PARISH BULLETIN: Religious Education
What's In a Name?

Cecelia P. Regan

The titles given to the people and offices engaged in faith formation need to reflect their reality.

This past June I accepted a new position as diocesan director of religious education for the diocese in which I live and minister. I miss my colleagues from the parish and the catechists and families for whom I ministered for twenty years. I am certainly trying to adjust to the different rhythms of diocesan life and the proper protocol. (The second week I was here I managed to call my bishop “Monsignor” when he stopped by my office one afternoon to ask how I was doing…. oops!) But ministering on the diocesan level is a new challenge that fills me with enthusiasm and much hope for the church. This transition, while at times overwhelming, is putting to use all the things I learned in my parish, and allows me to share my knowledge and experience of faith formation with other catechetical ministers. But I’m having an issue with titles—some just don’t mirror what’s going on!

Names reflect meaning

The General Directory for Catechesis states, “It should not be overlooked that the recipient of catechesis is the whole Christian community and every person in it.” Since 1999, the U.S. bishops have prioritized lifelong faith formation in their pastoral plan, Our Hearts Were Burning within Us and in the National Directory for Catechesis (2005). Looking at the ministry of catechesis, it is obvious that the name “diocesan office of religious education” has outgrown the narrower perimeters of religious education, which for many implies a “school model” approach to faith formation. “Catechesis” includes religious education and faith formation for children AND youth AND adults—the whole community from birth to death. Information, formation, and transformation are necessary for a relationship with Jesus Christ. In many parishes all over our country, whole community catechesis is taking root. Faith is being caught, not taught. Families are being transformed into disciples. There is a newfound spirit that permeates parish life, and people of all ages are growing closer to the Lord.

The diocesan office needs to reflect, support, and help parish communities share this light of faith. The name “Diocesan Office of Religious Education” just doesn’t fit anymore, and so with the guidance of the National Directory for Catechesis (NDC and approval of our bishop, we were renamed the Diocesan Office for Catechesis. This more encompassing title is truer to the definitive aim of catechesis: “…to put people not only in touch, but also in communion and intimacy with Jesus Christ” (GDC). Catechesis is more encompassing and inclusive than religious education or CCD classes. Diocesan offices need to help parishes understand that lifelong faith formation promotes understanding of shared values and a common faith, as well as respect for individuals in all stages and ages of life.

Catechesis is from a Greek word katechein meaning “echo.” The diocesan office must take seriously its role to “echo” the faith to all generations—from the youngest members of our parishes to the elderly. This echoing is just as important to the spiritual development of parish catechetical leaders, catechists, and lifelong faith formation teams who also continue on their faith journey. Perhaps you need to take a look at what you call the process of catechesis in your diocese or parish. What does the name say to your people? What new model(s) of faith formation are evolving in parishes? Is a renaming necessary to communicate to the people of God that religious education and formation are not just for kids anymore?

Parish Catechetical Leaders (PCLs)

It has come to my attention that there is great misunderstanding about the title PCL. The first week I arrived in the diocesan center, two pastors approached me wanting to know the definition of “parish catechetical leader.” I never liked the title, probably because I didn’t understand it. The pastors expressed a concern that the title PCL does not fit what the leaders of catechetical ministry are doing in their parish and that various titles are in place for those who supervise segments of catechetical ministry in their parish. When I assumed this position all I knew was that PCL was a title that came from the National Conference for Catechetical Leadership (NCCL). So I started reading the documents more carefully and e-mailed other diocesan offices to come up with definitions of titles for catechetical ministers.

Here’s what I discovered: catechetical leader is the generic term that refers to anyone in catechetical leadership. As outlined in the NDC, this includes bishops and diocesan staffs, priests, deacons, religious, directors, pastoral associates, school principals, coordinators, and administrative assistants. Specific titles, job descriptions, and educational/formational requirements vary from diocese to diocese and there is no consensus about what to call them: “Depending on the scope of responsibilities, the position is usually titled ‘parish director of catechesis or religious education,’ ‘parish coordinator of catechesis or religious education,’ or ‘minister of catechesis or religious education’” (NDC).

The National Directory for Catechesis states that “the single most critical factor in an effective parish catechetical program is the leadership of a professionally trained catechetical leader.” The document continues, “Preparation for service… should include advanced studies in theology, scripture, liturgy, catechesis and catechetical methodology, educational psychology and theory, and administration.” A PCL must be a fully initiated, practicing Catholic who views his or her ministry as a baptismal call, and must be in initial or continuing academic and spiritual formation to be in leadership. So what distinguishes a PCL with a master’s degree from the PCL who is the administrative assistant? After researching, here’s what we have come up with in my diocese. I hope the following descriptions will be helpful.

A parish catechetical leader may be considered a Director or Pastoral Associate of Religious Education/ Catechesis/ Faith Formation when the following guidelines are met:

• A master’s degree in theology, religious education or pastoral ministry;
  
• Facility in catechetical programming at all levels of lifelong faith formation;
  
• Experience in catechetical ministry;
  
• Certification by the diocese;
  
• Continuing formation and updating.

A parish catechetical leader is considered a Coordinator of Religious Education/Catechesis/ Faith Formation when the following requirements are met:

• Bachelor’s degree in theology, religious studies, and/or certification from a Catholic college or university in religious education or equivalent field;
  
• Facility in catechetical programming in one area of parish catechesis;
  
• Experience in catechetical ministry;
  
• Continuing formation and updating.

Lay Ecclesial Ministry

If it seems as though there is bewilderment about what we should call ourselves, it’s because the training of lay ecclesial ministers is a work in progress. According to the U.S. bishops’ document Co-Workers in the Vineyard of the Lord, A Resource for Guiding the Development of Lay Ecclesial Ministry (2005), lay ecclesial ministry is a generic term that refers to professionally trained or otherwise properly prepared women and men, including vowed religious, who are in positions of leadership and service in the church, such as PCLs, pastoral associates, youth ministry leaders, school principals, and directors of worship and music. The bishops want to guarantee that “the development of lay ecclesial ministry continues in ways that are faithful to the church’s theological and doctrinal tradition, and that respond to contemporary pastoral needs and situations.”

In response to this document, many dioceses are offering or beginning to develop systematic theological education, spiritual formation, and pastoral skills specifically for laity already in ministry or for those new to ministry. Based on the standards of formation for priests and deacons, Co-Workers establishes similar guidelines for the formation of lay ecclesial ministers: human, spiritual, intellectual, and pastoral formation. Mercy Sister Amy Hoey, a member of the bishops’ Subcommittee on Lay Ministry who prepared the document, says, “The document notes that there is no single answer to what level of preparation and formation should be expected, suggesting that lay ecclesial ministers, their supervisors, and diocesan bishops are best positioned to discern local needs and to set standards accordingly, seeking always to provide what will best serve a given pastoral setting.”

The National Certification Standards for Lay Ecclesial Ministers, a joint project of NCCL and other national ministerial offices, was approved by the U. S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in 2003 to provide a tool for examining the standards and certification processes in dioceses: “Lay ecclesial ministers can draw upon these certification standards as they seek to grow in discipleship and service.” A process has begun to revise the certification standards that will be presented to the bishops in 2011. Since extensive consultation will be undertaken, it is my guess is that so much is happening at the grassroots level that the certification standards need to be researched, looked at through new eyes, and updated.

No matter where your diocese is in its journey to educate and form lay ecclesial ministers, I strongly recommend that you spend some time with these two documents. The bishops’ affirmation of lay ecclesial ministry as a gift to the church is well worth the read. The documents will help you discern how to continue your formation and perhaps stimulate some discussion about implementing or fine-tuning the certification process in your diocese. “Lay people working in and for the Church require support and encouragement in the special task of evangelizing an increasingly incredulous world” (Co-Workers in the Vineyard of the Lord).

Cecelia P. Regan is the director of the Office for Catechesis in the diocese of Metuchen, N.J. Previously, she served as the director of religious education at St. Thomas the Apostle Parish in Old Bridge, N.J. where she ministered for twenty years.