Two Filipinos were installed by Pope Francis to the ministries of lectors and catechists on Sunday, January 22.
Leon Asuncion and Norma Ramos, both members of the Catechetical Foundation of the Archdiocese of Manila (CFAM), were among the ten lay people installed by the Holy Father during the celebration of the annual “Sunday of the Word of God” at St. Peter’s Basilica.
Asuncion, 55, served as a catechist in 1992 until 2000 and has been serving as CFAM’s catechetical coordinator since 2019.
Ramos, 57, has been the head catechist of the organization since 2009 and anchors the program “Katekesis Like Ko To” on Radio Veritas.
In his homily, the Pope expressed his gratitude to those “who work to make sure that the Word of God is shared, proclaimed and put at the center of our lives.”
“Thank you to those who study and delve into the riches of the Word. Thank you to the pastoral workers and to all Christians engaged in the work of listening to and spreading the Word, especially lectors and catechists. Today I will confer these ministries on some of you. Thank you to those who have accepted the many invitations I have made to take the Gospel with them everywhere and to read it every day,” he added.
Eight other new catechists came from Italy, Congo, Mexico and the United Kingdom.
Pope Francis formally opened the ministry of lectors and catechists, along with that of acolytes, to women in a 2021 decree. (Lem Leal Santiago/Volunteer Writer/Santo Nino de Pandacan Parish | Photo from CBCP News)
