Our parish Catechists, whether they be parents motivated to assist their children to grow in their Catholic faith, or experienced teachers called to be evangelists of the Word, are the Church’s witnesses to God’s existence, message, and loving presence. As they lead those growing in our faith, whether they are elementary, middle school, high school students, adults completing RCIA or confirmed adults, they need support and guidance from both their Pastor and Parish Catechetical Leaders (PCLs). This endeavor requires cultivation and maturation of human gifts and talents, deepening spirituality, faith knowledge, and catechetical skills, and a passion for living and sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ with people of all ages and circumstances. In confirming their call, our diocese is committed to ongoing support for catechists by providing training to help them grow as disciples called to catechize.
In his apostolic exhortation, On Evangelization in the Modern World, Pope Paul VI articulated an important principle for the renewal of catechesis when he described catechesis as a work of evangelization in the context of the mission of the Church. This understanding clarified that catechesis is “a fundamental element of evangelization through all its stages and that both those who evangelize and those who are evangelized need to be nourished by the word of God.”. Further, Pope Francis stated that we should “find ways to spread the Word of God to every corner of the world”.
In our diocesan commitment to nourish those willing to help our faithful grow in their love of God, we are providing a basic Catechist Certification Program for all parish level catechists. This on-line course combines the complete review of the foundations of the Catholic faith combined with a series of lessons on catechetical pedagogy. This certification program is at no-cost to either the parish or catechist and is 100% on-line.
We encourage all PCLs and catechists to participate in this program and earn their basic Diocesan Catechist Certificate. This program is available now. Please ask your pastor or parish catechetical leader for enrollment information.
Contact: CatechistCertificationProgram@diocs.org