Becoming a Catechist at St. Julia Parish

What is a Catechist?

The original meaning of the word Catechist is "teacher", or one who "echoes" God's word. But a catechist is more than just a teacher who has factual knowledge of the Catholic tradition and teachings. A catechist is a "minister" of the church, one who is commissioned by the community to help pass on the faith to the children of the parish. A catechist is also a "proclaimer" of the Good News of Christ, which assumes that he/she truly believes in Christ and therefore teaches with joy and enthusiasm. A catechist is a "mentor", showing the children by his/her own example of how to live as a Christian, both in celebrating the sacraments, and in how to live as a Christian in the midst of often conflicting societal values.
     - Based on a piece by Carl J. Pfeifer, The Catechist's Connection, October, 1995

We NEED you!

Every year we rely on 50-60 people of the parish to pass on the faith to our children in the small classes that we find so effective at St. Julia Parish. No prior experience is needed. None of our catechists have advanced degrees in teaching Catholic Religious Education (C.R.E.). Perhaps you don't feel that your faith is strong, or deep, enough. That's OK. Time and time again, new catechists marvel at how much teaching the faith to the children has strengthened their own faith. Perhaps you are intimidated about what to say or how to teach to a group of kids you don't know at all. Not to worry, we will orient you and you will have a wonderful, user-friendly textbook to use, with many suggestions and helps for running each class. There are many resources in the Religious Education office at your disposal.

Many new catechists sign up to teach with a friend. We actually encourage team teaching, because two sets of hands are always better than one, particularly with a group of children working on a craft or breaking out in small discussion groups. And when one of you can't make it to class, there is always the other who can be there.

What should I expect if I sign up?

Come and meet with Anne Marie Mahoney, the Pastoral Associate for Faith Formation. She will introduce you to our program and will help you begin. All new catechists attend orientation sessions held just before classes begin in the fall. You will receive a teacher's guide for the textbook of the particular grade that you signed up for, and a syllabus which suggests which chapter to cover for each of the classes during the year. Sometimes the catechists of a particular grade will get together and plan their classes together.

The Religious Education office has numerous resources for craft projects, ideas for games, storybooks, prayer books, and audiovisual materials to support your lesson plans. A good number of catechists have had a few years experience teaching, and are more than happy to share tips and suggestions. Like anything else, once you get started you will get the hang of it, and learn what works and what doesn't for your particular class.

The most important thing is to try and make time to prepare the class ahead of time, about two hours during the week prior to the class. You should plan to arrive about 20 minutes early to get the classroom ready, call upon the Holy Spirit for guidance, and SMILE. The time goes by very quickly and you will be amazed at the interaction of the children engaging with the material you present. And remember: the goal is not to get through as much material as possible so the kids can pass a test, it is to give the children a little bit of quality faith-sharing time and prayer time with Jesus. You are not responsible for the faith of these children - you are only offering your example and your time to learn about Christ with them.

Catechist Reflections on Teaching C.R.E. at St. Julia

"My journey started as a helper in a first grade classroom where I learned from two fabulous teachers that the most important ingredients in a successful classroom are faith, respect and a sense of humor. Now - I know all of us have those characteristics at the ready most of the time! I just wrapped up teaching a fabulous group of 2nd graders this year who just received their First Communion on April 29th. They are a great group of kids and I will never forget them."
               - Susan McGinty

"I was bringing home a lot of materials to prepare for my class. My children started to ask questions and wanted to help me prepare. Eventually we were talking more and more about religion at home. We were using craft projects during Advent and Lent on our kitchen table. We were planning small family service projects and we started to pray together before dinner."

"The following year I taught grade two. I was thrilled to help prepare my daughter and her friends to receive their first Holy Communion. I will never forget that Sacramental experience..."
               - Mary Gilberto

"I was terrified on my first day of teaching first grade CRE. What was I going to say to the children? Would they listen to me? Was I going to mess up? I breathed a prayer to the Holy Spirit - my father always told me to do that and now I did. The Spirit came through. I had a delightful first class because I fell in love with those little faces before me, so eager to take in whatever was being taught and wanting to "be good for Jesus". The next year I taught fourth grade - wow - what a difference in the kids' ability to do things! They loved taking turns reading out loud, sharing their thoughts on the challenges of school and family life, doing craft projects and playing jeopardy. I actually think they liked coming to CRE class! And I learned so much more about the Old Testament when I taught 6th grade - it spurred me to enroll in a Bible Study class of Genesis and Exodus which, in turn, brought me new understanding of the Jewish faith."
               - Chantal Buchanan