce it, to” evangelize “, and to bring others to the” yes “of faith in him, being transparency of his living presence.” This is the exhortation of Pope Leo XIV to the participants in the XIII Ordinary Assembly and the X Construction Days of the Latin American Catequetas Society (SCALA), gathered from July 7 to 11 in the city of Asunción, in Paraguay.

In the telegram signed by the Cardinal Secretary of State, Pietro Parolin, the Pontiff greets the organizers and participants in the meeting that aims to reflect on “the person of Jesus of Nazareth, center and end of catechesis”. In the brief message, the Holy Father invoking the intercession of the blessed Virgin Mary, mother of good advice, teaches all her apostolic blessing, “as a garment of copious heavenly gifts.”

A society to evangelize

The SCALA is constituted by a group of scholars and investigators of catechesis, from various parts of the Latin American continent, which aim to promote research and theological reflection on Christian initiation processes. The company was created on July 13, 1995, in San Antonio (Texas, USA), but it was not until July 1997 that it was held, in Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic), the constitutive assembly, in which the Statute of the Company was analyzed and approved.

In the 30 years of its existence, this association of faithful called by faith, sensitized by the suffered reality of our peoples and promoted by charity, under the light of the Holy Spirit, have gathered in assemblies and study days to carry out a common mission: to seek, from catechesis, a quality contribution to the evangelizing mission of the Church, in Latin America.

The formation of the catechist and the inculturation of the Gospel

The president of Scala, Father Mario Alberto Segura Bonilla, of Costa Rica, and catechesis specialists of more than a dozen countries, gathered in Paraguay, have wanted to continue the “reflection, service, research and free exchange of experiences around catechesis. Beloved Church and that its legacy continues to inspire our path. ”

“Scala’s journey has embodied in his walk the great concerns of the Latin American Church: the inculturation of the Gospel, the formation of the catechist as a pastoral subject, the renewal of the processes of Christian initiation, and today, the synodal response to the challenges of digital culture,” said Father Segura Bonilla. Indeed, as a DNA-CELAM note refers, the conductive thread of the agenda will be the synodal path inspired by Pope Francis, whose listening legacy, communion and mission continues to guide the church after his death on April 21.

The event also involves the Costa Rican priest Francisco Hernández, representative of the Latin American and Caribbean Episcopal Council (CELAM), experts from 12 countries and the delegates of all Paraguayan dioceses. Participation will contribute, throughout the week, innovative methodologies, interdisciplinary approaches and experiences proven in various Latin American realities.