The
success of catechist formation
begins with the individual
parish or school. Offering
formation programs at one’s
own parish or school is one of
the most effective ways to
promote catechist
participation. This
strategy proposes that Central
Maryland parishes and schools
make a commitment to provide a
minimum of 6 hours or
formation on site each year.
For some facilities, this
formation would be provided by
on site staff members. Others
will need assistance from
neighboring parishes/schools
or the Center.
This
plan suggests that parishes
and schools employ the RCL Echoes
of Faith video-assisted
formation modules as the
primary tool for the six hours
of formation. The Archdiocese
has approved the entire
program to account for 30
certification clock hours.
Completion of all Echoes modules
would either complete a
catechist’s Preliminary
Certificate, or, if they had
completed the Preliminary
Certificate without Echoes
of Faith, the additional
30 hours needed to complete
the Catechist Certificate.
(See the ECHOES OF
FAITH SHEET, enclosed).
For many, this will be the
simplest way to provide
quality formation at your
site.
Here’s
how the parish/school strategy
would work:
Parishes and schools would complete the ECHOES OF FAITH portion of the CATECHIST FORMATION PLANNING GUIDE (enclosed) and return it to the Center. Based upon participating parishes and schools, the Center would compile an Echoes of Faith training schedule.
Parishes and schools would use the training schedule to determine which topics to offer each year. We recommend that facilities offer one 2-hour CATECHIST module, and one 4-hour module per year (See SAMPLE ECHOES OF FAITH TRAINING SCHEDULE). The primary audience for the catechist module would be new or inexperienced catechists, while the four-hour modules would be suitable for all catechists.
The
parish or school would be
responsible for setting up
a format most suitable
for their own catechists
(ie. one hour format,
evening format, Saturday
format, etc). Where
possible, the parish or
school would establish a
format that could be open
to catechists from the
Region.
The
parish or school would
arrange for use of the
video(s), and purchase
accompanying workbooks for
all participants
[Workbooks can be
purchased at a cheaper
rate through the
Archdiocesan Media
Library]. For participants
beyond the parish or
school, it would be
reasonable to charge a
nominal fee to cover the
cost of workbooks and
other supplies.
While
facilitation of the videos
is fairly simple, some
parishes or schools may
require assistance with
selection of facilitators.
The CEM Center will offer
help as needed here,
including orientation on
how to lead an Echoes workshop.
In a situation where a scheduled module would not be appropriate for a parish or school, that facility might schedule another module not already offered by surrounding facilities. In some situations, it may also be best for a parish or school to use an alternative program to cover their 6 hours of formation.
The
SAMPLE ECHOES OF FAITH TRAINING
SCHEDULE shows how
parishes and schools could
offer courses in rotation over
three years. The final
Schedule will depend upon the
number of parishes or schools
who participate.
Note
that the above strategy
includes only a minimum number
of clock hours. Parishes and
schools are encouraged to
offer additional formation and
Echoes modules, and to
make these opportunities open
to the entire region. In
mid-August, the CEM Center
will request from affiliated
parishes and schools a roster
of all catechist formation
sessions to be offered on site
in the coming year. [See
the CATECHIST FORMATION
PLANNING GUIDE, enclosed] The
CEM Center will publish a
comprehensive schedule of any
events open to all of Central
Maryland in September of each
year.