Archdiocese of Los Angeles: Office Or Religious Education Guidelines

Archdiocese of Los Angeles: Office or Religious Education Guidelines

Starting a Program

Administrative Competencies

Refer to Catechetical Ministry section of these Guidelines.

The starting point for developing a sound parish catechetical program is knowing the needs of the learners. A parish profile as well as personal conversation with catechists, parents and learners, can give a fuller context from which to begin.

Setting Goals and Objectives

Goals and objectives give the Coordinator/DRE as well as the pastoral staff or parish council a clear vision for the future of the Religious Education program of the parish. Goals help the Coordinator/DRE and staff to evaluate specific areas of the program to evaluate at the end of the academic year. They may be set-up annually or for periods of years, e.g. three-year or five-year plans. But annual goals are still necessary to respond to the particular needs of the program as the parish changes. Goals and objectives set priorities for the Coordinator/DRE as well as the Religious Education staff and faculty.

In order to establish program goals, the Coordinator/DRE and collaborators must first do a complete needs assessment. Needs assessment begins with information gathering from the catechists, parents, aides and helpers already within the program. This could be done formally with a process or informally with small gatherings or one-on-one interviews.

Once the assessment is complete, the needs will surface and then the process would turn to prioritizing the needs. Only a few goals should be chosen for the year. These should be of the highest priority for the parish program. Once the goals are set, practical input should be gleaned from the staff or board for objectives which would address these specific goals.

At the end of the year (or at the end of the stipulated period) there should be an evaluation of the goals and objectives. Even if they were not successful, the actual carrying out of the objective needs to be seen as a step toward achieving good management. Understanding why a goal or objective did not succeed is important. Perhaps they were not really realistic with the resources available in the parish. After the evaluation, new goals should be set. Goals already achieved but felt still valuable as ongoing goals should be kept, e.g. building community might be an ongoing goal in any parish program with new objectives each year.

Collaboration

Knowing the reality of the parish is necessary before any collaboration is possible. A "parish profile" would offer an objective picture of the parish. Some information is available from the rectory, some from the school, some from the parish religious education office and perhaps other sources.

Once the profile is completed, reflection on the following areas is possible:

Who do I minister/work with in the parish at large? (Knights of Columbus, Legion of Mary, Women's Council, etc.)

How do I minister/work with the parish council? In budgeting? Reporting and dialogue? Sharing the vision of catechesis?

How do I minister/work with the parish staff (ordained, non-ordained)? Youth ministers? School principal? Pastor/associates? Parish secretary, etc.?

How do I minister/work with the religious education staff and volunteers? Area Coordinator/DREs? Office secretary? Catechists? Families?

To whom am I accountable and how often do I meet with this person? How am I evaluated?

How do I minister/work with the archdiocesan offices and their representatives?

Use of Parish Facilities

Our parish community is made up of many groupings, and since we are one parish family, it is desirable that all have access to the parish plant including classrooms, hall, etc. To facilitate the use of these areas, ongoing communication, planning and collaboration need to take place among the principle, the DRE and other leaders. In this way, it is hoped that a spirit of mutual support is fostered within the entire parish community.

The following suggestions might be helpful in parish planning:

Sharing of a common vision of religious education for the entire parish.

Collaboration, planning and implementation of plans.

Knowledge of and mutual respect for each other's needs and programs.

Principles of Collaboration

When Jesus sent his disciples out in pairs to proclaim the Good News (Mk 6:7-13), he used principles of collaboration:

They had a common goal: building the realm of God.

The community offered support and they shared both joys and sorrows.

Different gifts were present and used toward the building up of the realm of God.

Together they were able to reach their common goals.

In approaching collaborative ministry it helps to remember the following:

Identify the needed gifts and how best to use them;

Develop a sense of involvement with the group;

Respect the gifts and needs of the individuals;

Answers to identified hidden needs may not be in new or bigger programs;

Discover what resources are available (in the community, archdiocese, etc.);

The ministerial environment should invite people to share their gifts in an atmosphere of trust.

Budgeting

Because parish income must take into account the needs of each sector of the parish, from parish school to youth ministry to senior citizens, finances must be fairly apportioned. The budget must be presented with honesty, foresight, and accurate projection. Past experience, present need and future vision should guide the Coordinator/DRE in drawing up the budget assessment. (See also the Parish Budgeting Manual for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, produced by the Pastoral Councils Office, dated September, 1996.)

It will be helpful to keep a few points in mind when planning:

Develop clear goals and objectives based on priorities. (The budget makes the priorities real.)

Be able not only to present the budget but also to believe in it.

Include a plan for monitoring and evaluating use of funds.

Keep in mind the Pastor's responsibility to all the other parish ministries.

Note: ALL INCOME and EXPENSES should be recorded throughout the year using the proposed budget categories. A monthly account helps one to remain within this budget. This year's budget will help one to make out the following year's proposed budget.

Registration

Preparing for registration for the next school year should be done about mid-year of the current school year. "Thinking through" registration procedures should include dates, places and deadlines. Announce dates for registration as soon as you start advertising. Consider advertising in your parish mailings, bulletins and in announcements at Sunday liturgies at a minimum. Consider "mail-in" registration procedures. Program offerings need to be sensitive to people's needs as well as invitational and welcoming. There may be valid reasons for "late" registrations.

The parish is required to send a record of reception of the sacraments of Confirmation and Matrimony to the parish where the person was baptized. The baptismal name, father's name and religion, mother's maiden name and religion, date of baptism, name and address of church of baptism are required for these records. At the time of initial enrollment the Coordinator/DRE should request a copy of the Baptismal certificate to verify the church and date of Baptism. This information should always be treated CONFIDENTIALLY.

Fees: Fees vary from parish to parish and should take into consideration economic and family circumstances. While fees may not cover all expenses of the religious education program, no student should ever be denied enrollment because of inability to pay the fee.

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