Welcome Introduce yourself Introduce the Effective Catechetical Leader series as a joint effort between Loyola Press and the National Conference for Catechetical Leadership (NCCL)

That’s SO last millennium! The Effective DRE Explain that the original collaboration was titled The Effective DRE series and that it was published in the late 1990s Talk about how the Church, society, and the world have experienced significant changes in these past several decades leading to the need to revise the series NCCL approached Loyola Press about collaborating on a revision several years ago and the new series came to fruition in 2017. That’s SO last millennium!

The Effective Catechetical Leader Do a brief overview of the titles and their authors: Called by Name: Preparing Yourself for the Vocation of Catechetical Leader – Joe Paprocki (National Consultant for Faith Formation, Loyola Press) Catechetical Leadership: What It Should Look Like, How It Should Work, and Whom It Should Serve – Adrian Alberto Herrera (Associate Director for the Office of Evangelization and Catechesis, Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston) Developing Disciples of Christ: Understanding the Critical Relationship between Catechesis and Evangelization – Julianne Stanz (Director of New Evangelization, Diocese of Green Bay)

The Effective Catechetical Leader Cultivating Your Catechists: How to Recruit, Encourage and Retain Successful Catechists – Jayne Ragasa-Mondoy (Director of Religious Education, Diocese of Honolulu) Excellence in Ministry: Best Practices for Successful Catechetical Leadership – Tom Quinlan (Director of Religious Education, Diocese of Joliet) All God’s People: Effective Catechesis in a Diverse Church – Donna Tolliver Grimes (Assistant Director for African American Affairs in the Secretariat of Cultural Diversity in the Church at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB)

Cultivating Your Catechists How to Recruit, Encourage and Retain Successful Catechists By Jayne Ragasa-Mondoy Introduce the focus of this session: Cultivating Your Catechists: How to Recruit, Encourage and Retain Successful Catechists – This book teaches catechetical leaders how to recruit, train, support, inspire, supervise, evaluate, and retain catechists in their parishes. Jayne Ragasa-Mondoy serves as Director of Religious Education for the Diocese of Honolulu. Jayne began her professional career in corporate management before earning a master's degree in pastoral leadership from Chaminade University of Honolulu. Her experience includes working with and leading volunteers in diocesan and parish catechetical ministries, serving as a high school teacher and administrator, and as a governing board member for local Catholic and private schools and the National Conference for Catechetical Leaders (NCCL).​

Cultivating Catechists – Your #1 Priority Not just any “warm body” will do! Point out the most catechetical leaders agree that their number one priority is recruiting and forming qualified catechists. Explain that it is crucial to set high standards and to not settle for any “warm body” to fill slots on the catechetical team. Invite participants to share insights on what qualities they look for most in a potential catechist.

Serving as a Catechist: A HEROIC Calling One thing all real heroes have in common is that they use every fiber of their being to do something that makes a profoundly positive difference in the lives of others. Talk about how serving as a catechist can and should be considered a “heroic” calling. Invite participants to share their understanding of what it means to be a “hero.” Share the definition of a hero from the book, Beyond Success: In Beyond Success: The 15 Secrets to Effective Leadership and Life, Brian D. Biro explains that one thing all real heroes have in common is that they use every fiber of their being to do something that makes a profoundly positive difference in the lives of others. Heroes do not have to wear capes or possess super powers. We all have heroes in our own lives, those people who on one or more occasions used every fiber of their being to make a profound difference in our life. The call to follow Christ is nothing less than heroic. Based on that definition, invite participants to share examples of personal heroes in their lives.

More Than Volunteerism – a VOCATION 231. The vocation of the laity to catechesis springs from the sacrament of Baptism. It is strengthened by the sacrament of Confirmation. Through the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation they participate in the "priestly, prophetic and kingly ministry of Christ". (184) Point out that the Church does not refer to serving as a catechist as volunteerism but as a vocation. Read the quote from the General Directory for Catechesis, 231, and emphasize the role of the catechist as a vocation. 231. The vocation of the laity to catechesis springs from the sacrament of Baptism. It is strengthened by the sacrament of Confirmation. Through the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation they participate in the "priestly, prophetic and kingly ministry of Christ". (184) In addition to the common vocation of the apostolate, some lay people feel called interiorly by God to assume the service of catechist. The Church awakens and discerns this divine vocation and confers the mission to catechize. Ask participants to share implications and ramifications of understanding the role of catechist as a vocation. Consider using Chapter 1 printout “A Catechist’s Vocation-Discernment Checklist” to further discussion.

A Catechist’s Simple Role Description Qualities of an Effective Catechist Desire Awareness Commitment Strength Generosity   Knowledge and Skills of a Catechist Understanding of Catholic teaching and Tradition Honest and caring Effective teaching skills Ask if any participants have written/used role descriptions for the role of catechist. Talk about the importance of defining the role of catechist before inviting people to consider serving in the role. Emphasize that such a role description needs to be kept simple and concise so as not to intimidate or chase away potential catechists. Go over this list of qualities that are part of an effective catechist’s personality: A desire to grow in and share faith An awareness of God’s grace and the desire to respond to that grace A commitment to the church’s liturgical and sacramental life and moral teachings A strength of character built on patience, responsibility, confidence, and creativity A generosity of spirit, a respect for diversity, and a habit of hospitality and inclusion Go over this list of knowledge, and skills that are part of a catechist’s role description. A basic understanding of Catholic teaching, Scripture, and Catholic tradition Honest and caring relationships with young people (and their families) Effective teaching techniques and strategies Consider using Chapter 2 handout “A Catechist’s Role Description” for furthering discussion.

Identify Potential Pools of Candidates For example: Parents of children enrolled in the faith formation program RCIA Neophytes Parishioners actively engaged in adult faith formation Professional teachers Invite participants to share potential pools of catechists from which they have drawn. Go over this list of potential pools of catechists on the slide. Parents of children enrolled in the faith formation program Catechist aides Retired parishioners RCIA Neophytes Caution: avoid “pouncing” on Neophytes immediately after the Easter Vigil! Give them some breathing space so as to not overwhelm them Parishioners actively engaged in adult faith formation Parishioners participating in lay ministry formation programs Members of the parish pastoral council Especially those involved in the education commission or committees focused on education or catechesis. Professional teachers These teachers don’t need to be from the Catholic schools, public schools teachers are a wonderful option too. Former catechists Referrals from the pastoral staff Recommendations from current catechists Invite participants to share insights and experiences about any of the examples on the slide. Invite participants to add other examples of potential pools of candidates. Consider using Chapter 3 printout “Diving into the Pool of Potential Catechists” to further discussion.

Keep Your Catechists “Well-Fed” with Ongoing Formation Books Seminars Workshops Conferences CDs DVDs Podcasts Webinars Online Courses for Credit Ask participants if any have pets and share examples of how they were acquired. Point out that children often ask for pets but don’t realize the importance of the care and feeding of them! Explain that one of the most important responsibilities of the catechetical leader is the “care and feeding” of catechists through ongoing formation. Share the list of suggestions on the slide for providing ongoing formation and nourishment for catechists. Invite participants to share/add further examples.

Supervision and Evaluation Explain that a key responsibility of the catechetical leader is to supervise and evaluate catechists. Invite participants to talk about examples from their own life in which they have been supervised and evaluated by a superior. Talk about how catechetical leaders can supervise their catechists both informally (dropping in on sessions) as well as formally (observing an entire lesson). Invite participants to share wisdom on best approaches for evaluating catechists and sharing that information with them in a constructive manner. Consider using Chapter 7 printout “Catechist Evaluation Form” to further discussion.

Individual Catechist Files Personal information Academic credentials Catechist certification record Evaluations A roster of all catechists, their class assignments, and contact information Explain that it is crucial for catechetical leaders to maintain records of their catechists. Go over this list of information on the slide identifying what should be kept in individual catechist files: Personal information: Legal name, address, emergency contact information Academic credentials, if applicable Special awards/recognitions Catechist formation/certification record Safe environment certification Sample lesson plans Catechist meeting/workshop/retreat attendance Evaluations A roster of all catechists, their class assignments, and contact information Communication logs Invite participants to share other suggestions and to talk about their own approaches to maintaining files.

Affirmation Acknowledge Show gratitude Build community Explain that catechists are deserving of affirmation for the work they do. Talk about the importance and benefit of affirmation. Go over this list of suggestions for providing affirmation to catechists. Acknowledge: Call forth their gifts and vocations Note the good work they do Have a bulletin board to showcase exceptional work/service Show gratitude Send cards/notes Say, “Thank you!” Recognize birthdays Celebrate milestones with parties Developing quality relationships and building community, growing people Personal invitations Commissioning events Invite participants to share their favorite approach(es) to affirming catechists. Consider using Chapter 9 printout “A Checklist for Expressing Thanks” for furthering discussion.

Building a Catechetical Community Stress the importance of making sure that catechists recognize that they are members of a catechetical community where they find support. Brainstorm ways that catechetical leaders can and should build community for their catechists, beginning with basic hospitality and leading to efforts that build relationships and fortify their vocation. Invite participants to share ideas of effective ways of building community for catechists.

Available for iOS and Android in the app store. The ECL App Available for iOS and Android in the app store. Make reference to the ECL App and note that it is FREE.

More Resources Continue to train and equip your catechists with The Catechist’s Toolbox Series.

More Resources www.LoyolaPress.com Visit our home on the web for resources for catechists and lesson plans. Sunday Connection Catechist’s Journey www.LoyolaPress.com