Catholic Catechist

The role of a Catholic catechist is to catechize (teach) the Faith of the Catholic Church by both word and example.

To catechize means to teach: more specifically, to teach by word of mouth. Prior to the Second Vatican Council, the chief catechists at the parish level were priests, religious brothers or nuns. Since the late 20th century, particularly in Europe and the Americas, increasingly the role of the parish catechist has been undertaken by the Catholic laity. In addition to activities in the parish, catechizing also takes place in Catholic schools through more formal classes as part of the curriculum.

Catechists are often deployed to teach candidates who are preparing for the sacraments of Reconciliation, First Holy Communion, Confirmation and Baptism (after completing the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, or RCIA). Various age-appropriate religious education texts and materials are used for instruction in addition to the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

Catechists have always been of particular importance in large geographical parishes, such as in Africa, where priests have historically only been able to visit different parts of their parish periodically. In the priest's absence, the parish catechist takes on the role of being the main teacher of the faith in that parish. As such they are afforded a particular place of honor within their parish community.

...
Wikipedia