On the Religious Instruction at School

Having introduced religious instruction to schools catechesis became a double formative influence on children and adolescents: through school and parish. School catechesis is indeed important but insufficient it is necessary for the children and youth to join in the communal life of the local church, ie their parish. Religious faith is based on the Divine Revelation. Therefore catechesis, unlikely other school subjects, calls for faith in the people who take part in it. One of the main aims of catechesis is to make the Bible known to the youth and to make them read it, especially the Gospel. The current curricula and handbooks of religious instruction bear a spiral table of contents, grouping them around the Person of Jesus Christ. Accordingly the catechists is more obliged to systematic work in approaching the contents of catecheses. Moreover he should take into account the needs, interests and possibilities of his pupils. One should make young people master the basic religious dogmas and precepts in the course of catechesis, especially the essence of the redeeming work of Christ: the participation of Christian in the trinitarian life of God, as the adoptive son in the Real Son, Jesus Christ. This fact has a bearing on the whole life of the Christian and has its consequences which the catechist is obliged to show to young people, forming in his pupils proper religious and moral attitudes, molding their philosophy of life, also their relation to the sphere of sexuality. The pastoral influence on adolescents is indispensable, so that they should be brought to prayer, participation in the Eucharist and receive the sacraments. At school catecheses pupils should taught to think for themselves and express in their own words the religious and moral contents. When assessing them, the catechist takes into account religious knowledge, turn-out, notes in their exercise books; the pupils themselves in their conscience evaluate their Christian life