The catechesis he received from the Kino Catechetical Institute left a lasting impression on Estevan Sandoval.
“Baptism is wonderful and we hear about the faith every Sunday of our lives, but it has no meaning until you have the education that goes with it,” Sandoval said.
Sandoval is one of 71 students to graduate this year from the Kino Institute, which was capped with Mass at St. Mary’s Basilica June 4. He said he plans to take the knowledge he gained and use it actively within his parish, St. John Vianney in Goodyear, by helping launch its first men’s fellowship group.
“We want to try to bring in a spiritual way the masculinity of God’s Church back to His Church,” Sandoval said.
EN ESPAÑOL: Graduados del Instituto Catequético Kino responden a la llamada a servir
Greene went on to explain the need for well-catechized Catholics is crucial for the Church today. “As society and the Church part ways further and further on the truth about the human person, faith and the value of religion, it really falls on us to form ourselves well as Catholics, so that we’re able to articulate and defend the faith with confidence and charity, in whatever way the Holy Spirit is going to call us to do that,” he said.
Kino Catechetical Institute
Are you feeling called to a deeper understanding of your Catholic faith? Kino Catechetical Institute offers a dynamic education in Church teaching to help you articulate and defend your faith with confidence and charity. All Kino programs are offered in both English and Spanish. Applications are currently being accepted for Fall 2015.
Info: (602) 354-2300
Students at Kino take 14 courses during their two-year formation, each course lasting approximately five weeks. In addition to these courses on the doctrine of the faith, there are also four courses, each spanning two days, which cover the methodology of catechesis.
Josefina Mata, another graduate and St. Jerome parishioner, said she actually never planned to attend Kino. “Two years ago, I was waiting at the diocesan chapel for an appointment that I had, and then Sr. Celia was passing by and she grabbed my hand,” Mata said. “She asked me ‘Are you planning to come to Kino?’ and I was so afraid that I told her no. She grabbed my hand and said ‘Yes, you are coming to Kino.’”
Coinciding with the Year of Consecrated Life, the Kino Institute encourages its participants to see they can lead a life consecrated to God, regardless of their specific vocation.
“When you look at consecrated life and really seeing yourself as set apart for service under the mission of the Church, I think that’s a call that should echo with all Catholics,” Greene said. “For our students, even if they’re already married and have kids, that can mean setting some part of themselves, maybe a particular gift or talent, or maybe just time they have available, to the service of the mission of the Church.”
Fr. David Sanfilippo, vicar for priests, presided over the graduation ceremony and encouraged the graduates to follow the promptings of the Holy Spirit, saying, “May God bring to completion the good work He has begun in each of you.”
