Pope installs 2 Filipino catechists

MANILA, Philippines — Pope Francis has installed two new Filipino catechists during the fourth annual “Sunday of the Word of God” on Jan. 22 where he also conferred the ministries of lector and catechist, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) reported yesterday.

An article posted on the official website of CBCP stated that the pope installed Filipinos Leon Asuncion and Norma Ramos from the Catechetical Foundation of the Archdiocese of Manila (CFAM) along with the eight other lay people from Italy, Congo, Mexico and the United Kingdom.

The CBCP said that Asuncion, 55, is from St. John the Baptist Parish in San Juan City where he served as “Extraordinary Minister of the Holy Communion” and as catechist in the CFAM from 1992 to 2000.

He has been serving as CFAM’s catechetical coordinator. Asuncion and his wife Juliefer are also members of the Couples for Christ since 2008.

Ramos, 57, is a catechist from St. John Bosco Parish in Manila’s Tondo district, a volunteer servant of “The Lord’s Flock Catholic Charismatic Community” and has been with the CFAM since 2009 as head of the foundation.

She is also a radio anchor of the Church-run Radyo Veritas’ “Katekesis Like Ko ‘To” program.

The CBCP said that Pope Francis formally instituted the ministry of catechist in 2021 after his decision to open the ministries of lector and acolyte to women.