PART I

AN APOSTLE EVER RELEVANT

I. THE CATECHIST IN A MISSIONARY CHURCH

2. Vocation and identity. Every baptized Catholic is personally called by the Holy Spirit to make his or her contribution to the coming of God's kingdom. Within the lay state there are various vocations, or different spiritual and apostolic roads to be followed by both individuals and groups. Within the general vocation of the laity there are particular ones.

At the origin of the catechist's vocation, therefore, apart from the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation, there is a specific call from the Holy Spirit, a "special charism recognized by the Church" and made explicit by the Bishop's mandate. It is important for the catechist candidate to recognize the supernatural and ecclesial significance of this call, so as to be able to respond, like the Son of God, "Here I come" (Heb 10:7), or, like the prophet, "Here I am, send me" (Is 6:8).

In actual missionary practice, the catechist's vocation is both specific, i.e. for the task of catechizing, and general, for collaborating in whatever apostolic services are useful for the building up of the Church.

The CEP insists on the value and distinctiveness of the catechist's vocation. Each one, therefore, should try to discover, discern and foster his or her own particular vocation .

From these premises it can be seen that catechists in mission territories have their own identity, which characterizes them in respect to those working in the older Churches, as the Church's magisterium and legislation clearly recognize .

In short, the catechist in mission territories is identified by four elements: a call from the Holy Spirit; an ecclesial mission; collaboration with the Bishop's apostolic mandate; and a special link with missionary activity ad gentes.