18.
Criteria for selection. In choosing
candidates, some criteria should be considered essential while others might be
optional. It is useful to have a list of criteria for the whole Church, which
could be referred to by those with the charge of choosing candidates. These
criteria, which should be sufficient, precise, realistic
and controllable, could be adapted to local conditions by the local
authorities, who are the ones best able to judge the needs and possibilities of
the community.
The following general considerations should
be kept in mind, so that there may be a common policy in all mission areas,
while respecting inevitable differences.
- Some criteria concern the catechist's
person. A basic rule is that no one should be accepted as a candidate
unless he or she is positively motivated and is not seeking the post simply
because another suitable job is not available. Positive qualities in candidates
should be: faith that manifests itself in their piety and daily life; love for
the Church and communion with its Pastors; apostolic spirit and missionary
zeal; love for their brothers and sisters and a willingness to give generous
service; sufficient education; the respect of the community; the human, moral
and technical qualities necessary for the work of a catechist, such as
dynamism, good relations with others, etc.
- Other criteria concern the actual process
of selection. As it is a question of ecclesial service, the decision
belongs to the Pastor, which in this case usually means the parish priest, but
the community should be involved in the proposal of candidates and their
evaluation. At a later stage, the parish priest should present the candidates
chosen to the Bishop or his representative, to confirm the choice and
eventually give them their official mandate.
- There should also be special criteria for
the acceptance of candidates in catechetical centres. Apart from the
general criteria, each centre, in keeping with its character, will have its own
requirements concerning the level of scholastic achievement needed for entry,
its conditions for participation, its formation program, etc.
These general guidelines will have to be
made more specific for local conditions and applied to the particular
circumstances in each area.
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