Liturgical Catechesis in the 21st Century: A School of Discipleship by James C. Pauley (review)

Readers steeped in the study of the liturgy, as well as those who are experienced catechetical ministers, will find something of interest in Liturgical Catechesis in the 21st Century: A School of Discipleship by James C. Pauley. He teaches theology and catechetics at Franciscan University of Steubenville and brings significant hands-on experience in catechesis to the text. Aided by four additional contributors who share their experiences in implementing liturgical catechesis, Pauley’s text, organized in three discrete parts, offers a potpourri of well-researched, pastorally written, and engaging material.

Pauley informs and advances our awareness of the need for a deepening understanding of the link between liturgy and catechesis by situating liturgical catechesis as the fruit both of the liturgical and catechetical movements and the Second Vatican Council. Within a context of magisterial and catechetical documents he summarizes the interconnectedness of the work of such liturgical scholars as Cyprian Vagaggini, OSB, with the kerygmatic renewal in catechesis advanced by Joseph Jungmann, SJ, thus, advancing his theme that liturgy is the source for catechesis. A corollary to this overarching theme is the need for a paradigm shift in catechesis that embraces formation in faith ordered toward intentional discipleship. Acknowledging that such a paradigm shift is a challenge, he recognizes that catechists need training in the art of accompaniment, as mentors, and in drawing catechesis from the liturgy, as mystagogues.

Part I addresses the Relationship of Liturgy and Catechesis and Why It Matters, offering a “tour-de-force” review of the foundational liturgical concepts to set the stage for developing his thesis. Pauley focuses Part II, Liturgical Catechesis for the Transformative Encounter with God, on six theological reference points that are essential for liturgical catechesis: liturgy is an action of the Blessed Trinity; liturgy is an action of the Mystical Body of Christ; the Paschal Mystery of Christ is made accessible in liturgy; the two-fold aim of every liturgical action is “human sanctification and God’s glorification” (SC10); participation in liturgy is participation in the priesthood of Christ; and liturgical catechesis focuses upon the effects of active participation in the liturgical life of the Church, which intends to be “supernaturally transformative.”

Part III, Emerging Practices: What It All Means for Parish Liturgical Catechesis, focuses on four pastoral examples for liturgical catechesis. The Come Follow Me program, created by members of the French secular institute Notre Dame de Vie (Our Lady of Life), is described by Sr. Hyacinthe Defos de Rau, OP. A member of the Dominican Sisters of St. Joseph, Lymington, UK, she is also responsible for adult and catechist formation in the Diocese of Portsmouth, UK. Having translated the catechist guides into English, she summarizes the program in terms of the proclamation of the Word of God, the respect for the interior freedom of children, and the systematic and liturgical structure that is rooted in the liturgical year and an introduction to the sacraments. A child’s desire for celebrating the sacraments trumps a rigid age-based approach. The adaptability of Come Follow Me is demonstrated in ways it has been implemented in Strasbourg, France; Dunsford and Ardglass, Northern Ireland; and Stoke-on-Trent, England.

The second pastoral example is a chapter by Mary Mirrione, who is currently the national director of Catechesis of the Good Shepherd and has worked in the Diocese of Phoenix since 2003. She highlights a method for liturgical catechesis inherent in the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (CGS), a program which enjoys a well-established and thorough method for training catechists. Sofia Cavalletti and Gianna Gobbi designed this method of catechesis drawn from Scripture and liturgical signs in which catechesis unfolds in the Atrium, a dedicated space with an environment conducive to an encounter with God, quiet reflection, and freedom of the child to explore these foundational elements unencumbered. Mirrione quotes Sofia Cavaletti in describing the CGS method as one that “departs from...