By Gerald Korson
Voice correspondent

Parents sacrifice to put their kids through Catholic schools not just so their children can learn about Catholicism as an academic subject, but also so they will know how to live and practice that faith.

To accomplish this important mission, the teachers and staffs at Catholic schools need to be well-formed in the faith themselves.

With that in mind, the Oakland Diocese provides religious formation and spiritual development opportunities for the hundreds of teachers and staffs of its 56 elementary and high schools through its Catechetical Formation Program — an initiative that enjoys broad and enthusiastic support from school administrators.

Jocelyn Pierre-Antoine, vice principal and teacher at St. Edward School in Fremont, has been involved in the program for the past eight years and knows of its benefits firsthand.

“All of our classroom teachers actively participate in the program; in addition, we have instructional assistants, prep teachers, office staff, and our special-needs coordinator who have also attended,” Pierre-Antoine told The Voice. “We believe that since all staff members contribute to the spiritual formation of our students, it is important that we all have the opportunity to grow in our own faith journey as well.”

The formation she has received through the program, she said, has “provided me with new insights about our Catholic faith that have contributed to my own spiritual development and enriched the religious instruction that I share with my students.”
Last month, the California Catholic Conference released revised guidelines by which teachers in Catholic schools and in parish religious education programs could receive a certification recognized in all Catholic dioceses in the state.

The new guidelines, which update standards in effect since 1996 to reflect current practices in the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults and recent catechetical documents by the Vatican and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, were drafted during a broad two-year consultation process begun under the leadership of Archbishop Allen Vigneron, who at the time was bishop of Oakland and head of the state bishops’ education committee.

The guidelines set standards for the content and process for catechist formation required in order for a teacher to receive a California Catechist Certificate or Master Catechist Certificate.

They also describe recommended selection methods, desirable personal qualities and qualifications of catechists, and the process for recertification. Each diocese or archdiocese, “recognizing its individual needs and resources, has the responsibility to establish its own process to prepare and form catechists,” the guidelines state.

The Catechetical Formation Program will be revised as necessary to meet the new guidelines, said Kathleen Radecke, assistant superintendent of Catholic schools for the diocese. Her department provides teachers with a monthly catechetical in-service hosted by schools throughout the diocese — on topics including Church history, the sacraments, morality, liturgy, Scripture, prayer, and Catholic social teachings — that apply toward basic catechist certification.

Although the schools department does not require teachers to participate in the formation program, “it has been strongly encouraged, and resources have been provided for success,” Radecke said. “The principals have responded enthusiastically, and all of our elementary schools participate in the certification process.”

Principals typically schedule minimum school days whenever in-services are scheduled or hire substitute teachers in order to allow faculty and staff to attend the formation sessions, she said. Teachers also may take part in other faith-formation opportunities, including those offered by the Serra Catechetical Institute and the Franciscan Spirit and Life Institute, that can be credited toward their certification.

Radecke stressed, however, that the focus of the Catechetical Formation Program “is not on the hours needed, but rather on the value of an ongoing formative process of professional development.”

Mary Ann Wiesinger, coordinator of catechesis in the diocesan Department for Evangelization and Catechetics, oversees the formation of parish religious-education catechists. She said she works closely with Radecke to ensure that the formation program for teachers meets the state bishops’ guidelines.

“The Catholic schools department and DEC share in our commitment to provide our catechists and teachers with the tools they need to communicate the faith with enthusiasm and love,” she said. “Both departments are always working hard to make our programs more relevant and effective in helping our catechists deepen their faith and their confidence in communicating it.”

Armond Seishas, principal of St. Joachim School in Hayward, has seen nearly all his teachers participate in the Catechetical Formation Program.

He called the program a “much-needed vehicle for catechist certification and re-certification.” Until a few years ago, he said, “schools were on their own and were not able to provide such consistent training and preparation.”

But the program isn’t the only vehicle for schools to use — nor does it pretend to be, he pointed out.

Teachers and staff should use the formation gained through the program “to enhance and improve the school’s Catholic identity,” Seishas said. “Catholic identity cannot be learned simply by going to a presentation but must be followed up with a ‘lived experience.’”

That resonates well with Radecke’s observation that the “personnel development and dedication” from teachers and principals toward their own catechetical formation is the “most rewarding and fulfilling” aspect of the program.

“We believe that the experiences shared by each teacher and principal will strengthen their ability to foster the spiritual formation of their students and thus their relationship with Jesus Christ,” she said. “And it is indeed the opportunity to support the students in their own spiritual journey for which the ministry of Catholic education is the truest gift and blessing.”

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