Catechesis "needs to announce the essential
mysteries of Christianity, promoting the Trinitarian experience of life
in Christ as the center of the life of faith" (General Directory for Catechesis, 33).
4.2.2.1 Goals
There are four goals:
Develop
the participant as a proclaimer of the message of Jesus Christ through
his Church by developing the catechist's human, professional, spiritual,
and apostolic qualities
Require all catechists to obtain archdiocesan catechetical certification
Enable
participants to respond to the gift of God through prayer and
participation in the sacraments, liturgy, ecclesial and social
commitment, works of charity, and promotion of human values such as
liberty and the protection of creation
Enable participants to
demonstrate competency in handing on the faith in the following ways:
expressing faith to others using the language of the faith tradition;
leading people in prayer; understanding the basic concepts of the faith;
and demonstrating awareness of the social, cultural, ethnic,
demographic, and religious circumstances of the people who will be
served so that the catechist can bring the Gospel message to them
4.2.2.2 Basic Ministry Formation
This
section is designed as a guide and resource for parish coordinators of
religious education and directors of religious education. It will also
assist parish leadership as they select qualified leaders for their
particular parish catechetical needs.
The Archdiocese of Los Angeles provides formation in compliance with the guidelines of the bishops of the California Catholic Conference.
The formation course consists of the theological, specialization, and practicum phases.
Theological Phase
The theological phase of
basic ministry formation and catechist certification in the archdiocese
is extensive. It requires a time commitment of no fewer than 40 hours.
The theological phase includes but is not limited to sessions covering:
God's Self Revelation
The Trinity
Christology
Ecclesiology
Liturgy
Sacramental Theology
Missionary Spirit
Moral Formation
Prayer and Spirituality
Specialization Phase
The specialization phase develops
the foundational skills of a catechist. These include the practical
areas of session planning, prayer experiences, methodology, the nature and purpose of catechesis, the use of media and technology, and other
learning activities.
Practicum Phase
The practicum phase
includes two written evaluations of the candidate by certified
catechists in a catechetical setting and two written observations by the
candidate of two other certified catechists. Once completed, the
catechist is eligible to be certified by the archdiocesan Office of Religious Education. A final interview concludes the process. Before
certification, one year of teaching experience is necessary.
4.2.2.3 Candidates for Catechist and Basic Ministry Formation
Please see Guidelines for Obtaining the California Catechist Certificate and the California Master Catechist Certificate
(English version: See "Personal Qualities of a Catechist" on page 5;
Spanish version: See "Cualidades personales del Catequista" on page 8).
4.2.2.4 Advanced Catechetical Ministry
Advanced Catechetical Ministries
(ACM) is the formation program sponsored by the Archdiocese of Los Angeles to prepare people for certification at the advanced level in
accordance with the guidelines of the bishops of the California Catholic Conference.
ACM is comprised of three distinct phases that take place over a minimum of a three-year period.
Phase One – Theological Phase
Phase Two – Catechetical Phase
Phase Three – Practicum Phase
In
fulfillment of the guidelines established by the bishops of the
California Catholic Conference, the themes covered in ACM include but
are not limited to:
Theological Reflection
Images of God
Revelation
Christology
Ecclesiology
Sacraments
Morality
Social Mission of the Church
Spirituality of the Catechetical Leader
Catechesis and Evangelization
Faith Development
Liturgy
Christian Initiation and Catechumenate as Model for Catechesis
Formation Teams and Leadership
Adult Formation
Media and Catechesis
Safe Environment
Foundational Skills for the Master Catechist
Those
preparing for leadership in ministry are expected to have a degree of
competency that permits them to engage in formation at the advanced
level. This competency is characterized by:
Study at the post-secondary level
Communication with adults
A basic catechist certification or the equivalent
A record of involvement in ministry in a Catholic elementary school, high school, and/or parish
Experience in catechetical, teaching, and/or liturgical ministry
Sensitivity to the cultural diversity of the people in the archdiocese
In
addition to this basic competency, there are additional requirements
for admission into the program pertaining to the respective fields of
ministerial/catechetical leadership.
Adult Religious Educator
Basic adult specialization or its equivalent
Five years of experience in one or more of the following areas: catechesis, Christian initiation, or adult education
Parish Catechetical Leader (PCL)
Basic PCL Certificate or its equivalent
Five years of experience in catechetical ministry, no less than two of which were served as a coordinator/chairperson
Coordinator of Confirmation/Youth Ministry
Catholic High School Religion Teacher/Campus Minister
BA in theology or religious studies (MA recommended)
Current high school teaching experience
Completion of the two-year catechetical training program
Evidence of ongoing enrichment in the areas of theology and campus ministry
Master Catechist
Minimum of five years of catechetical experience at different levels
Evidence of ongoing enrichment in the areas of theology, catechesis, and education
Recent catechetical experience
4.2.2.5 Approval for Advanced Certification
Certification
as an advanced-level catechist requires documentation of the successful
completion of the program of formation and the final approval of the
staff of the Office of Religious Education and Department of Catholic Schools.