Besides sponsors, catechists have the greatest contact with the catechumens. They meet with them regularly to share faith, pray the scriptures, and share in the Catholic tradition. The catechesis needs to be adapted to the liturgical year. The ministry of catechesis is an echoing of the gospel. One dimension of this is information. However, catechesis is more than information; it is formative. Thus, the skilled catechist will be sensitive to growth in faith, conversion, and appropriate expressions of prayer.
Each period of the RCIA has a different focus. The precatechumenate has a focus related to the early stirrings of faith and initial conversion. The period of the catechumenate passes on the essentials of the Catholic tradition within the context of the liturgical year facilitating God’s call to conversion. The period of purification and illumination prepares the participants for the reception of the sacraments. In the period of mystagogy, the catechesis has a focus on reflection of the mysteries of the sacraments and the integration of the neophytes into the parish community through lives of service and charity.