The Catechist's Corner

   

What is a Catechist?

A catechist is a person of faith who is called by the parish or school community to hand on the tradition and teaching of the Catholic Church to others. This call demands that the catechist understands church doctrine and demonstrates appropriate teaching skills. More than that, a catechist realizes God’s voice in this call to serve and recognizes the need for continuing personal growth and faith formation.

We currently need catechists in our Faith Formation Ministry. Many thanks to the generous parishioners who give their time, energy, and gift of faith to our students.

 

We are seeking catechists to teach our Summer 2021 PREP Sessions 1, 2,  and 3. The dates for Summer PREP are:

  • Session 1: July 12 - 16
  • Session 2: July 26 - 30
  • Session 3: August 9 - 13

     Our current plans are for all Summer 2021 PREP classes (grades 1-8) to be held virtually using a combination of live meetings via Zoom and an online learning platform from My Catholic Faith Delivered. Online Zoom classes will meet for one hour each day during the week-long session. Specific class times will be determined by individual catechists between the hours of 8AM and 4PM Monday - Friday.

Depending on covid limitations, we may offer an optional hybrid version, where students could attend 1-2 days in-person at the Kernan Center, but this is completely contingent on the limitations of the catechists and other restrictions which may or may not be in place during the summer months.

 

If you are interested in becoming a catechist for Summer 2021, please click here.

 

All potential catechists must agree to a background check and be fingerprinted via the Safe Environment Certification requirements as follows:

Safe Environment Certification - Read and follow the directions on these 2 documents to begin the process. This is required for all catechists before they teach:

Virtus Online Information

                                                                  Fingerprint Processing Instructions

Catechism of the Catholic Church - The online version of the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

Test your knowledge of the Catechism of the Catholic Church by taking this quick and anonymous Self-Assessment for Catechists

Requirements to teach Catechesis according to the National Directory of Catechesis, written by the USCCB:

"The call to the ministry of catechist is a vocation, and interior call, the voice of the Holy Spirit.  Catechists need to be practicing Catholics who participate fully in the communal worship and life of the Church and who have been prepared for their apostolate by appropriate catechetical training.  Their commissioning by the Church is a participation in the divine calling to teach as Jesus did.  Their personal relationship with Jesus Christ energizes their service to the Church and provides the continuing motivation, vitality, and force of their catechetical activity.  Christ invites all catechists to follow him as a teacher of the faith and a witness to the truth of the faith.

Like all the faithful, catechists are called to holiness.  Because of their ministry and mission, however, the call to holiness has a particular urgency.  The spiritual life of a catechist should be characterized by

A love of God--Father, Son, and Holy Spirit--and of Christ's Church, our Holy Father, and God's holy people

A coherence and authenticity of life that is characterized by their faithful practice of the faith in a spirit of faith, charity, hope, courage, and joy

Personal prayer and dedication to the evangelizing mission of the Church

A missionary zeal by which they are fully convinced of the truth of the Catholic faith and enthusiastically proclaim it

Active participation in their local parish community, especially by attendance at Sunday Eucharist

A devotion to Mary, the first disciple and the model of catechists, and to the Most Holy Eucharist, the source of nourishment for catechists

Lay catechists have a special solidarity with those whom they catechize and a particular sensitivity to their needs.  They live in the same world as those they catechize, and they share the same demands of living in the word as do those they teach.  Their proclamation of the Gospel, their personal testimony, and their living witness to the transcendent values of the Christian life can be particularly effective because they know the ordinary experiences of everyday life so well and are able to incarnate the Gospel in those ordinary circumstances." (National Directory for Catechesis, Ch. 8)

Thank you again for your interest in becoming a catechist.

Contact the PREP office with any questions.