Awakening the Memory of our Baptism. (Catechesis on the Holy Baptism Using an ePortfolio)

Abstract

The celebrations of the 1050th anniversary of Poland's Baptism, which fall in 2016, direct our attention not only to the event which ages ago radically influenced the history of the Polish nation and the Church but also to the sacrament of baptism, an event which transforms the spiritual life of the baptised. In Poland a period of infancy is the preferred time for baptism and thus many people forget this day and do not remember its date. Therefore there is a need for pastoral and catechetical action among the faithful to awaken the memory of the day of being born to a new supernatural life. The aim of the article entitled Awakening the Memory of our Baptism. Catechesis on the Holy Baptism Using an ePortfolio by Professor Beata Bilicka is to present the use of the ePortfolio method in teaching Religious Education in order to awaken the memory of baptism, which has been repeatedly pleaded for by Pope Francis. The article is divided into three parts. In the first part, the most essential elements of the Pope’s Catechesis on baptism have been characterised. It is followed by the presentation of tools which are necessary to create ePortfolio. Next, there is a description of application of the ePortfolio method to teaching Religious Education in order to awaken the memory of baptism among students of the lower-secondary schools. The article ends with a short conclusion. The basic source for this article is two of the General Audience Catecheses concerning baptism by Pope Francis which form a series of seven catecheses on the sacraments.