Men and women from a wide variety of backgrounds are called to share in the Church’s catechetical mission: proclaiming the good news of the Gospel by sharing the light of faith with young and old alike. They bring a wide variety of talents and abilities to this task and have differing levels of knowledge, experience and skill. Our Diocese provides many opportunities for training or forming those teaching our faith in its parishes and schools and recognizes their achievement through its process of diocesan certification.
This training is meant to help catechists, youth ministers and Catholic school teachers to faithfully and effectively share the faith with others. It covers both what to teach (the content) and how to teach it (methodology) while nurturing the individual catechist’s own faith life, spirituality and relationship with Jesus. While some topics and requirements apply to everyone engaged in this ministry, others apply to particular tracks or specializations (e.g., youth ministers, catechists of adults or Catholic elementary school teachers).
The process of catechist formation leading to diocesan certification is a way of assuring that growth includes all aspects of the Catholic faith and practice. It is also a public way of stating that the parish/school and the individual take this obligation for ministerial and life-long formation seriously. The parish/school community can be confident of the competence in knowledge and skills of those engaged in its catechetical ministry.
Overview: Catechist Formation builds up the People of God (from The Evangelist)
For information on certification, tracks and levels, transcripts, training sessions, online courses, and more, contact our office.