Catechesis in the Black Perspective

Catechesis in the Black perspective encourages catechists in Black communities to approach their ministry with the realization that Black Catholics are simultaneously rooted in both the larger Black community and the larger Catholic community. Catechesis must reflect and resonate with both. A successful catechesis will enable Blacks to relate the historical and existential realities of their lives to the experience of God and to the mission of the Church. In this way, catechesis enables Black Catholics to rise to their full stature in the image and likeness of God. A catechesis that does not resonate with a people's cultural identity diminishes their full understanding of their humanness.

The Second Vatican Council's Decree on the Missionary Activity of the Church clearly illustrates that the church has no interest in stripping people of their culture when it says,

. . . from the beginning of her history, (the church) has learned to express the message of Christ with the help of ideas and terminology of various peoples, . . .thus her purpose has been to adapt the gospel . . . for each (people) to develop their own ability to express Christ's message in its own way. At the same time, a living exchange is fostered between the Church and the diverse cultures of people (Article #44).

Catechesis must lead Blacks to a realization that their Blackness is a gift from God, to be shared for the betterment of all humankind. If not, the creative wisdom of God is denied; Blackness is dispossessed; and the world, including the Church, is impoverished. It was with this understanding that Pope Paul VI said to Black people, "You (are) capable of bringing to the Catholic Church the precious and original contribution of "Blackness" which she (the Church) needs" (The Teachings of Pope Paul, p.205).

Rather than ignoring culture, catechists in Black communities must guide their learners on a spiritual journey that travels the road of Black life, Black culture, Black history, Black values, Black world-views, Black ways of perceiving reality and a Black religious sense. A catechesis that does not lead Blacks to embrace their Blackness, cannot lead Blacks to fully appreciate that they are an intentional creation of God.

Black Christian education resources are created so that the cultural heritage of Blacks can be included among the cultural riches of the Christian family. Using Black Christian education resources will enable catechists "to know (Black) culture and its essential components . . . to learn (its) most significant expressions; and to help (Blacks) bring forth from their own living traditions original expressions of Christian life, celebration and thought" (Catechesis in Our Time, Article #53).

Without culturally relevant resources, catechists are not properly prepared as guides on the journey of faith. They will not be able to lead blacks to fully appreciate what God has done and is doing in the concrete realities of Black life. And, if they cannot incorporate the Black experience with the Catholic experience, they will not be able to lead Blacks to fully appreciate that Blackness and Catholicity do embrace each other.

by: Ms. Therese Wilson-Favors

Resources for Catechesis in the Black Perspective