Teacher catechists serving in Catholic-founded schools across Rushoroza Deanery have been urged to adopt a more pastoral approach to Religious Education by building meaningful relationships with learners and witnessing to the Gospel through their daily lives.
The call was made by Rev. Fr. Austen Christmas, Director of the Liturgy and Catechesis Commission in Kabale Diocese, during the closing ceremony of a one-day formation seminar for teacher catechists held at Rushoroza Hill on Monday.
Fr. Christmas, who also serves as Parish Priest of Our Lady of Good Shepherd Rushoroza Cathedral, reminded head teachers that Religious Education remains at the heart of the identity and mission of Catholic-founded schools.
“Our schools were founded by the Church to evangelize. Religious instruction is therefore not optional but part of the very mission of Catholic education,” he said.
The seminar, organized by the Kabale Diocesan Education Department in partnership with the Liturgy and Catechesis Commission, brought together teacher catechists from Rushoroza Cathedral, Christ the King Kabale, Kyanamira, Buhara, Karujanga and Rwanyena parishes. The training aimed at renewing their missionary commitment and strengthening their pastoral ministry in schools.
Fr. Christmas encouraged schools to hold weekly Masses or prayer services to nurture the spiritual growth of learners before officially commissioning the teacher catechists to continue the Church’s mission of evangelization in schools across Rushoroza Deanery and the wider Kabale Diocese.
Rev. Fr. Fidel Ndagijimana, the Pastoral Coordinator of Kabale Diocese, appealed to head teachers to allocate adequate time for catechesis and ensure every Catholic-founded school has a qualified teacher catechist.
He also called on schools to strengthen the Pontifical Mission Societies by promoting the Holy Childhood Association in primary schools and the Society of St. Peter the Apostle in secondary schools.
He explained that the Holy Childhood Association nurtures children in prayer, charity and missionary service under the theme “Children Helping Children,” while the Society of St. Peter the Apostle encourages vocational discernment and missionary formation under the motto “Baptized and Sent.”
Kabale Diocesan Education Secretary, Remigio Byamukama, commended teacher catechists for their dedication to nurturing the faith of young people. He revealed that similar formation seminars are being rolled out across all deaneries in Kabale Diocese, reaching Catholic-founded schools in the six districts of the Kigezi Sub-region.
Byamukama encouraged teacher catechists to cultivate positive relationships with learners and urged those holding Grade III Certificates and Diplomas to pursue further studies to strengthen their professional competence.
Pius Tumuranze, Head Teacher of Bugomora Primary School and Chairperson of the Catholic Primary Head Teachers Association in Kabale District, described schools as the primary centres of pastoral care for young people.
“Our learners spend more time in school than at home. That makes our schools important centres of pastoral care, and teacher catechists have a vital role to play,” he said, while urging head teachers to provide the resources needed for effective pastoral ministry.
The diocesan officer in charge of Catechism, Willy Turyahikahe, described Catholic schools as centres of evangelization and small Christian communities. He encouraged teachers to begin every lesson with prayer, live exemplary Christian lives, remain grounded in Church teaching, and continue strengthening both their professional and spiritual formation.
Raymond Ariho, Organizing Secretary of the Diocesan Liturgy and Catechesis Commission, said the seminar was intended to empower and officially commission teacher catechists as collaborators in the Church’s mission of evangelization.
“There are many ministries in the Church, but one mission: evangelization,” he said.
Drawing on the teachings of recent Popes, Ariho encouraged catechists to combine sound doctrine with personal witness. He cited Pope Francis’ call for catechists to share a living faith, Pope Leo XIV’s appeal to guide young people wisely while helping them use modern technology responsibly, and Pope Benedict XVI’s teaching that authentic instruction must be accompanied by a life that reflects the Gospel.
Referencing Luke 10:1-2, where Jesus sends out the seventy-two disciples, Ariho reminded participants that they are missionaries entrusted with proclaiming the Gospel in schools through both their words and actions.
He encouraged them to begin their mission within their own families before extending it to the classroom, where they are called to prepare learners for the Sacraments while teaching prayer, Sacred Scripture, the Creed, the Rosary, the Holy Spirit, and the Works of Mercy.
