With an increase in personnel, the Office of Religious Education plans this year to expand its services, providing more help to schools of religion and the Catholic schools.

New personnel working under the direction of Rev. Michael Morris, diocesan director of religious education, include Sister Audrey Pierce, I.H.M., elementary education coordinator; Sister Mary Zoghby, secondary education coordinator; and Mrs. Janie Sawyer, secretary. Sister Mary Ellen McSorley continues as adult education coordinator, and Mrs. Wilma Latson as office secretary.

Members of the central office staff will be visiting the parishes and conducting programs, seminars, and teacher training sessions.

Plans are presently being made to include on this year’s calendar workshops for full-time personnel and for parochial school religion teachers. Members of the office staff are already participating in parish-sponsored catechist training sessions by giving lectures, planning prayer services, meeting with parents and teachers at orientation time. Office staff members are also available to assist parish coordinators and religion teachers through consultation.

New audiovisual equipment includes at least 50 sets of tapes produced by Argus Communications and 35 sound filmstrip sets from various companies. An updated audiovisual catalogue is now available.

On display in the new office on 756 West Peachtree are new publications in the file office catechetics and various projectors used to demonstrate possibilities for multimedia presentations. Such presentations will also be given in parishes upon request.

Religion teachers are welcome to visit the office to look over new materials or to discuss their needs with the office staff.

Each month, the diocesan coordinators will meet with parish coordinators to share ideas, determine needs, and make future plans. Communication will also be furthered by a newsletter sent out from the office to all pastors, directors of parish schools of religion, and other interested persons.

For high school religion students, Christian leadership weekends and religious experience weekends are being planned.

The program in adult Christian education being conducted by Sister Mary Ellen McSorley during September and October in several parishes includes the following topics: “General Format of the Bible,” “Oral and Written Traditions,” “The Creation of the Universe,” “The Origin of the World,” “Original Sin.”