Joan Saultzs

Parish Catechist

Joan Saultzs

Email: saultzs@eircom.net

Mobile: 086 809 2098

A Catechist is a faith companion, a storyteller and a leader of prayer.

The word catechist comes from the Greek word ‘echo’. Thus catechists are people who echo the word of God.”

Welcome to the ‘Catechist’s desk’

My name is Joan Saultzs. I was born and raised in this parish and am living in Thomastown.

Most of you will know me as the organist in Broadford Church. Now, in my new role as the Parish Catechist, my faith has taken me on a new journey.

Priests are scarce and as time goes on they are going to become even scarcer. This is regrettable but it’s not something to despair about. Perhaps the Holy Spirit is calling the Irish Church to take a new direction, which will involve the laity creating the Church of the future.

One of the very positive and exciting signs of the times in the Irish Catholic Church is the empowerment of lay people, encouraging new pastoral practices to complement the old.

I believe that the time has come for lay people to take up the mantle of responsibility in the life of the Church. It is within this context of being on the front line of a new form of lay ministry that I see my own role as Catechist in Balyna Parish.

Outreach

A nice phrase which I heard recently and which I would like to take as my own motto is “Think Big, Act Small”

Here are some of the ‘small actions’, I have taken to date:

· Visiting schools, meeting the children, teachers and staff.

· Working with the choirs for Confirmation and First Holy Communion.

· Setting up timetables for regular school visits.

· Introducing the Confirmation Pledge to the confirmation classes.

· Visiting the sick and elderly in their homes, nursing homes and hospitals.

· Putting together and RCIA Parish programme.

· Working with the ‘Faith Development Services’ in Carlow for guidance and direction.

· Preparing end of school year liturgies

· Linking in, and working with, already established parish groups e.g. Parish Pastoral Council, Altar Societies, Liturgy Groups, Parish Choirs.

· Visiting the four National Schools of the Parish on a rota basis to share a prayer, an activity and my own faith-story.

· Getting involved with the Confirmation and First Holy Communion Sacramental programmes.

· Leading the devotion of the Stations of the Cross on Good Friday in Clogherinkoe Church.

· Training the Eucharistic Ministers with Julie Kavanagh (FDS) in Derrinturn – April/May.

· Training Altar servers teams

Moving Forward here are some of the ‘big ideas’ I hope to implement:

· Leading a Prayer Service Group. In the future, there will be a need for lay people to lead liturgies in their parish churches. My hope is that this new Prayer Group will be a team of people involving Ministers of the Word, Ministers of the Eucharist, Music Ministers and Altar Servers.

· Creating a ‘Parish Baptism Team’. I envisage that this will be a team of people who will link with the parents and families in the parish community, before, during and after Baptism.

· Setting up a ‘Welcome Pack’ to welcome new people to our parish.

· Setting up a ‘Hospitality Ministry’. Among other things, this might involve some lay people meeting, greeting and welcoming people to Mass on Sunday.

· Social evenings and get-togethers with the members of the three Altar Societies for the purpose of sharing of ideas, demonstrations and creativity.

· Continuing to visit the sick and elderly with a view to establishing a Visitation Team.

· Leading retreat days for Altar servers