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Planning Your Catechetical Year: Three Tips for Catechetical Leaders           
by Jo Rotunno

During August, most catechetical leaders are deep into the process of recruiting catechists, ordering textbooks and supplies, setting up or revising record-keeping systems, and dealing with inevitable last minute registrations. The pressing organizational needs of your job can fill up your days and leave you with too little time for the ministerial things that matter most—and that you would much rather be doing. Why not hand off a few of those time-killer tasks to other staff or to able volunteers and buy yourself some time to plan for a successful and fulfilling year for catechists, children, and their families? Here are three tips that could help.

1. Interview ­­every catechist in your program. Catechetical leaders who know their catechists well, have learned their needs, and devised ways to assist them have a more committed and loyal catechetical community. Interview brand new catechists, but schedule at least a private coffee break or sack lunch with your seasoned catechists as well. Get caught up with what is going on with them, and gather suggestions from them for improving your program. If you have an extremely large program, do this with small groups.

2. Help every catechist create a growth plan. At the start of the catechetical year, invite each catechist to develop a personalized plan for their own spiritual and catechetical growth. Organize their reflection around three areas: spiritual growth, growth in knowledge, and expansion of skills. You may wish to ask a few guiding questions to assist them. What would you like to do this year to deepen your relationship with Jesus Christ? In what area of Church doctrine do you feel you need the most help? What new skill or activity would you like to learn that you think the children would enjoy? What skill or ability do you have that you would like to share with others?

From this pre-assessment, you can take an important step in planning your year. You can schedule events that will meet the expressed needs of your catechists. Challenge each of your catechists to make a firm commitment in each of these areas, no matter how small their first steps may be. Each step taken will lead to greater commitment and help to turn volunteers into dedicated catechists.

3. Partner with parents. This is the most important step of all. If necessary, make a fundamental shift in your thinking about the parents of the children in your program. The Church’s statement that parents are the primary educators of their children is not simply a dream or an exhortation. It is a reality, for good or ill. Parents will in fact be the strongest influence on their children’s early growth in faith. Children’s ideas of God, of right and wrong, of Church, will be formed first by their parents. Your program simply does everything it can to assist the development of these attitudes. Your support for Catholic family life is as important as what occurs in your weekly program.

Encourage your catechists to meet individually with parents and ask them, “What do you want for your children? What is the one thing that I could do to help you this year?” Reinforce this positive message in your fall parent meetings. Invite parents into a “contract” with the parish. Name all the ways you will be trying to assist their children’s growth in faith, and invite them to write down the ways, both large and small, that they are supporting their children’s growth. Be willing to challenge your parents, but remind them that the smallest steps count.

In whatever ways you choose to grow your catechetical program this year, please know that all of us at RCL Benziger are here to support you in any way we can. Don’t hesitate to call on us at 1-877-275-4725.