Published Wednesday, October 9, 2024,  by the CCCB

Ottawa, October 9, 2024 — Today, the Episcopal Commission for Evangelization and Catechesis of the English Sector of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) releases Called to Witness and Proclaim: A Pastoral Letter on Evangelization and Catechesis in the Family. This resource is the result of a priority that was assigned to the Commission by the Bishops of the English Sector at their annual meeting in September 2023.  

Framed around the story of Jesus healing the daughter of Jairus, as related in the Gospel of Mark (5:21-43), the pastoral letter is divided into three sections: catechesis in the family, catechesis with the family, and catechesis of the family.  

Key to the message of the pastoral letter is the analogy it draws between Jesus’ compassion for Jairus’ family and the concern and desire of the Church to provide pastoral support and accompaniment to families in the situations in which they find themselves, as well as to partner with families to proclaim the Good News.  

The pastoral letter highlights some of the ways Jesus continues to walk with families today in the context of the parish community.  

As the reflection continues, the pastoral letter considers how Jesus’ encounter with families, like his encounter with Jairus’ family, is transformative, effectively turning the family into a living witness of the power of Christ. This dimension of witnessing recalls Pope Francis’ call to become missionary disciples and invites families in the ordinary circumstances of everyday life to become schools of love, bearing witness to the Gospel.  

“Families are essential for our church’s mission,” says the Most Rev. Brian Joseph Dunn, Archbishop of Halifax-Yarmouth, and Chair of the Episcopal Commission for Evangelization and Catechesis. “They show testimony to the Gospel in everyday life through love, sacrifice, and mutual care.”  

The pastoral letter is available on the CCCB website at the following link: Called-to-Witness-EN-2024-09-09-FINAL.pdf (cccb.ca) 

 Source: https://www.cccb.ca/media-release/pastoral-letter-on-evangelization-and-catechesis-in-the-family/