eCatechist

A Good Start!

Each fall over 500,000 Catholics volunteer to serve as catechists in the faith formation programs of 18,000 parishes in the United States.

Once you say yes, many of you are wondering what to do next. Let me offer three suggestions for a good start:

1. Spend time becoming familiar with the catechist manual. These are the big books for each grade level that often weigh four or more pounds. Read all the introductory material and become familiar with the structure of each lesson.

2. Acquire knowledge. Decide on one or topics that you that you need to learn more about. Classroom management, overview of scripture, developing a lesson plan, etc. Check with other catechists or your director of faith formation for suggested resources.

3. Review your weekly calendar and schedule two times throughout the week. A minimum of two hours to plan the weekly lesson. And then one hour for your personal reading and study. This may include an article from a magazine, chapter from a book, DVD, visiting websites and blogs, meeting with others, etc.

And remember, your responsibility and commitment is to prepare yourself to do the best you can in helping your children, youth or adults learn and experience each week one thing about the Catholic faith. This is your vocation and ministry as a catechist. Do the best you can. Plan, prepare and pray. And then let God do the rest.

Dan Pierson

Administration As Ministry by Dan Pierson

After a three-hour interview with the pastor, I became the first full-time director of religious education at St. John Vianney Parish in Wyoming, MI. I served there for nine years with the title of “director of religious education.” The other title that was used in some parishes in the United States was “coordinator of religious education.”

At that time, the position director or coordinator usually encompassed responsibility for the planning, organizing, supervising and implementing a program of total religious education for children, youth and adults.

Following the Second Vatican Council, the late 1960’s and 1970’s were an exciting time for adult education, especially around themes of sacramental preparation, the liturgy, Church, etc.  Adult faith formation was a very significant area of responsibility for the parish director of religious education.

Over the past 40 years, a variety of other titles have emerged and are being used in the 17,500 parishes in the United States. These include catechetical leader, director of faith formation/Catholic formation, pastoral minister, youth minister etc.

No matter which title is used, there is one essential component that is common to all and encompasses all other responsibilities. That is “administration.”

The word administration comes from two Latin words “ad” meaning “to” and “ministrare,” meaning “to manage.”

As parish directors of religious education, we are primarily responsible for the ministry of administration - to manage: plan and evaluate, organize, select curriculum, recruit and supervise volunteers for a faith formation program with many components that will meet the needs of the religious education of the adults, families, youth and children of the parish. As administrators, we are responsible for calling others to ministry.