“Kerygma” is a Greek word, meaning “proclamation”. In a Christian context, it refers to the story of salvation – God’s plan for humanity, His plan to redeem it and how it is relevant to us today.

Understanding, let alone sharing the Gospel, or “Good News” can seem like a daunting task, but the Kerygma helps us to do so in a way that is simple. It focuses on the key points:

• God’s loving plan for mankind
• The effect of sin
• God’s plan for redemption (Jesus)
• The chance to respond we have today

“We must not think that in catechesis the kerygma gives way to a supposedly more “solid” formation. Nothing is more solid, profound, secure, meaningful and wisdom-filled than that initial proclamation. All Christian formation consists of entering more deeply into the kerygma, which is reflected in and constantly illumines, the work of catechesis, thereby enabling us to understand more fully the significance of every subject which the latter treats. It is the message capable of responding to the desire for the infinite which abides in every human heart.”
(Pope Francis, Evangelii Guadium)

The kerygma is essentially what every person searches and hopes for – a message of purpose, of hope, of redemption. It is the Good News – that we are saved.