C A L L A L L
An initiative to personally contact
the diocesan catechetical leader
in every Roman Catholic Diocese of the United States
National Conference for Catechetical Leadership
Executive Summary
C A L L A L L
Executive Summary
March 25, 2014, Feast of the Annunciation
In the fall of 2013, NCCL undertook the ambitious task of personally contacting the director of catechesis or faith formation in every Catholic diocese of the United States. Current and past members of the Board of Directors and the Representative Council volunteered to contact the respective individuals to establish a time when they could engage in a dialogue around several key questions.
1. What do you see as your greatest challenges/needs in catechetical ministry?
2. What are your two to three top projects/initiatives/goals for the year ahead?
3. In light of what we have just discussed, what could NCCL as an organization do to be of assistance to you in addressing these areas?
4. Beyond the people you have already listed as participants of your diocesan membership, are there other offices or departments in your diocesan structure which have catechetical responsibilities?
Would you like to add these people to your diocesan membership at no extra dues? If yes, I will have the NCCL office contact you about adding those persons.
5. Is there anything else you want to contribute to our conversation or any question you might have about NCCL?
Using phone or email, approximately 40 volunteers diligently worked to establish times for the dialogues to occur. Diocesan catechetical leaders were assured of personal confidentiality along with a promise of a Summary Report.
By the time of the November 2013 Representative Council meeting, over 75% of the diocesan catechetical leaders had either engaged in a telephone interview or had agree to complete and return the questionnaire. Follow-up with the remaining contacts was undertaken and completed by January 17, 2014. Feedback was not received from only three dioceses.
A summary of the responses to 4 of the 5 questions is provided. The question related to additions to the diocesan membership is not included. The Appendices includes the actual statements from the individual participants as recorded by the NCCL caller or as completed on a returned questionnaire.
NCCL expresses its gratitude to all persons who participated in this Call All Initiative. This information will become the basis of NCCL’s Strategic Plan for the next three years, 2015-2017.
QUESTION ONE: CHALLENGES/NEEDS
1. What do you see as your greatest challenges/needs to catechetical ministry?
Diocesan catechetical leaders overwhelming expressed their concern about how the faith is being passed on. The symptoms they offered to describe this challenge were the following:
· While catechists need formation and training, many catechists do not see the need for certification, nor do they participate in workshops or meetings.
· Diocesan staff has been downsized, financial resources supporting catechetical ministry have been decreased which has limited diocesan offerings and/or placed the responsibility on local parishes.
· Parishes lack the financial resources to support catechetical ministry which results in hiring part time parish catechetical leaders who lack the theological education and often have full-time jobs which limit their time and ability to participate in training programs. In turn, these parish catechetical leaders are not qualified to offer catechist formation programs and lack the ability/time to create a program, especially when diocesan guidelines/support is lacking.
· Pastors lack an understanding of good catechesis, the importance of adult faith formation, the significance of a qualified catechetical leader, and the importance of parent involvement in the catechetical process.
· High turnover of volunteer catechists and parish catechetical leaders.
QUESTION TWO: TOP PROJECTS/INITIATIVES/GOALS
2. What are our two – three top projects/initiatives/goals for the year ahead?
In addition to “update”, “create” and “train” the most common words that appeared in these responses were:
· Re-build
· Recognize
· Recruit
· Re-design
· Re-focus
· R-energize
· Re-gain
· Re-structure
· Retain
· Re-tool
· Review
· Revise
· Re-write, and
· Restored order
Dioceses appear to be accepting the challenge of the “new evangelization; new in its ardour, methods and expression” by repackaging what already exists. A sample of these ideas include
· Recognizing and re-energizing catechists who served 10, 20, 30 years and recognizing the ministry of catechesis as a vocation.
· Revising and/or redesigning the certification process
· Restructuring the offices to reduce duplication and build collaboration
· Reviewing all diocesan communications to be “Mission-based Discernment”
· Retooling certification with an emphasis on Catholic identity and retooling a Catholic identity Assessment into a self-assessment.
· Rewriting the curriculum and revising or rewriting Confirmation guidelines
· Refocusing the approach to sacraments so catechetical leaders are “gateways and not gatekeepers”
· Rebuilding parish catechesis from a youth ministry perspective
· Revising the coordinator’s handbook
· Renewed commitment to catechesis and a diocesan event to support this purpose
· Help parents regain their responsibility and role as the first catechist of their children
· Moving from restored order to Confirmation in the 11th grade
QUESTION TWO: TOP PROJECTS/INITIATIVES/GOALS continued
A focus on faith formation as a lifelong journey as well as a focus on parent education and family faith formation and intergenerational catechesis was expressed.
New initiatives involved the development of:
· Post Confirmation program
· An assessment tool for each grade level
· Training the Trainers (Master Catechists) for different geographical locations/centers
· On-line Catechist Formation
· Curriculum Checklist
· Diocesan Know Your Faith Bee
· Diocesan Catechetical Academy
Initiatives for cultivating and hiring new catechetical leaders along with the development of training models for their formation, following the lay ecclesial ministry standards were expressed as an ongoing need. Several found scholarship monies to assist in the training.
Technology was cited as a growing need in an effort to meet the students on their ground. Social media was also seen as a tool for the new evangelization.
QUESTION THREE: ASSISTANCE
3. What could NCCL do to be of assistance to you in addressing these areas?
In general respondents wanted to know more about what NCCL has to offer. NCCL was expected to be a voice to raise the national consciousness for a comprehensive vision of catechesis and to address controversial issues head on.
The need to engage parents and involving them in evangelizing and catechizing their children was identified as a specific issue in maintaining a focus on adult catechesis. There is a strong desire for ideas and best practices involving parents in sacramental preparation, starting with Baptism. A few found pastors lacking in their understanding of catechesis which was evidenced in preaching without a catechetical dimension.
The collaborative efforts of NCCL with the Alliance for the Certification of Lay Ecclesial Ministers (ACLEM), the Partnership on Adolescent Catechesis (PAC), and Strong Catholic Families, Strong Catholic Youth (SCFSCY) were affirmed. Several persons encouraged another look at a common organization that would combine NCEA/NPCD and NCCL. Items that received support from other diocesan directors dealt with the following issues:
Annual Conference: Good for resources and networking, more scholarship monies needed, provide new sights, fresh approaches and speakers who affirm the orthodoxy of the church.
Catechist Formation: Continue to promote Echoes of Faith Plus in both English and Spanish and work to provide this content on-line. Develop a curated website to support national standards that are realistic both in the ability to understand and achieve.
CL Weekly: Keeps people up-to-date but could be more helpful if offered in different modules. The bi-monthly magazine, Catechetical Leader, was described as “helpful”.
Diocese: Introduce new voices in catechesis and evangelization. Contact new directors earlier and with purposeful intent. Create resources to assist catechists in dealing with moral issues with students and adults. Provide practical ideas for catechesis and evangelization.
DDRE Forum was seen as an opportunity to share and discuss current initiatives and challenges along with a listing of faith development opportunities from webinars to books and online courses to conferences. Best practices could be shared and evaluated.
QUESTION THREE: ASSISTANCE continued
Multicultural Issues surfaced with an emphasis on catechesis with Hispanics. NCCL was encouraged to have more bilingual programs and additional offerings to address the growing Catholic Hispanic community along with mentoring for Hispanic leadership. NCCL was cautioned, however, to respond to all cultures, not just the Hispanic community, while understanding that the Latino community is not homogeneous either.
Parish Catechetical Leaders have been assisted in their professional and theological development using the Effective DRE series that was a collaborative effort between Loyola Press and NCCL but it needs updating. While national certification is desirable, many parish catechetical leaders need a level of certification that is not as stringent. Training was requested for a variety of concepts and alternative models including whole community catechesis, intergenerational resources, and RCIA with children of various ages. With the dissolution of the North American Forum on the Catechumenate, some suggested that NCCL look for collaborative ways to address this need.
Website for NCCL needs to be expanded to address the particular needs of diocesan directors as well providing easily accessible resources on topics of interest. The Year of Faith postings were mentioned as helpful. The idea of having a Faith Formation Learning Exchange, similar to the New Evangelization curated website was proposed.
QUESTION FIVE: ADDITIONAL CONTRIBUTIONS/COMMENTS
5. Is there anything else you want to contribute to our conversation or any question you might have about NCCL?
Appreciation was expressed for the Call All Initiative because it affirmed the concept of relationships with the personal touch of the phone call and the open-ended questions. CL Weekly was appreciated though some suggested a different organization of materials. While several affirmed NCCL as the place for collaboration and connection with other diocesan catechetical leaders, there was a desire for additional networking opportunities outside of the national conference and exposition. A desire to share the benefits of NCCL with new diocesan directors was also expressed. Several acknowledged positive feelings and hopes for the work of the Federation of Catechesis with Hispanics (FCH) within the NCCL structure.
A desire for more research based information was mentioned. There appears to be a strong desire for making data driven decisions, especially when it comes to different parish faith formation programs, restored order and comprehensive, systematic models of adolescent catechesis. Respondents also sought connections to educational research on methodology in terms of adult learning, brain-based research and how children learn.
A caution was expressed that NCCL “be prudent, pragmatic and develop things that are sustainable.” NCCL was encouraged to conduct an assessment of it strengths and limitations in order to determine what are the things it does well.
APPENDICES
The following appendices include the responses from the various diocesan catechetical leaders. They are organized and separated according to various topics which is hoped will provide some structure and order to the various responses.
Every effort has been taken to remove specific identifying information. If you have any questions, feel free to contact the NCCL Executive Director, Leland Nagel at either (202) 524.4628 or .
Appendix One: What do you see as your greatest challenges/needs in catechetical ministry?
Appendix Two: What are your two to three top projects/initiatives/goals for the year ahead?
Appendix Three: In light of what we have just discussed, what could NCCL as an organization do to be of assistance to you in addressing these areas?
Appendix Four: Is there anything else you want to contribute to our conversation or any question you might have about NCCL?
APPENDIX ONE
1. What do you see as your greatest challenges/needs in catechetical ministry? / # # notedAdults: getting them to attend faith formation events / 4
Adults: getting them to participate in faith sharing and intentional small group communities / 1
Adults: need to understand the Catholic approach to interpreting Scripture instead of a fundamentalist approach / 1
Bishop: help them to recognize and honor the education, expertise, experience of lay leaders / 1
Bishop: need to put some teeth behind their documents and make the PCLS get trained. / 1
CLs: leaders who are affirmatively orthodox – can present the faith as good, beautiful, helpful – it is not sufficient to avoid saying false things / 1
Catechetical models: define what is solid faith formation in a variety of parish communities (rural, small urban, large urban, immigrant communities, multiple parish ministry.) / 5
Catechetical models: differences in vision and direction of ministry and catechesis at structural level; difficult to be a prophetic voice furthering the Vatican II vision / 2
Catechists: need for training/formation, more current training programs / 32
Catechists: don't attend formation workshops, meetings, don't see the need to be certified / 17
Catechists: need for certification program in the diocese / 6
Catechists: diocese is creating a certification program for the diocese / 2
Catechists: high turnover rate of volunteers / 2
Catechists: need to be professionals, just like school teachers are professionals / 2
Catechists: need to require that all catechists are certified in order to teach religion / 2
Catechists: recruitment, retention / 2
Catechists: Better catechesis on natural law and its implications, e.g. intrinsic goodness of true marriage, of openness to life, etc. and also on the intrinsically evil character of contraception, homosexual acts, etc. / 1
Catechists: Catholic Faith is AWESOME – Those in catechesis should be shouting that from the rooftops and the reasons why, e.g. The Mass, the Eucharist, the Fullness of the Truth, the Fullness of the Means to Salvation, Confession, Mary, the Papacy, Eucharistic Adoration, the Beauty of the Faith, all the Temporal Good the Church does, et. al. / 1
Catechists: convincing Catholic school teachers and parish catechists to believe in life-long faith formation and practice it / 1
Catechists: don't have the background/skills to work with special education students / 1
Catechists: hard to get people to understand that not everyone is meant to be a catechist. / 1
Catechists: Knowledgeable, orthodox, zealous, teachers of the Catholic Faith who cogently present not only what the Church teaches, but why she teaches as she does and why it makes so much sense. / 1