General Information

The program consists of two levels: Level 1 (Basic Catechesis Formation) and Level 2 (Doctrinal Units).

Course Objectives

A woman reads the bible and takes notes. The objective of the St. Francis De Sales Program is to prepare the catechist to be an effective witness and teacher of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. One of the main tenets of this program is to assist the catechist in forming and developing sound catechetical lesson plans that will draw the student toward a closer relationship with Jesus Christ. Throughout this program emphasis is placed on using sound resources such as Sacred Scripture, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Magisterial Catechetical documents. In the end, the catechist will come away with a sound catechetical foundation enabling him/her to transmit the Gospel with rigor and vigor.

Catechist Requirements

Catechists are required to:

Participate in all required sessions (9) to complete Level 1 of the Catechist Formation Program.
Participate in two Diocesan sponsored catechetical workshops, lectures or presentations.
Complete the monthly reflection questions.
Craft and submit two doctrinal lesson plans utilizing the ecclesial methodology.

Catechetical Credit Hours

There are a total of 9 sessions required to complete Level 1 (Basic Catechist Certification). The breakdown of credit hours is as follows:

Each Session equals (3) credit hrs except for the last session which is valued at 6 credit hours
(9) Sessions x (3) credit hours for a total of *30 credit hours
Completion of two well-crafted doctrinal lesson plans is 20 credit hours.
Participation in two approved Diocesan workshops, conferences, or lectures is **20 credit hours
Total credit hours needed to complete Basic Catechist Certification is 70 credit hours.

*Session Nine counts for 6 credit hours

**Examples of Approved Diocesan Events: UD Ministry Conference, National Catechetical Conferences i.e. St. John Bosco Conference, NCCL, NCEA, etc.

Textbooks

The Holy Bible
Revised Standard Version 2^ndEdition; Ignatius Press (2006) San Francisco
Catechism of the Catholic Church
2^nd Edition; USCCB (2002) Washington D.C.
Catechesis In Our Time
Pope John Paul II; Daughters of St. Paul (1979) New York
General Directory for Catechesis
Congregation for the Clergy; Libreria Vaticana Editrice 1997
The Mystery We Proclaim
2^nd Edition; Msgr. Francis D. Kelly Our Sunday Visitor (2000)
The Catechism of the Catholic Church and the Craft of Catechesis
Morgan, Willey, De Cointet; Ignatius Press (2008) San Francisco

Fees

The fee to complete the program is $70.00 per catechist. Note: The fee does not cover books.

Parish Financial Assistance
All catechists should inquire with their Pastor or Director of Religious Education about tuition assistance to participate in the program.

Length of the Program

The average length of the program will be 2 years. Please note: students may be able to finish the program sooner depending on scheduling and availability of instructors, host sites, etc.

Contacts:

Paola Quintero-Araújo, MA
Director of St. Junipero Serra Institute
817-945-9353

Elizabeth Contreras
Administrative Assistant
817-945-9357

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