Catechist formation to be offered in the Diocese of Salt Lake

Intermountain Catholic

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Dorothy Simpson, Echoes of Faith Plus instructor, displays the booklets available for the instruction in the upcoming catechist formation classes.IC photo/Christine Young

WEST VALLEY CITY — Catechist formation classes will be offered in three consecutive sessions weekly from Sept. 29 through April 13 in the Diocese of Salt Lake City at Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church in West Valley City.

Lay Ecclesial Minister Dorothy Simpson will teach the courses using the "Echoes of Faith Plus" series. Registration and an introduction to each module will be offered during the Sept. 29 class.

"My goal is to catechize volunteers so they have a strong conviction about their faith," said Simpson. "The way to acquire a strong conviction is by learning about the teachings of the Catholic Church and sacred scripture and sacred tradition. It’s not enough for volunteers to teach with just a background of attending daily or weekly Masses. Catechists are required to have 36 hours of catechetical training."

The original Echoes of Faith series was developed in the late 1990s as a project of the National Conference for Catechetical Leadership and produced by Resources for Christian Living. The Echoes of Faith Plus series, developed from 2006 to 2008, is a basic level video-assisted resource for the formation and enrichment of catechists in parishes and Catholic schools.

"The five theology modules are an excellent resource for adult formation," said Simpson. "The modules come with a DVD and companion booklet, which complement each other."

The series is divided into three categories: The Catechist, Theology and Methodology. These three categories relate to the three aspects of catechist formation outlines in the general directory for catechesis: being, knowing, and savoir-faire or know-how.

"I use Echoes of Faith because it unpacks the information and makes it easy to understand," said Simpson. "The catechists become comfortable with the Old and New Testaments, the sacramental life of the Church, prayers and spirituality and learning how to work with kids from kindergarten through ninth grade. I started my catechesis work in 1983 and I continued my study in theology at the Community College, as a Master Catechist and in the Lay Ecclesial Ministry Formation program from 2006 to 2010. Once the catechists start training, learning becomes something they will want to continue doing.

"The role of the catechist is of great importance because he or she is the one who will be in charge of the children’s religious education in the parish," said Simpson. "I have strong convictions that every teacher wants to be well prepared and should have adequate knowledge available to them."

The total cost of the three-part program is $75; each booklet with DVD costs $7.50. The first course will run from Oct. 6 through Nov. 24, the second course will run Dec. 8 through Jan. 12, and the third course will run Jan. 19 through April 6.

The classes are offered every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church, 3560 West 3650 South, West Valley City. For a copy of the Catechist Formation schedule and the catechist formation process application form, visit www.dioslc.org, under ministry programs and services, and then Religious Education. For information and pre-registration, call Dorothy Simpson at 801-981-8554.