THE ROLE AND MISSION OF THE SLOVENIAN CATECHESIS OFFICE (SKU) IN THE TIME OF THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC

Abstract

The coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) brought about numerous changes in the life of the Church. The doors of churches, parish offices, and catechesis rooms were closed, while the Church started searching for new ways to spread the Word of God: preaching, catechesis, and testimonies. In the Church in Slovenia, an important role was played by the Slovenski katehetski urad (Slovenian Catechesis Office or SKU), which is a working body of the Slovenian Bishops’ Conference (SŠK) in the field of catechesis. Its main tasks include overseeing synchronised and in-depth catechesis in the Church in Slovenia. In the time of the pandemic, when in-person meetings of the religious community were thwarted, the SKU encouraged catechists to search for new ways to reach individual catechesis groups. The first attempts at digital preaching and distance catechesis were thus born. The new circumstances revealed many untapped possibilities for digital catechising and the use of various apps. The coronavirus stimulated the formation of the home Church within families and revealed how important the digital literacy of catechists is.