September 2003

Dear Co-Ministers of the Word,

Enclosed you will find the CURRENT CATECHIST CERTIFICATION PROCESS for the Diocese of Reno, Nevada.  This document is a combination of the 1997-revised edition with a few updated additions.  It was created with deliberate forethought and hopefulness.  How blessed we are to be sent as beloved laborers into the fields ripe for harvest.  The mission entrusted to us is Christ’s own mission, to be heralds of life—life in abundance!

For this document, this certification process, to be successful, it requires a zealous spirit and the pastoral leadership of the parish.  May the ideal, “It takes the entire faith community to catechize the children and youth of a parish” permeate all our endeavors and communications.

Your insight as director of the faith formation program of your parish community, are critical and invaluable.  Selecting qualified catechists will be a primary agenda each year.  Qualifications, based first and foremost, upon a visible, positive spirituality, a personality that easily communicates faith at the appropriate age level and updated biblical, theological, liturgical and methodological knowledge acquired throughout the teaching term.

Those Certification procedures can be enacted best at the parish level, with support from our Diocesan team.

Recommendation:

1. Selection of qualified catechists as primary agenda.
2. Support your catechists-in-training.  Provide them with:
   1. The Catechism of the Catholic Church
   2. Regular in-service formation meetings
   3. Current information about larger Church activities
3. Provide funding and encourage attendance to the annual Diocesan Conference and regional training programs for the completion of the Catechist Certification Process.

We, the Office of Faith Formation and Parish Pastoral Services, firmly renew our enthusiastic commitment of service to all parishes and pastoral leadership.

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