On Sunday March 16, I and six others attended our first Catechesis Animation workshop in Wellington as we trained to lead catechesis sessions at World Youth Day.
Our team comes from all over the Palmerston North Diocese and comprises Lizzy Borkin, Tim Darbyshire, Dione Joseph, and myself from Palmerston North and Rebekah Hornblow, Sarah Simmons, and Ben Schaare who had travelled from as far as Waipukurau, New Plymouth and Opunake.
New Zealand is providing about 10 Catechesis Animation teams to assist in the mornings of teaching that occur on the Wednesday, Thursday and Friday of World Youth Day Week. We will help lead the catechesis for large groups of pilgrims from all over the english-speaking world. We will use music, drama, dance and testimony, alongside one of the bishops on the episcopal team who will give a reflection on the theme of the day.
It is a huge responsibility to lead the catechesis for groups of so many, who are coming downunder to WYD. It is also a logistical challenge as there will be 297 teams leading these teaching sessions in different languages at as many venues across Sydney.
WYD is also delivering the lunches for all of these hundreds of thousands pilgrims to the venues for catechesis. It seems a clever way to ensure that the pilgrims are fed materially and spiritually.
Our team, unlike most others, has been drawn from a number of pilgrim groups, and so we will be getting together for a couple of weekends to prepare our drama and music, and to practise our public speaking.
Our first presentation will be with 300 pilgrims from PN Diocese at a preparatory retreat in early May at Hato Paora.
Leading catechesis at WYD will be a great opportunity for these young pilgrims to lead other pilgrims in understanding faith, God, and the church.