Associate Director for Catechist Formation

Associate Director for Catechesis in the Catholic Schools and Catechist Formation

Department: Office of Catechetics
Reports To: Director of Catechetics
Classification: Exempt

General Description
The Associate Director is responsible for the on-going development of the Catechetical Ministry in the area of catechist formation within the parishes and schools of the Archdiocese. They act as contact person, consultant, specialist, and resource for Catholic Schools in the area of catechesis, working with the appropriate members of the Superintendent of Schools Office. They collaborate with other members of the Archdiocesan Catechetical Office Staff in carrying forward the plans and programs of the Office.

Specific Duties / Responsibilities
The following specific responsibilities are representative of duties required in this position. They may be unilaterally but
reasonably changed based on the working environment and departmental needs.

Catechist Formation Responsibilities
• To carry out a continuing plan for the development of Initial and Ongoing Catechist Formation throughout the
Archdiocese.
• To assess needs, offer support and assist Parish Catechetical Leaders and Catholic School faculty in the areas of
Catechist Formation.
• To assist, train, and accompany the responsible parish/school staff person through catechetical certification for the
furtherance of the certification process for Parish Catechists and Catholic School faculty.
• To act as resource and contact person in the Archdiocese vis a vis the implementation of the catechetical policies
relative to catechist certification and ongoing formation within the Archdiocese.
• To develop courses and content for Catechist Formation for parish catechists and for Catholic school faculty on
the Learning Management System (Learn.rcan.org).
• To provide workshops, retreat days, and professional development sessions for parishes and schools as needed.
• To work with office administrative staff to maintain catechist formation records on the LMS (Learn.rcan.org) and
to provide support to school administration and parish leaders as needed in relation to those records.
• To review curricular materials for catechist formation and to oversee and make recommendations for the use of
such resources.
• To be the lead agent in the organization and presentation of the Catechist Convocation / Catechetical Conference of the Archdiocese.
• To perform other responsibilities as assigned.

Catholic School Staff and Faculty Support
• To develop and carry out a continuing plan for the development and support of catechesis in elementary and secondary schools in the Archdiocese.
• To assess needs, offer support, and assist religion coordinators, theology department chairpersons and school administrators in the application of innovative faith formation initiatives.
• To collaborate with the Office of the Superintendent of Schools in assessing the catechetical needs and facilitating the sharing of resources among the Catholic Schools of the Archdiocese.
• To act as resource and contact person for school faculties vis a vis the implementation of the catechetical policies relative to the schools within the Archdiocese.
• To collaborate with the RCAN Communications & Public Relations Office in order to contribute articles, social media posts and news relevant to catechesis in Catholic Schools.
• To visit the schools of the Archdiocese and accompany the appropriate person in each school responsible for the
religion curriculum (e.g., principal, religion coordinator, religion dept. chair, campus minister, local PCL) as required in the fulfillment of the responsibilities set forth above. Any follow up will be shared with the Office of the Superintendent of Schools as appropriate.
• To collaborate with the appropriate county Associate Director in the Catechetical Office when conducting school/parish visits.
• Onboard new principals onto the Learning Management System and provide support to school administrators as needed.

Qualifications/Skills
• Practicing Catholic, with knowledge of the Catholic Church's structure and terminology.
• A positive referral from a Pastor who knows the applicant personally.
• Excellent communication, organizational skills.
• Presentation and training skills a must.
• Proven ability to maintain confidentiality.
• Digital literacy in Microsoft Office, Google Suite, teleconferencing and other digital tools employed in catechetical ministry is required.

Education and/or Experience
A Master's degree in Catechetics, Theology, Education or a related field is required.
Minimally, a combination of five years' experience in parish catechetics and Catholic School education is expected.

Physical Demands
The physical demands are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential
functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the
essential functions.