Catechists are essential actors in the growth of families, community, and Church. They are model Christians whose life and work is instrumental and to be witness to the Gospel as they contribute to positive personal, economic, and social development. In order to accomplish this role, Catechists require thorough and ongoing formation and training to empower them with the knowledge and skills to continue with their work of helping and encouraging families and communities.

It is upon this background that University of the Sacred Heart Gulu (USHG), through its Community Outreach, Counselling, and Catechists Formation Programs trained forty six (46) Catechists from twenty five (25) parishes of the Archdiocese of Gulu in Basic Counselling Skills.

The 4 days residential training was aimed at empowering Catechists with the knowledge and skills to practice and prepare for their Pastoral counselling work in the community. Particularly, the training was an enriching opportunity geared towards sharing and imparting hands-on skills in addressing the psycho-social issues in our society, especially in the catechists’ engagement in pastoral ministry.

While officiating at the closure of the training, the Vice Chancellor of the University of the Sacred Heart Gulu(USHG), Rev. Fr. Dr. Jino Mwaka urged the Catechists to be instruments of positive change in their parishes and communities. He added that “Catechists should be concerned about everything that concerns the lives of the public; they should be relevant to the people in order to be valued and recognized by the community.”