SAN DIEGO — “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me … to bring good news to the poor.”
That verse from the Gospel of Luke (4:18) is the theme for Catechetical Sunday 2026.
Observed on the third Sunday in September, Catechetical Sunday presents an annual opportunity to celebrate the ministry of those who bring the “Good News” of the Catholic faith to others. This year, it’s celebrated on Sept. 20.
At parishes throughout the diocese, during Masses celebrated that weekend, parish religious education instructors and parochial school teachers will be recognized and receive a blessing and a public commissioning as catechists.
At a commissioning Mass for catechists last year, Bishop Michael Pham said, “I’m very grateful for every single one of you. You are sent forth to proclaim the Good News and share the love of Jesus Christ.”
“Every one of us, by virtue of our baptism, has been empowered to go out in the world to share the love of Jesus to our society today,” the bishop continued.
“We live in a world that needs our witness – witness to love, witness to forgiveness, and witness to peace.”
On Sept. 28 of last year, Pope Leo XIV celebrated a Mass in St. Peter’s Square for the Jubilee of Catechists.
In his homily, the pope said, “The catechist is a person of the word — a word that he or she pronounces with his or her own life. Thus, our first catechists are our parents: those who first spoke to us and taught us to speak. Just as we learned our mother tongue, so too the proclamation of the faith cannot be delegated to someone else; it happens where we live, above all in our homes, around the family table. When there is a voice, a gesture, a face that leads to Christ, the family experiences the beauty of the Gospel.”
