Ministries

Parish Catechetical Leader
“The single most critical factor in an effective catechetical program is the leadership of a professionally trained parish catechetical leader...The functions of such positions vary from parish to parish, but parish catechetical leaders are not simply administrators or general pastoral ministers. The need for systematic training and study should not be minimized. They are catechists first. They should continue their personal, spiritual and professional development and participate in diocesan programs of inservice training and formation, catechetical institutes, conventions, retreats and accredited programs.” (NDC 54-5)

Catechist
“The call to the ministry of catechist is a vocation, an interior call, the voice of the Holy Spirit. Catechists need to be practicing Catholics who participate fully in the communal worship and life of the Church and who have been prepared for their apostolate by appropriate catechetical training…Their personal relationship with Jesus Christ energizes their service to the Church and provides the continuing motivation, vitality, and force of their catechetical activity.” (NDC 54-8)

Adult Faith Formation Leader
Each parish needs a lead agent to take hands-on responsibility for effectively establishing the overall adult learning context and programming in the parish…What is important is that the person have or acquire an adult catechetical vision and competency, be formed by the Word of God, and be well versed in and comfortable with current catechetical documents, especially the Catechism of the Catholic Church and the General Directory for Catechesis…This leader will possess the time, energy, and commitment to drive the adult learning agenda of the parish (OHWB 135).

Adult Faith Formation Team
Providing effective, diverse adult faith formation opportunities is a demanding responsibility requiring the collaborative efforts of a well-trained, coordinated team of parishioners, a nucleus of mature Christians, initiated into the faith (OHWB 142). Its role is consultation, planning and program implementation for adult faith formation in the parish (OHWB 143).

Special Needs
The Office for Catechesis firmly holds to the tenant that religious education should be and will be available to all children in the Diocese of Metuchen.

If you have a student with special needs, or know of someone not enrolled in a program, please call our office. We will assist parishes to provide the necessary specialized religious education for each particular circumstance.

In addition, several times during the year, training sessions are held throughout the Diocese with the support of the Knights of Columbus.

These training sessions are offered, free of charge, to anyone interested in being a 'resource person' in their parish for special needs education. No prior experience is necessary; the only requirements are a love of children and the desire to be of service to your parish

Religion Coordinators
The Office for Catechesis provides opportunities for enrichment which allows the Religion Coordinators (one teacher in each Catholic school) to return to their local schools with new ideas and methods to share at staff meetings. There are generally two such meetings per year.

Whole Community Catechesis
Faith Formation prepares all ages and all generations for meaningful participation in church events through intergernerational learning, engages all ages and generations in church events, and guides them in reflecting and applying the significance and meaning of the events to their lives as Catholics.

It is connected catechesis, the catechetical program leads directly to participation in Church life.

Learning programs draw their content from Church events and leads people toward active, conscious, meaningful participation in Church events. The event is the centerpiece of the learning process.

Resource Room
The Office for Catechesis in excess of 1,350 videos on a myriad of topics that are available to directors of religious education, catechists, Catholic School teachers and parents.

There is a comprehensive list available in hard copy only (at the present time) in the possession of each parish director of religious education.

All you need do is call Pat Martin at (732) 562-1990 x1310, tell her what video you want to borrow and she will arrange to get it to you. There is no charge for this service - we ask only that you pay the postage (where possible).