A one month residential program for catechists from the Northern and Eastern diocesesof Sri Lanka, organized by the North and East Bishops’ Council, commenced on July 6, 2024, at the Mannar Madhu Shrine Retreat Center.
The event was organized by Rev. Fr. Christhunayagam, the coordinator of the residential training program and the Vicar General of the Diocese of Mannar.
The program was inaugurated with a Holy Mass presided over by Rt. Rev. Dr. Emmanuel Fernando, the Bishop of Mannar Diocese.
37 catechists from the four Tamil dioceses, along with directors of diocesan catechetical centers, priests, and religious participated in the inaugural ceremony.
The training, which will continue until August 3, includes a wide range of subjects such as the Pentateuch, historical books, prophets, New Testament, liturgy, Christology, Mariology, moral theology, sacraments of initiation, marriage, history of the universal church, history of the church in Sri Lanka, prayer and spirituality, Vatican documents, catechetical teaching methods, psychological development, Catholic Church teachings, Catholic marriage rites, human-centered catechesis, and leadership.
Lectures are being conducted by priests, religious, and lay experts from the dioceses of Jaffna, Mannar, Trincomalee, and Batticaloa, with the assistance of the diocesan catechetical center directors.
