By Dr Steven Selvarajun
MANILA — On 11-12 February, 2026, about fifty delegates comprising bishops, priests, religious and laity from different parts of Asia participated in the “Meeting of Catechetical Leaders in the Episcopal Conferences of Asia”. The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) hosted the meeting at the Pope Pius XII Catholic Centre in Manila, Philippines.
The meeting was initiated by the Vatican Dicastery for Evangelisation. The Dicastery, which is a department of the Roman Curia established by Pope Francis in 2022, was represented by Bishop Franz-Peter Terbartz-Van Elst and Msgr. Eugenio Bruno, both officials of the Dicastery. Archbishop Rino Fisichella, Pro-Prefect Dicastery for Evangelisation was unable to attend due to urgent work commitments.
The delegation representing the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Malaysia-Singapore-Brunei (CBCMSB) was headed by Most Rev Julian Leow Beng Kim, Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur. He serves as President of CBCMSB, as well as, Bishop Member of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences Office of Education and Faith Formation (FABC-OEFF).
The other delegates were Sr. Dariah Ajap (Archdiocese of Kota Kinabalu), Stephanie Ng (Archdiocese of Kuching), Dr Steven Selavaraju (Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur) and Fr Paul Shie (Apostolic Vicariate of Brunei). There was no representation from Singapore.
The first day’s meeting began with prayer, after which Bishop Daniel O. Presto, Chairman of the Commission on Evangelisation and Catechesis of the CBCP, welcomed the delegates and set the tone for the day. He gently reminded them that the main aim of the meeting is not only to listen to the inputs and participate in discussions but also to learn from each other’s stories.
This was followed by the delegates listening to a video-recorded message by Archbishop Rino Fisichella. The archbishop highlighted the importance of encounter and kerygma in catechesis. Catechesis should lead us to an encounter with Christ and neighbour and to proclaim the kerygma about Christ. This should foster in catechists the call to be evangelisers too.
To assist catechists in discovering and deepening their mission as evangelisers, the Dicastery of Evangelisation has published two key documents in recent years, namely, the Directory for Catechesis (2020) and Motu Proprio Antiquum Ministerium (2022). Both documents have the same objective, that is, to promote the growth of catechesis in the life of the community under the primacy of evangelisation.
The remainder of the day was dedicated to the presentation of reports by each of the fourteen Episcopal Conferences in attendance. Basically, the report focused on certain key areas related to the Episcopal Conference: to what extent has the Directory for Catechesis been introduced? How has Antiquum Ministerium been implemented? What are the strengths and challenges faced in the task of catechesis?
In their report, the delegates from CBCMSB, stated among others, that the Archdiocese of Kuching has implemented the directives of Antiquum Ministerium when twenty-two full-time catechists from various parishes were formally installed to the Ministry of Catechist by Most Rev Simon Poh, Archbishop of Kuching, at Church of St Ann, Kota Padawan on 8 August, 2025.
The proceedings of the first day concluded with the delegates being transported by bus to the De La Salle University where the celebration of the Holy Eucharist was held. It was presided by His Eminence Cardinal Jose Furte Advincula, Archbishop of Manila. The delegates were warmly welcomed by the staff and students and treated to a sumptuous dinner, as well as, entertained by students of the university with a series of cultural dances and songs.
The proceedings of the second day was animated by the FABC-OEFF team. The day began with prayer, followed by a reflection on the topic “FABC Documents on Catechesis” by a FABC-OEFF representative. Following the reflection, a small group sharing focusing on the task of catechesis in relation to the pastoral priorities of the FABC was held in order to allow the delegates to reflect, contextualise and respond to the challenges and strengths of the Churches in Asia. They also reflected and responded to the question as to how the OEFF could support the work of the Episcopal Conferences and dioceses in catechesis.
The meeting concluded with the celebration of the Holy Eucharist presided by Bishop Franz-Peter Terbartz-Van Elst at the Parish Church of Saint Maria Goretti. At the end of the celebration, Msgr. Eugenio Bruno thanked the CBCP, those involved in the day-to-day arrangements of the meeting and the delegates for their engaging and active participation.
Most of the delegates shared that they had a fruitful encounter during two days. This was the first time that many of them had participated at a meeting of this nature. They look forward to similar encounters in the near future and also hope that the meeting will spark greater motivation and collaboration in catechesis among the Episcopal Conferences in Asia.
