The Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston

The diocesan CCE Office assists Catechetical Leaders to empower all catechists in the diocese to work towards full catechist certification.  Diocesan Board of Education policy states that “all catechists shall work toward full catechist certification.” The CCE Office offers all theological content courses and catechetics modules required for full catechist certification.

The Catechist Formation program is designed to provide the necessary elements required for certification.  There are 5 major components required for full Catechist certification.  They are:

 An initial certificate can be issued for those who have completed the following number of hours:

Equivalency credit can be granted for undergraduate or graduate level coursework in Theology and Education. Contact the Office at 713 741 8730 to request an evaluation of your college work.
 

Theological Content Courses (102 hours)

The following courses are required to fulfill the theological content requirements for certification. Each course will count only once towards either initial or full certification. Courses may be taken in any order; however, they are listed in a suggested order to best benefit catechist formation. To obtain catechist credit, summary papers for content courses must be submitted within two years of completion of a course.
 

Ministry (6 hours)

To present an overview of Christian ministry as a call from God to the Christian person through the Sacrament of Baptism.
 

Old Testament (12 hours)

To present the historical and literary development, structure and major themes of the Old Testament; grasp insights from scriptural scholarship, and utilize these insights to study the Scriptures.
 

New Testament (12 hours)

To present the historical and literary development, structure and major themes of the New Testament; grasp insights from scriptural scholarship, and utilize these insights to study the Scriptures.
 

Christology (6 hours)

To build on the participant’s awareness of Jesus, the person of history and the Christ of faith.
 

Church Doctrine (8 hours)

To explore the basic doctrines of the Catholic faith through the Creed, study of Scripture, the traditions of the Church and teaching of the Magisterium.
 

Prayer & Spirituality (6 hours)

To deepen the person’s understanding and need for prayer in their spiritual life.
 

Church History (10 hours)

To study the development of the Church from the early community experience through Vatican II to the present age.
 

Sacraments & Liturgy (12 hours)

To present an overview of the sacramental and liturgical life of the Church and to enhance the experience of communal prayer.
 

Moral Teachings of the Church (12 hours)

To present an overview of morality and to apply key moral teachings of the Church to one’s life experience. To reflect upon the role of conscience in moral decision making.
 

Mission & Discipleship (6 hours)

To identify the mission of the Church as one’s own mission to discipleship living.
 

Human Sexuality (12 hours)

To explore the importance of God’s gift of human sexuality in light of the teachings of the Catholic Church.
 

Catechetics Modules  (20 hours)

The following modules fulfill the catechetics requirements for initial and full certification. Each module will count only once towards either initial or full certification. Courses may be taken in any order, however, they are listed in a suggested order to best benefit catechist formation. The 10 (two-hour) modules are designed to include instruction regarding persons with disabilities, sensitivity to families, cultural diversity and justice issues. Instructors must use approved lesson plans and be in serviced to teach a particular module.

The Person of the Catechist (2 hours) – This module invites a deeper understanding of the call and the vocation of the catechist and explores the history of the Church’s catechetical ministry.

*Getting Started as a Catechist (2 hours) – This module introduces the essentials needed to be a good catechist, demonstrates positive classroom management and discipline techniques

*Basic Lesson Planning (2 hours) – This module will help the catechist understand and put into practice the components for a basic catechetical learning process.

*Teaching Different Learning Styles (2 hours) – This module identifies a variety of ways people learn, which when used in the catechetical setting, can help all students learn.

Spirituality of the Catechist (2 hours) – This module challenges the catechist to be a person of prayer, one who frequently reflects on the Scriptures and whose Christ-like living testifies to a deep faith.

*Human Development: Faith & Moral Dimensions (2 hours) – This module presents an overview of developmental theories and their relationship to discipleship living.

Role of the Family in Catechesis (2 hours) – This module presents the role of family as central and primary to all faith development.

*Cultural Perspectives in Catechesis (2 hours) – This module will increase the catechist’s awareness of cultural diversity within the Church in order to become a spiritual leader who will minister to all the people of God.

Catechesis and Liturgy (2 hours) – This module presents an overview of the relationship between catechesis and liturgy.

Catholic Identity ( 2 hours)- This module is designed for and required of the Catholic School Religion teacher.  It explores the vital role of the teacher in building and maintaining Catholic Identity.

*Age Specific Lesson Planning (2 hours) – This module if designed for and required of Parish Catechists - Choose one of these: Pre-Kindergarten/Kindergarten, Elementary, Middle School, Senior High, Adult Education, Persons with Disabilities. These modules continue to develop and expand basic lesson planning.

* Equivalency credit can be granted for these courses for college Education courses.

Elective (36 hours)

The following are examples of hours which satisfy the elective component for initial and full certification. These credits can be obtained in the parish, university or diocesan setting:

1. Inservices and Workshops

- Catechist Days, Deanery workshops, Catholic School and Parish Catechetical Inservices, etc.

2. Adult Education Courses

- Scripture, catechist formation courses, theology, teaching methods, human development, Skills for Ministry/Habilidades, Family Advocacy Program, Echoes of Faith, video-assisted catechist formation, etc.

3. Conferences

- National, State, Diocesan, Deanery presentations in religious education, ministry, leadership or spiritual development, etc.

Please submit all requests for elective credits to the Office of Continuing Christian Education when applying for certificates.

Days of Prayer (12 hours) 

The following satisfy the Day s of Prayer requirement- FTCM Days of Reflection, Parish Mission experiences, Engaged Encounter, Marriage Encounter, and a wide variety of other prayer expereinces.

Teaching Experience- 3 Years

Three years of teaching religion is required.  These experiences can be in school or parish catechetical programs, and can be of any age level- children, adults.  Experience does not need to be consecutive.
 

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Archdiocesan Policy requires that all catechists be fully certified by the Archdiocese or in the process of obtaining that certification in order to teach in parish or school catechetical programs.

Catholic School Religion teachers must receive full catechist certification within 5 years of being hired to teach religion. Parish catechists, including all who teach children or adults, must be fully certified or actively in the process of obtaining certification to continue teaching in a parish program.
 

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For more information please contact:
 

Michael Way mway@archgh.org (713) 741-8730

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