Pakistan: Islamabad-Rawalpindi Diocese Strengthens Catechists Through Six-Day Formation Program
The Catholic Diocese of Islamabad-Rawalpindi in Pakistan concluded a refresher course for diocesan catechists, establishing a renewed strategic focus on child safeguarding, digital outreach, and grassroots synodal implementation.
Held from June 22 to June 27, 2026, at Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church in Murree, a prominent hill station in the outer Himalayas, the six-day formation session brought together 48 frontline evangelists to address evolving pastoral, legal, and operational challenges across the region.
The initiative, organized by the Diocesan Catechist Commission under the direction of Fr. David John, served as a comprehensive policy review and capacity-building forum.
The refresher course featured a series of lectures covering key aspects of Church ministry, with particular emphasis on strengthening the pastoral, liturgical, and leadership roles of catechists.
Fr. Kamran Daniel led sessions on liturgical precision, focusing on the proper celebration of the Holy Mass and funeral rites, while Fr. Aamir Yaqoob explored the baptismal identity and institutional responsibilities of field catechists. Catechist Faryad Francis presented a review of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, encouraging participants to safeguard remote communities against doctrinal errors.
The program also addressed Church leadership and child protection. Fr. Sylvester Joseph explained the canonical understanding of Christian leadership as a ministry of service rather than authority, followed by a pastoral forum moderated by Fr. Sanawar Naveed, during which catechists shared the logistical, geographic, and financial challenges they face in serving remote mountain parishes. Fr. Naveed also conducted a session on child safeguarding, reaffirming the Church's zero-tolerance policy toward the abuse, exploitation, or grooming of minors under both Canon Law and civil law.
The lecture series further included a presentation by Fr. Azam Siddique, OFM Cap, on implementing the outcomes of the Synod on Synodality (2021–2024) in parish life through the principles of communion, participation, and mission. Concluding the program, Fr. Nasir William discussed the effective use of digital, print, and social media as tools for catechists to evangelize and engage young people.
The convocation concluded with a solemn Eucharistic Celebration presided over by Archbishop Joseph Arshad. In his charge to the assembly, Archbishop Arshad issued a formal directive to the catechists, commanding strict financial transparency, professional fidelity, and disciplined spiritual lives in their respective assignments.
The Archbishop further emphasized that catechists must actively partner with families to cultivate an educated, skilled, and civically engaged generation of young Catholics.
Following the liturgy, all 48 catechists were presented with copies of the text Catholic Articles of Faith to serve as a standardized instructional resource.
