More than 200 Catholics gathered at St. John Paul II Church in Louisville on September 20 for a day-long event focused on parish catechetical ministry. The event, called “Catechetical Encuentro — Communion and Mission,” highlighted the central role of catechesis in parish life.

Eva Gonzalez, director of the Archdiocese of Louisville’s Office of Hispanic Ministry, described catechesis as “foundational” to parish communities and their ministries. She explained that while some parishes may lack specific ministries such as youth or marriage programs, catechetical ministry is always present. “At the parishes, you may lack some ministries. You may not have a group of youth and young adults. Or, you might have youth, but you may not have young adults. Or maybe there’s a parish where you don’t have a ministry in regard to family life, or just something for the parents. But the one thing that will never be missing is catechetical ministry,” she said.

Gonzalez emphasized that catechetical ministry should serve as the core from which other ministries develop: “Everything starts or departs from catechesis — faith, what we believe. Everything starts there, from that ministry.”

The event included an opening Mass led by Archbishop Shelton J. Fabre and brought together various groups including catechists, high school juniors and seniors, parents, and parish staff for presentations and small-group discussions tailored to each group’s responsibilities in catechesis.

Gonzalez noted that these sessions encouraged participants to reflect on their spiritual lives and consider what support they need to grow within their ministries. Participants also met with others from their own parishes to discuss how different groups could work together more effectively. According to Gonzalez, when ministries collaborate closely they can better serve their parish communities.

She provided examples such as inviting parents into children’s classes for prayer or having a catechist give a short presentation to young adult groups on topics of interest.

The ideas generated during these discussions about supporting parish efforts were collected for distribution to parish leadership.