Started in the diocese in September 2003, Echoes of Faith in Spanish is a video-assisted series developed by the National Conference of Catechetical Leadership. The program is designed for catechists who teach religious education to children and adults.

Deacon Antonio Ramirez, who directs Hispanic catechesis and faith formation for the diocese, said of the hundreds of people in 51 parishes participating in Spanish-language catechetical programs, about 80 percent are enrolled in Echoes of Faith classes.

“I believe at this moment this is a very good instrument for catechists,” said Deacon Ramirez, who explained that of 761 catechists, 606 are in the program. “We didn’t have the opportunity to have a forum for them like this in Spanish before.”

Deacon Ramirez and his assistant, Sister Patricia Ortega, a member of the Sisters Catechists of Jesus Crucified, have put together a team of 13 presenters who teach the classes in approximately 20 parishes. Women religious, laity and a seminarian are among those who facilitate the 80-hour, two-year program.

He said all are teachers who “love their vocation, know the faith and have the ability to catechize.”

Classes are scheduled seven days a week on evenings and weekends in order not to conflict with participants’ work schedules.

An effort has also been made to locate classes in churches that are convenient for catechists from parishes in the same geographic area.

“My vision is to cover the whole diocese with these classes,” Deacon Ramirez said.

Elvira Ramirez, a facilitator for the catechist formation classes at St. Joseph Parish in Elk Grove, said one of the strengths of the program is that catechists are made very aware of “how we accompany people along the way, believing in something so much we have to share it.”

“I’m hoping as catechists finish this program they will have a better sense of being sent,” Ramirez said.

Esther Cuellar-Valadez is not a novice when it comes to being a catechist. At age 13 she began working with Mercy Sister Maria Padilla, former coordinator of Hispanic catechesis for the diocese, at a migrant camp near Davis. Cuellar-Valadez remembers the joy of teaching “the little ones” to pray and make the sign of the cross.

“Finally there is something in Spanish for teachers who have been teaching the faith all their lives,” said Cuellar-Valadez, who now coordinates the catechist program in Spanish at St. Joseph Church in Elk Grove. “This is a big, big step providing us with tools we need.”

Elizabeth Labrado’s motivation to enroll in the catechist formation program was to gain a deeper understanding of her faith. She is a catechist who teaches a bilingual religious education program to children and the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults in Spanish for adults at St. Peter Parish in Sacramento.

“What I needed to do was get hold of the theology part, trying to learn more so I can proclaim that knowledge to the children and adults I’m teaching,” Labrado said.

By studying the Scriptures and learning “to tell Bible stories as Jesus did with parables,” she envisions making an understanding of the faith more real for the children she teaches.

For Simona Thorpe, passing on a love for the Catholic faith began at age eight when a nun asked her to watch over pre-school children in a religious education class.

As coordinator of the religious education program in Spanish at St. Peter Church, Thorpe has been a catechist for 40 years but is always looking for ways to enrich her calling to serve God.

“These classes teach us how to observe children to better serve their needs, looking at all aspects of a child’s life at home, in the school, and at church,” she said.

Certification of the first group of participants completing the Echoes of Faith series will be conducted during a special ceremony in June.

A new series of the catechist formation program in Spanish will begin in September.

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