In our modern world, few people think about observing church traditions. But you shouldn’t condemn anyone at all, since a person must decide for himself whether he needs it or not. Orthodox education of people of all age categories is of great importance in modern society. It is aimed not only at the perception by people of the concept of faith in the Lord and approaching him, but also at instilling family values, spiritual enrichment and the development of morality. This is very important, because the society in which we live degrades every year, guided by false values.
In order to spread spiritual development and improve the quality of religious education, the Synodal Department of the Russian Orthodox Church has been developing a special document in the fall of 2005, which will be given public importance. According to him, a specialist who has received a special education, called a catechist, is responsible for educating people in matters of religion. Unenlightened people who first hear about this profession fall into perplexity. To bring at least some clarity, let's try to figure out who the catechist in the Church is.
Basic concepts
Before familiarizing ourselves with the concept of the catechist, who he is and what he does, let's look at the basic definitions of Orthodox education.
The Church is making great efforts to introduce Christianity to the teaching and teaching of this religion. To implement these tasks, numerous processes are carried out, which were combined under one term - catechesis. This word is of Greek origin and translated into Russian means instruction.
In simple terms, Orthodox catechesis is the duty of all people called to pastoral service or empowered to preach, instruct and educate new Christians. The Church, in turn, never ceased to carry faith in the masses, which is its main mission. The main task of the Russian Orthodox Church is to introduce as many people as possible to Christianity and help them gain faith in one God.
Catechesis Tasks
When considering catechesis, it is important to understand that the Orthodox Church and church life are completely different things. The first implies an educational course that a person takes during a certain period of time when adopting Christianity, while the second is the communion of believers with God through the Church. Catechization, in turn, is aimed at rendering all possible assistance in this to new converts to believers and teaching the basics of religion.
Thus, we can distinguish the following main tasks of catechesis:
- the development of a Christian worldview in a person;
- joining the Church;
- the formation of an understanding of the basis of the Orthodox faith;
- assistance with the entry and adaptation of new believers in the Christian community;
- assistance in personal spiritual development and life;
- education in the basics of canonical and disciplinary norms of church life;
- assistance in finding one's place in life and ministry in the Church.
The ultimate goal of catechesis is the acquisition of a Christian worldview by people, as well as participation in and active service of the Church.
The basic principles of catechesis
It is impossible to define the term catechist (who will be considered a little further) without understanding the basic principles of Orthodox education.
Among those, we can distinguish:
- The hierarchy of values - the teaching of the Orthodox religion, as well as the mission of the church and the communion of believers, should be carried out in accordance with the hierarchy of Christian values.
- Christ-centeredness - the center of the Orthodox religion is Jesus Christ, so catechism should not only bring a person to an understanding of religion, but also bring him closer to the Lord. Therefore, in the learning process, every catechist who will be described later in the article is obliged to exert as much effort as possible in the learning process, educating new believers about the life of Christ and the basis of his teaching.
- The focus of life on the Eucharist is the preparation of people who want to convert to Orthodoxy for the rite of baptism and Holy Communion.
- Community - to become a full believer is possible only when entering the Christian community.
- Non-ideologization - religion is far from statehood, society, history, culture and other ideological concepts.
- Communion with church life - every believer should take an active part in the life of the Church in order to share with everyone the good news of the resurrection of Christ.
- Active openness to the world - it is impossible to love Christ without loving your neighbor, therefore, every Orthodox believer must be open not only to the Lord, but also to all those around him.
- The formation of true values - Orthodox literature claims that believers should live with true, not false values, so they must have a clear idea of holiness and sin, as well as good and evil.
- Canonicity - all believers should have a clear understanding of the canonical norms of the Church and adhere to them clearly.
Orthodox education and the introduction of people to the Church is based on strict observance of the above principles.
Pedagogical aspects of catechesis
Catechesis is based on certain pedagogical aspects necessary to achieve the most effective pedagogical process. In addition, Orthodox education is divided into the following key components: Divine pedagogy, the pedagogy of God's Providence, and the pedagogy of Love.
In this case, the fundamental components of the educational process are:
- personality
- dialogue, love and humility;
- voluntariness, responsibility, timeliness;
- competence;
- desire for fertility;
- sequence;
- consistency;
- modernity.
Also, do not forget that in the learning process, the catechist (who we are, we will analyze a little later) should constantly strive to deepen understanding of the basic principles of the Orthodox religion by new Christians.
Catechization audience
When building the process of Orthodox teaching, it is important to distinguish between the audience of the catechesis to which it is directed. This is very important, since each of them requires an individual approach, without it it will simply be impossible to arouse people's interest in religion and their approach to Christ.
The following types of audiences are divided:
- younger children;
- older children and adolescents;
- the youth;
- Adults
- people with disabilities.
A unique approach is needed to the representatives of each audience, therefore the courses of catechists are aimed at preparing qualified specialists who will be able not only to be able to find a common language with people of different age categories and representatives of social layers, but also to be able to reveal them as a person, so that as much as possible better to convey the basics of Christianity.
Who is eligible to participate in catechesis?
Theological education is a single mission, which priests, deacons, monks and followers of Christianity, led by the bishop, are engaged in. It is important to understand that all those close to the Church who are actively involved in its life are, to one degree or another, participants in catechesis. Moreover, each member of the Christian community should not only serve the Church, but also contribute in every way to the spread of the Orthodox religion, as well as educate new believers.
Each catechization participant uses different ways and methods of education, which depend on the place he occupies in the Church. If any of the groups of catechists ceases to engage in the learning process or pays insufficient attention to it, then experience loses its wealth, integrity and significance. For the coordination of the actions of catechists and the organization of the pedagogical process, the shepherds bear the greatest responsibility, in view of their position.
Catechesis Organizational Program
To date, there is still no basis for organizing and conducting catechetical activities, but, as mentioned at the beginning of the article, active work on it has been ongoing since 2005. This is due to the fact that previously there was no need to systematize Orthodox education and enlightenment, and the reading of spiritual books facilitated the acquaintance of new believers with religion.
The main problem in developing an organizational catechesis program is the lack of full-time positions, the duties of which will be based on introducing people to the Church and their subsequent training. Today, Christians are educated mainly by priests and laity.
The preparation of catechists for the diocesan educational program should include and integrate various teaching processes designed for representatives of different audiences. It should be divided into two areas: the education of children, adolescents and youth, as well as adult education. A separate category is the people of advanced age, who at the sunset of their lives independently decided to join the church. Moreover, the forms of catechesis should not function separately, but together, complementing each other and forming a single educational complex.
In order to speed up the training of specialists and maximize the effectiveness of education, special literature for catechists, as well as various teaching aids at all parish levels, must be created.
Stages of Catechesis
Communion with the Church and participation in her life cannot be fragmentary and must occur everywhere. This is due to the fact that Christians cannot distinguish between social and family life, professional activity from their faith and religion. Therefore, the catechization process should be well organized and proceed in stages in order to gradually introduce a person to the basics of Christianity, bring him to true spiritual values and bring him closer to God.
The help of catechists in this is aimed at the following:
- the formation of new converts Christians of fundamental religious values;
- assistance in the development of human physical and spiritual abilities;
- help in acquiring life experience necessary for normal adaptation in modern society and the Christian community.
Thus, the courses of catechists, which are mandatory for all professionals planning to devote their lives to religious education, teach that catechesis is divided into the following stages:
- Preliminary training, involving one-time conversations and consultations.
- A declaration aimed at teaching a person the basics of the Christian religion and preparing him for the Baptismal rite.
- Directly the process of catechesis.
- Introduction to participation in church life and worship.
At the same time, creation of a childish, youthful, youthful, and family environment favorable for catechization is of great importance. This is necessary in order for people who have adopted Christianity to develop not only spiritually, but also mentally, socially and physically.
Canonical Norms of the Church
The adoption of the Christian religion consists of the following steps:
- An offer. Conversations are conducted and Orthodox literature is studied in order to familiarize the Gentile with the basics of Christianity.
- Preliminary interview. For the first time, those who turned to the church with a view to familiarizing themselves with it tell about themselves, after which the priest gives them a sermon on the Christian way.
- Initiation into catechumens. Those who wish to adopt Christianity receive a blessing and a laying on of hands, after which they are awarded the title of catechumens of the first stage.
- An interview with the bishop, at which catechumens, ready to be baptized, talk about their lifestyle and good deeds. It is held in the presence of godparents, who play a large role.
- Catechization. Future Christians are taught, including studying the Creed, the Lord’s Prayer, and living in a church community, and preparing for the Baptismal rite. Much attention at this stage is paid to the moral preparation of the catechumens.
- Renunciation of Satan and combination with Christ. The final stage before Baptism, confirming the authenticity of the pagan intentions to convert to Christianity.
- Baptism Before or after explaining the essence of the sacrament ritual, the Gentiles accepted Baptism, after which they were admitted to Holy Communion.
After going through all these stages, the duration of which is several years, a person is officially considered a Christian and can fully participate in the life of the Church and the community.
Conditions for Baptism and Entry into Church Life
The process of becoming a full-fledged Christian was fully described above.
However, it is important to understand here that the desire for the adoption of the Orthodox religion is not enough, because in order to undergo the Baptismal rite, a pagan must meet a number of criteria, among which the following five are most important:
- An unshakable faith, according to the foundations of Christian doctrine.
- Voluntary and conscious desire to receive Baptism.
- Understanding of the church doctrine.
- Repentance for committed sins.
- Zeal in practical matters of faith.
Moreover, those who conduct the rite of baptism are required to take special care of people who want to adopt Christianity, which is expressed in prayer for them in the office of the Liturgy, teaching the basics of the Orthodox religion and verifying the authenticity and strength of their faith before Baptism. If you do not adhere to all the canonical norms of the church, then the converts will be deliberately non-church, so they will not have all the necessary life and spiritual knowledge.
The main mission of the Church at all times was to open to the people the good news about the resurrection of the Savior and the teaching of Christians a righteous life, which can bring a person closer to Christ and give salvation to the soul. Therefore, every Orthodox person must strictly observe the instructions of the church and the commandments of God written in the Holy Scriptures. In all this, one of the key roles is played by catechesis aimed at religious education, the formation of an understanding of Christianity and the enlightenment of believers.
In the modern world, every person has the right to decide independently whether to trust him in the Lord God or not. The most important thing is to remain human in absolutely any situation and not harm anyone.