Portugal - National Secretariat of Christian Education and Salesians sign agreement to create new resources for catechesis
Lisbon, Portugal - January 2023 - The Episcopal Commission for Christian Education and the Doctrine of the Faith (CEECDF) and the Salesian Province "St Anthony" of Portugal (POR), through "Salesianos Editora," have entered into a partnership to create new resources for catechesis. The partnership comes after the Portuguese Bishops' Conference approved in April 2022 the new "Itinerary of Christian Initiation of Children and Adolescents with Families," which seeks to bring the pastoral insights of Pope Francis to the Portuguese Church and to find the best ways to accompany children, adolescents and their families to faith, in what is a much more de-Christianized context than in the past. To develop the materials that will shape this proposal, the National Secretariat of Christian Education (SNEC) signed a collaboration with "Salesianos Editora" in late 2022. Bishop António Monteiro, Bishop of Aveiro and president of CEECDF, which oversees catechesis, and Fr. José Aníbal Mendonça, POR Provincial, formalized the agreement, delegating powers to SNEC and "Salesianos Editora" respectively to conduct the process. The document was signed by SNEC President Fernando Moita, its administrator, Antero Paulo, and the administrator of "Salesianos Editora," Orlando Camacho. The publishing house will develop materials for all catechesis in Portugal in the coming years, including a catechist's guide, a catechetical book, a support folder with posters and photos, a multimedia pen with songs and videos, and a website.