"Catechists have always had a very important role in the secular journey of evangelization as the Encyclical Redemptoris Missio so rightly states ... lay members of Christ's faithful who have received proper formation and are outstanding in their living of the Christian life. Under the direction of missionaries, they are to present the Gospel teaching and engage in liturgical worship and in works of charity... The catechist is a lay person specially appointed by the Church, in accordance with local needs, to make Christ known, loved and followed by those who do not yet know Him and by the faithful themselves... that arm of Catechists, both men and women, worthy of praise, to whom missionary work among the nations owes so much... Catechists are specialists, direct witnesses and irreplaceable evangelizers who, as I have often stated and experienced during my missionary journeys, represent the basic strength of Christian communities, especially in the young Churches." - The church's Magisterium from the Vatican City 1993 Congregation for the Evangelization of People.