​​​​Rooted in the mission and identity of the Roman Catholic Church, as articulated in its foundational documents​, the Department of Catholic Schools ("DCS") develops, implements, and maintains faith formation curriculum, programs, and initiatives for students, teachers, and school leaders in the Catholic schools of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. It plays a vital role in the Church's primary ministries of evangelization and service by advancing mission, Catholic identity, and Catholic social doctrine. DCS's activities include certification​ of religious education teachers, campus ministers, and school leaders.  DCS cosults with high school principals in the hiring of high school religion teachers and campus ministers.  See: Recruitment and Hiring of Teachers​.​

DCS provides ministerial direction and guidance to schools in implementation, assessment, and planning by:

• ​Leading, enhancing, developing, and managing a comprehensive faith formation program for K-12 school leaders, teachers, and students

• Evaluating and integrating existing formation and Christian service programs

• Establishing partnerships with other Catholic ministries and relevant archdiocesan departments to extend and advance faith formation activities and programs

• Providing spiritual, pastoral, and programming resources to schools

• Assisting principals in planning and executing school faculty/staff retreat(s), whether locally or within a region

• Providing other related resources as needed.

More detailed guidance on the involvement of the DCS in Catholic school ministerial activities can be found in Chapter 4.3: Religious Education in Schools.

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