By Father James F. Kelly, Director, Office of Religious Education

In the Catholic Christian tradition there has always been a great desire, a driving force to know our faith, not simply as a list of beliefs, but to know it in the fullest sense, as a whole person.

This is the definition of catechesis that comes to us in the "General Catechetical Directory," published by the Congregation of the Clergy in 1971. In speaking about the Ministry of the Word, the "Directory" states, "There is then the catechetical form or the ministry of the word, which is intended to make faith become living, conscious and active by the light of instruction."

Religious Education in the 70s and 80s has tried, and will try, to deal with just that; to make faith living, conscious and active in the lives of our Catholic people, be they young or adult. It is not an easy task in our own day and we can't take for granted the many supports of our past generations with regard to our faith. It is a sad fact that in many ways our society pulls us in the other direction, young and old alike, and that direction is not toward the Gospel of Jesus, the Word of God come into our life.

The American Bishops' letter, "To teach As Jesus Did," remembering and reminding us of this very problem, states: "Faith suffers in the resulting climate of uncertainty and alienation. For torn between the appeals of idealism and reform on one hand, and the seduction of greed and self-indulgence on the other, many people drift on the surface of life without roots, without meaning, without love."

The task of religious education is to root us in the person of Jesus. Religious education and youth ministry are challenged in our time to call us all, adults, adolescents, young children, to a greater understanding of our Catholic faith, but also to a deepened, living out of that faith, in our own time and space, in our day-to-day lives, in our families, in our parishes, where we work and where we live.

This is why, at the Office of Religious Education in the Archdiocese of Atlanta, we are continually reaching out to help develop effective programs of religious education at the parish level. We are striving to put time and effort and archdiocesan resources where they are most needed, as well as give support to the many hard-working religious education coordinators throughout the archdiocese.

Some examples of reaching out that give a clear sign of our commitment to the call, to make faith more living, conscious, active in our time, can be seen in the Rural Religious Education Family Life Team. A team of two Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, Sister Kate Regan and Sister Pat Quinn, who staff the team in rural Gordon, Bartow, and Cherokee counties, work in the Northwest Deanery of the archdiocese as representatives of the Office of Religious Education in assessing the needs of parishes in youth ministry and religious education.

They visit parishes and relate these needs back to the Office of Religious Education so that they can be met in the best way possible. Sister Pat and Sister Kate are developing models of rural religious education and family-centered religious education to help make our Catholic identity strong in the rural areas.

Next year, Sister Kate and Sister Pat will be doing Catechist training in the rural Northwest Deanery, trying to help volunteer catechists learn the methods and theologies necessary to pass on the faith, their faith, to make faith living, conscious and active in their own lives as well as the lives of those whom they teach, be they adolescents as youth ministers or be they catechists of young children or facilitators for adult education.

Once again, to echo the pastoral letter of the American bishops, that the Christian community, and we in the Church of Atlanta, has every reason for hope in confronting the challenge of religious education ministry today. "To all our efforts we join in prayer for God's help and for the intercession of Mary, the mother of Jesus. We face problems, so did those who came before us, and so will those who follow. But as Christians we are confident of ultimate success, trusting not in ourselves, but in Jesus Christ who is at once the inspiration, content and the goal of Christian education, for He is the way, the truth and the life."

Your generous support to the annual Catholic Charities drive of the Archdiocese of Atlanta will help to continue strong religious education programs throughout the diocese.

We, here in Atlanta, have great reason to hope as the pastoral letter of the American bishops calls us to for we do have people whose faith is living, conscious and active, who are willing to share that faith with others. They need your support. They need your help. Let us support each other on March 5, the day of the Charities Drive.