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February 2, 2020
The 17th Annual Christian Formation Conference for the catechists of the UAE was held at St. Mary’s Church Dubai from 31 December - 01 February 2020.
The theme chosen for this year’s conference was “Here am I! Send me” (Isaiah 6:8). Around 700 catechists from different parishes and Catholic Schools of the Vicariate attended the conference.
Bishop Paul Hinder, in his opening remarks, expressed the need for those involved in catechesis to constantly take shelter “under the roof of the Word of God” and emphasised on the need to be witnesses and to show by example of their lives how to practise what is taught. He also remarked on the need to cultivate the Christian values of witnessing and practising the teachings of the Word of God in children. “To be witnesses, we also have to be constantly open to the Lord’s call”, he said.
The different sessions spread throughout the two days included keynotes and breakouts by international and local speakers on topics related to the theme and its application to catechesis. These included reflecting on the Scriptural and theological understanding of mission, the Kingdom of God, the proclamation of the Word in the ministry of catechesis. There were also at least 23 different break outs sessions on a range of different topics related to catechesis and mission.
One of the most anticipated sessions was the live Q&A with Bishop Paul. Participants asked a range of questions on matters of faith, liturgical practice and life in the Church. The conference concluded with a Holy Mass by the Bishop.
The Annual Christian Formation Conference is organized every year by the Office of Christian Formation in the UAE and Oman. The Office of Christian Formation was formed in 2002 to serve the catechetical work of the Vicariate. Around 31,000 children attend catechism classes in the different parishes of the Vicariate, who are served by 1743 catechists as per the current statistics.