The 2009 Catholic School Teacher Formation Guidelines available by clicking here.

Catechist Formation - General Policy, Guidelines and Suggested Resources:

The Diocese of Buffalo believes in the priority of on-going faith formation for Catholics of all ages. With this in mind, we require that all catechists – those who volunteer for parish programs, and all those who teach religion in our Catholic schools – be properly prepared for this ministry.

The Catechist Formation Program, as defined below, is a 34 hours faith formation program for adult catechists. Parish catechetical leaders and school principals are responsible for ensuring that their teachers are equipped for ministry by sponsoring learning sessions on a regular basis and/or availing their staff to attend programs when offered.

All catechists must be participating in formation annually. Teachers in our Catholic Schools are required to participated in 5 hours of catechist formation annually. Catechist formation is an ongoing process. Each catechist is expected to pursue enrichment beyond certification. They should attend courses, seminars and workshops to keep themselves updated in theology and methodology. After achieving Level III certification, each catechist must participate in at least five hours of enrichment each year in order to maintain certification. Documentation of the workshops, courses, etc. attended should be kept in their personnel file maintained by their parish catechetical leader or principal.

In addition to the curriculum outlined here, the Diocese also recommends the use of the video-assisted learning program, Echoes of Faith. An outline correlating this program to our curriculum is also given below.

Level I

1. Ministry of the Catechist/(1 hour)
2. Professionalism and Legal Issues *(1½ hours)
3. Classroom Techniques *(3½ hours)
   (*not required by those NYS Certification)
4. Introduction to Theology (3 hours)
   
   1. Scripture
   2. Liturgy and Spirituality
   3. Sacraments
   4. Saints and Mariology
   5. Catechism of the Catholic Church
       
5. Local Procedures and Directives (to be done in each parish individually) (1 hour)*

Level II (12 hours: each topic is approximately 3 hours) 

1. Faith Development
2. Liturgy, Prayer, Spirituality
3. Sacraments and RCIA
4. Morality/Conscience Development

Level III (12 hours: each topic is approximately 3 hours)

1. Scripture
2. Christology
3. Creed/Church (Ecclesiology)
4. Vatican II/Social Justice

Please Note: Credit will be given for participation in other formation programs, college or adult religious education/enrichment courses. This depends on the length and quality of the course and if it was taken in the last 10 years. Fill out Certification Needs Assessment Form and send it to the Diocesan Director of Lifelong Faith Formation. Include a copy(s) of transcript or verification of participation in these sessions if relevant. This form is available from the Office of Lifelong Faith Formation.

Completed attendance lists must be sent to the Office of Lifelong Faith Formation for processing before a certifcate of completion for each level is issued. (Please make sure names submitted for certificates are legible.)

Echoes of Faith and Catechist Formation

It is the policy of the Diocese of Buffalo that each teacher/catechist in a parish religious education program or a Catholic school be certified in our Catechist Formation Program or in the process of working toward catechist certification. Catholic School teachers are required to participate in 5 hours annually. The detailed outline for Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3 is listed above.

The video series, Echoes of Faith, may also be used for catechist formation. Along with a workbook and discussion, Echoes of Faith is a video program produced by RCL Publishing in cooperation with the National Conference for Catechetical Leadership (NCCL). Visit www.rcl-benziger.com for ordering information. Below is a correlation for this video-assisted alternative.

Level 1 - These 4 modules (listed below) comprise most of Level 1. Segments of Echoes’ Theology Modules may be used to present Introductory Theology. Local procedures and policies are still covered by individual coordinators.

• Getting Started as a Catechist – 2 hours
• Role of the Catechist – 2 hours
• Person of the Catechist – 2 hours
• Grade Level Methodology – 2 hours

N.B: A valuable suggestion in the Director’s Manual is to use The Person of the Catechist as a beginning of the year catechists’ retreat or a midyear evening of reflection or in the Catholic schools for faculty enrichment days.

Level 2 & Level 3 - These 4 modules cover Level 2 and begin Level 3:

• Introduction to the Learner – 4 hours
• Prayer and Spirituality – 4 hours
• Liturgy and Sacraments – 4 hours
• Catholic Morality – 4 hours

Level 3 - These 2 modules cover part of Level 3*:

• Introduction to Scripture – 4 hours
• I Believe, We Believe – 4 hours

*Vatican II/ Social Justice are not covered in this video series. You may chose to use a qualified speaker to do a presentation in alignment with our Catechist Formation curriculum or by using the following videos:

• Vatican II can be explored through the video series entitled The Faithful Revolution (choose some of Parts 1, 2, 4).
• Social Justice can be explored through a video entitled In the Footsteps of Jesus; Catholic Social Teaching at Work Today.

Both these videos and the entire Echoes of Faith series can be borrowed from the Catholic Center Library by calling 716-847-8778 (voicemail available 24 hours). Borrowing is free, except for postage.

For more information or assistance with implementing this alternative, please call Christopher Hanley at 847-5505 or email at chanley@buffalodiocese.org.