Catechist Handbook - Archdiocese of Brisbane

1. A time of gathering,welcoming and inclusion.This could be 5-10 minutesbefore the meeting, and thefirst couple of minutes into themeeting. (It is important toestablish the habit in the groupof beginning and ending ontime).2. Prayer. A time when the groupis asked to become quiet, anddeepen their awareness ofGod’s loving presence andactivity – in each of them,and in the group gathered. Itcan also be a time when theyare asked to make sure theyhave ‘arrived’, and are not stillengaged with the issues of theday.In this reflective and attentiveclimate, passages or phrasesfrom the previous Sunday’sGospel will often provide thebread for prayer, either spokenor not. It may also lead to somesharing.The Prayer included at thebeginning of each chapter ofthe Participant’s Book canalso be used here – perhaps toconclude the prayer time.While this may take 5-10minutes it may sometimesgo longer, with the catechistsensing when the praying hasfinished and something else– like a discussion – has begun,indicating a move to the nextpart. As trust builds in thegroup invite participants tobe involved in preparing theprayer.3. Sharing of Experience. Thegroup is now asked to share thediscoveries, insights, questions,etc., that have emerged fromtheir preparation for themeeting.They have already beenencouraged to spend time onthe Personal Reflection andPraying suggestions in theParticipant’s Book, perhapswriting down ideas or questionsthat arose. It is this preparationthat is now shared, always withthe understanding that theyshare only that which they arecomfortable about divulging.Sometimes this may occupyonly 5 minutes, at other timesit may occupy most of the restof the session, the catechistdetermining whether to let itrun, or to move on.4. God’s Word. When the groupbecomes more familiar withthe Bible (and for a start, thecatechist may need to helpthem by showing them whereto find the passages) theirsharing of what they have found15