Partners in Wisdom and Grace

Catechesis and Religious Education in Dialogue

Creative tension calls for a dialogical conversation in order to find mutual ground that can be beneficial for both partners. Partners in Wisdom and Grace explores the possibility of such tension created by the absence of religious education as a dialogical partner in the National Directory for Catechesis published by the U.S. Bishops in 2005. These queries are central: Will catechesis take religious education as a conversation partner? And, will religious education return the favor? This book concludes that catechesis and religious education remain distinct enterprises that have their own specific identities and make their own particular contributions toward educating for a religious way of life. This is an invitation for catechesis and religious education to generate a continuous healthy dialogue and mutually enrich each other while maintaining their distinct identities.