September 14, 2023

Catechists

What do I need to do to become a Catechist?

Catechist Application: All St. Joseph Catechists need to complete the new catechist application, please request an application by emailing the Office Administrator: Michelle@stjosephlb.org 

The Ministry of the Catechist involves a sharing in the teaching ministry of the Church, joining with the Chief Catechist of the local Church:

In the Diocese, catechesis is a unique service performed jointly by priests, deacons, religious and laity, in communion with the Bishop. (GDC 219)

The Bishops are, beyond all others, the ones primarily responsible for catechesis and catechists par excellence. (GDC 222)

We invite you to use the links below to find out more about being a Catechist in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles including the steps to becoming a Certified and Master Catechist.

What is a catechist?  

At St. Joseph, we require all Catechists who work with children to complete the following:

All Catechists must complete the catechist application, print it out, and then sign all copies and bring them into the Director of Faith Formation.  The Director will interview you, then be asked to complete the Virtus requirements and be fingerprinted by the Archdiocese.  We desire that all catechists eventually be Certified. (Becoming a Certified Catechist)

  • All Catechists must be Virtus Trained – Please check www.virtus.org for a Protecting God’s Children Class, or let the Director know you want to be a Catechist and see if we will be offering one at St. Joseph.
  • You will also need to be fingerprinted.  You can find the Archdiocese Fingerprinting Schedules on the L.A. Archdiocese Website.
  • All catechists must continue to learn about their faith. Here are some links to programs that will help you achieve that:
    • Penta Regional Congress – Saturday, September 25, 2021 – Virtual
    • 2022 RE Congress – March 18-20, 2022

Youtube channel for catechists