Kuala Lumpur (Agenzi Fides) - The renewal of the Church and the transmission of the faith in Catholic families are the focus of the 2023 Catechetical Week, celebrated in the Catholic communities and culminating in "Catechetical Sunday" on January 29, 2023. The Week, celebrated in all dioceses, was organized and implemented by the Malaysian Catechetic Commission (MCC), chaired by Msgr. Julian Leow Beng Kim, DD, Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur.
The Archbishop thanked parish priests, coordinators and catechists and all those involved in catechesis at different levels. And he expresses a special thought for parents: "Parents have the responsibility to raise their children in the faith. That is why the Church calls parents to be their children's teachers of religion. In fact, the Church always has the family as the foundation of the ministry of catechesis", stressed the Archbishop in a message sent to Fides.
In the message, the Archbishop also deals with key questions: why, despite all efforts, do many young people not go to the sacraments and to the parishes? Why are so few interested in the life of faith? One wonders why young people, having gone through the catechism in preparation for the sacraments of First Communion and Confirmation, often no longer participate in community life and sometimes give up the life of faith. In this context, the Archbishop stressed the importance of "building an intimate relationship with the Lord" and instilling in young people a genuine sense of communion and fraternity, centered on love for God.
"What we are asking are complex questions, but what is clear is that we all need to work together to support families and young people in living their faith", says the Archbishop.
The Catechetical Commission intends to publish materials specifically for parents, which will not only emphasize the importance of family catechesis, but will also help parents on their journey of proclamation and formation of faith with their children, giving form and substance to family spirituality. The text is intended to give parents practical tools and ideas for cultivating the Catholic faith in the family, starting with prayer. (PA) (Agenzia Fides, 24/1/2023)