This Sunday is Catechetical Sunday where we recognize our youth religious ed teachers and aides, also known as catechists. First let me clarify why we call them “catechists” rather than teachers. All catechists are teachers but not all teachers are catechists. The term specifically refers to those who pass on the Faith so as to form faithful disciples of Jesus Christ. Therefore, every person who participates in our youth formation program, teaching or assisting in any manner is a “catechist.” We have chosen a theme for this school year, “Know Jesus.” You see, it is not enough to know about Jesus. Every one of us as His disciple must know “Him.” What is the difference you ask? Let me use a family story. On Carol’s side of the family, it is a popular and repeated claim that an ancestor was a friend of Abraham Lincoln. There’s no concrete proof but it is at least plausible because they lived in Springfield, Illinois at the same time. For the sake of this story, let’s assume it is true. Now it is possible for you and I, due to modern technology and the abundance of information about the life of Lincoln, to know far more information about Lincoln than Carol’s relative. But we must admit that we still do not and cannot in this life “know” Lincoln the man. What is the difference? A personal relationship. The ancestor had a personal relationship with Lincoln. To be a disciple of Jesus Christ we must have a personal relationship. This happens when we allow Him to pass from the arm’s length distance of book knowledge knowing to heart embraced, relational love and affection. Is that possible you ask? Yes, most definitely. We all need this relationship, and we are obligated as disciples to share it with the world around us via our thoughts, words, and actions. This is the task of our youth catechists. Please consider helping them. We need you! Our youth need you! I also wish to address the upgrades being made in our classrooms, larger whiteboards, shelving for books and class items, access to technology. Recruiting staff for our program is always challenging and rightly so. Teaching a class and working with youth and children requires courage and a missionary’s heart. They need and deserve the generous support of the whole parish. Cathy Wieck, our D.R.E, (director of religious education), surveyed our catechists, asking what we could provide in the classroom to help them with their task and make their mission easier. It was suggested that larger white boards and access to the abundant technology would help a lot. Children need visibility to learn, and technology is already huge in their learning process. So, the parish has invested in these classroom upgrades. Our ladies’ group, the CCW, is covering the cost of these upgrades as well as new curriculum. Their resources come from our annual soup supper. If you contributed in anyway, (most of you did) this makes you a “catechist” by assisting our classroom catechists to effectively pass on the Faith. For this I thank you! God bless you! Yours in Christ, Fr. Sid.