Father Daniel Mahan Appointed Director of USCCB’s New “Institute on the Catechism”

WASHINGTON - Father Daniel J. Mahan, a priest of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis, has been appointed as the director of the recently formed Institute on the Catechism, housed within the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Secretariat for Evangelization and Catechesis. Father Michael J.K. Fuller, USCCB general secretary, made the appointment, which takes effect July 1, 2023.

The USCCB’s Subcommittee on the Catechism provides consultation to the Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis on issues and topics related to the Catechism of the Catholic Church and the United States Catholic Catechism for Adults, as well as the accompaniment of Catholic publishers in the production of catechetical materials. The Institute on the Catechism was created in order to re-implement and re-invigorate the mandate of the subcommittee in responding to the changing catechetical landscape. Through outreach to those directly involved at the local levels in teaching the catechism, the Institute gathers bishops, their diocesan staff, Catholic publishing houses, and catechetical consultants to pray, be formed, and discuss how the content creators and users will implement an evangelizing catechesis.

Father Mahan was ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis in 1988. He has served in parishes throughout the archdiocese, and currently serves as pastor in solidum of four parishes in southeastern Indiana. He has served as a reviewer of catechetical texts since the late 1990s and has been working as a core team member for the Institute since its launch in November 2022. A graduate of Saint Meinrad College, Father Mahan holds a Licentiate in Sacred Theology from the Pontifical Athenaeum of Saint Anselm in Rome.

“Father Mahan brings a deep understanding of the Catechism along with the invaluable, long-time expertise of teaching it to the faithful in a meaningful way,” said Bishop Frank J. Caggiano of Bridgeport, chairman of the Subcommittee on the Catechism. “At a time when there is wide-spread disaffiliation with the faith, and yet a deep desire and hunger being expressed by many to fill the void in their lives, we must take new, bold approaches to help the bishops to equip their catechists with ways to invite people to an encounter with the Lord. I am grateful to Archbishop Thompson for allowing Father Mahan to serve the greater Church with the unique talents he brings to the Institute on the Catechism.”

For more information on the Institute on the Catechism, please visit https://evangelizingcatechesis.com.

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