It aspires to form, train, empower and build up evangelised and evangelising communities and individuals.
What the Kerygma is and involves….
Jesus, the God-man, announced and brought about the salvation of humanity, restoring us to close friendship with God, and offering us the gifts of spiritual health and many immense blessings. This is the subject of the Gospel or Kerygma.
The salvation of humanity is brought about by God but requires our co-operation. God has also chosen to use Christians as his instruments to help bring people into the blessings of salvation.
As such our kerygmatic activity involves:
- announcing and explaining that in Christ God has reconciled the world to himself so we can be ready for when we meet him at death and at his public return at the end of history;
- explaining to people how to respond positively;
- inviting them to do so,
- and supporting people (with pastoral care) in making that response and beginning the life of discipleship.
Faith, love, hope and prayer are all needed to sustain this work.
The kerygma is the foundation of the Catholic Faith. Kerygmatic activity is the crucial and vital centre of the mission of the church. It should also permeate all catechesis and preaching. Catholics should know the Kerygma, in short and longer forms, and how to explain it, defend it and offer it to others. They should also build a deeper understanding and application of their faith upon it.
Unfortunately, it is often neglected, presumed upon but not focussed upon, badly taught and so often undermined, or overlooked or dismissed. We need to put it back at the centre. The Kerygma Project aspires to make a contribution to this task and therefore to the wider evangelistic and formational work of the Church and the salvation of souls.