REMODELLING CATECHESIS IN POST VATICAN II AFRICAN CHURCH
A Generation Approach
Keywords:
CATECHESIS, POST VATICAN II, AFRICAN CHURCHAbstract
Faith comes from what is heard (Rom 10:14-17), and the good news is adapted to the changing circumstances (Acts 17). Following Vatican II’s call for radical adaptation of the gospel, the Church began looking for means of making the gospel at home in cultures. This essay viewing the Church as teacher examines the content of the faith and the Church’s teaching methodology in Africa. Particularly, the essay examines how faith has been passed on in Africa in the last three generations with reference to three eras: before Vatican II, immediately after Vatican II, and the present times. The essay proposes the use of “generative themes” for African catechesis, which is akin to focusing on the topic or theme of discourse and learning that is of interest to both educator and learner. “As both educators and learners we know well from experience that it is nearly impossible to teach or learn anything if there isn’t real interest.”1 This can be done in two ways, by reproduction of catechetical texts considering African moral symbols, and by adopting a teaching methodology that moves from experience to Scriptures back to experience.
References
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Thomas Groome discusses this under his shared Christian praxis and movements. See Thomas Groome, Sharing Faith: A Comprehensive Approach to Religious Education and Pastoral Ministry, Oregon: Wipf and Stock, 1991.
Bradford Hinze, Practices of Dialogue in the Roman Catholic Church, New York: Continuum, 2006.
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