Catholic School Teachers

Why Be Certified?

Catechesis is an ecclesial endeavor.  A religion teacher in a Catholic school is standing for the entire Church whenever she or he ministers to others in the name of Christ.  This meaningful endeavor is as old as the Gospel it proclaims.

Your school has conferred upon you the honor of being a catechist in a particular faith community. With this privilege comes responsibility and an element of trust.  Knowledge of Scripture, Tradition and Church teaching is essential to authentic catechesis. Good catechists are not only competent teachers of the faith; they are agents of change. The goal of all catechesis is to lead others to a personal relationship with the living Christ.  The responsible catechist is one who continues growing in his or her own faith while consciously learning how to pass that faith on to others in a credible manner.

Provisional Certification

Provisional Certification is the fundamental program for all catechists. Catholic elementary school religion teachers achieve provisional certification by completing the following two courses:
1. Introduction to the Ministry of the Catholic School Teacher
2. Overview of the Creed – 2 options
● ORE sponsored:
Introduction to the Creed - (16 hrs)
● Dayton on-line: 
Survey of Catholic Doctrine

N.B. Provisional certification expires after three years unless the religion teacher has begun the next level of certification

Master Catechist

Catholic elementary school religion teachers are expected to achieve Master Catechist Certification. This process must be completed in four years or less.  The following courses are required for the Master Catechist Certificate.  Each course, sponsored by the Office of Religious Education, includes a required sixteen hours of class time.
● Introduction to the Creed*
● Introduction to Scripture
● Introduction to Church History
● Introduction to Morality
● Introduction to Worship and Sacraments
Candidates may opt to complete these courses through the Dayton on-line program with the following equivalents:
● Introduction to Scripture
● Church History I
● Introduction to Christian Morality
● Sacraments

N. B. Certification must be maintained by completing one CEU every two years through the Dayton on-line program or through courses and programs offered or approved by the ORE.  (1 CEU = 10 hrs) *Completed as part of provisional certification.

The Office of Religious Education offers two levels of certification for Catholic school religion teachers:
1. Provisional Certification
2. Master Catechist Certification
All Catholic school teachers are expected to complete the requirements for Provisional Certification.  Once this has been achieved, Catholic elementary school religion teachers are expected to pursue Master Catechist Certification.
All records will be maintained by the Office of Religions Education. 
All certification is granted by the Office of Religious Education for a specific time and will expire unless maintained as described herein.
The Office of Religious Education highly recommends the VLCFF on-line program of the University of Dayton.  The Diocese of Worcester is a partner diocese which reduces the cost for each course.  Participants earn university CEUs through this program.  Go to: vlc.udayton.edu 

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact:
Elizabeth Marcil at (508) 929-4306, or [email protected]
Barbara Ramian at (508) 929-4308, or [email protected]

June 2015