Mystagogy in the Catholic church literally means “to lead into the mysteries.” Beyond that, for Catholics mystagogy is understood as:
- catechetical in character and
- a period in the overall lifelong process of becoming holy, Catholic, mature Christians capable of witnesses and servants (Called and Gifted, 1995, 2001).
To unpack those words, catechetical and period, means turning to the many church documents that direct us in understanding their implications.
For example, one of the best guides for catechesis, and in this case, catechesis for Catholic adults was published by the International Council for Catechesis (Adult Catechesis in the Christian Community, 1992, 2001). The authors stressed that adults are complex. Adults bring a lot of personal history, life experience, and their culture and sense of self. In another paragraph the authors summarized some of the unique requirements of adult programs such as mystagogy:
- It is not at all easy to provide a precise and uniform definition of the catechesis of adults,”since There are differences over the best way to put adult catechesis into practice, with respect to the scope of the subject matter, the length of time needed, and the most suitable arrangement of the material for a given audience.
So, how can adult formation in, for example, mystagogy, respect and capitalize on the unique resources and but wide scope of interest, lifelong learning needs, and sensitivity to the settings in which they participate.
It is fruitless to repeat the many things that Catholic Mystagogy is NOT. However, that same document specifies three positive but essential characteristics for genuine adult catechesis. In the words of the International Council:
catechesis applied to adult faith development in several ways needs to:
- make explicit in the life of adults the reality of God’s message, taking into consideration concrete human situations, and “translating” it into the cultural language of the people;
- go to the core of the doctrinal content of our Catholic faith, presenting the fundamental beliefs of the creed in a way that relates to the life experience of people, instilling in them a faith mentality;
- structure and organize, though perhaps very elementary, faith journey, which is expressed and sustained by listening to the Word of God, by celebration, by charitable service, and by a forthright witness in the various situations in which adults find themselves.
Those are profound challenges. I will have much more to say on that, especially as it applies to Catholic mystagogy. However, I must stress one thing. Namely, such approaches in no way whatsoever propose tampering with the excellent efforts at renewing parish life and structures. However, I will ask the reader to consider adding a different modality, namely, small faith-sharing groups, located in homes much as Jesus sent the 72 to homes (Luke 10) and with the group dynamics so eloquently spelled out in Matthew 18.
Deacon Ray Biersbach, PhD, July 22, 2025
