Lay Ministry Programs Offered in the Archdiocese

The Catechist Certification Program of the archdiocese offers free courses in a variety of locations on an ongoing basis, or makes available an approved video series on the Catholic faith to be used with companion booklets in a small group setting. Basic certification is given following completion of study in eight areas of the faith. Intermediate and advanced catechist certification can also be obtained with further study and enrichment and culminates in the designation as a master catechist. Certificates are provided for completion of the levels of catechist certification.

The classes "are required for catechists, but every adult is invited to take them to develop a good overview of our faith," said Anne Frederick, director of the archdiocesan Office of Lay Ministry Formation and Evangelization.

Those interested in serving the church in ministry are encouraged to talk to their pastor and with people already actively involved in ministry to assist them in discernment. Class schedules can be obtained through the archdiocesan Department of Religious Education at (404) 888-7835.

The Pastoral Ministry Formation Program is also provided by the Archdiocese of Atlanta. About 70 people are in either year one or year two of the two-year program and another 20 are in a leadership track, which is an optional third year. The leadership track can also be a stand-alone experience for people already engaged in ministry, seeking to refresh or enhance their skills.

The goal of PMF is to give lay people the foundations, principles and skills necessary for effective pastoral ministry in the Catholic Church. Candidates must be recommended by their pastor. PMF is open to people who are starting out and interested in ministering in the church or those already in ministry, seeking to deepen their knowledge and skills. Courses are offered on 11 Saturdays from September through May from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at All Saints Church, 2443 Mount Vernon Road, Dunwoody. They are taught by master catechists and by priests and Religious of the archdiocese. The current cost per year is $350, plus books. Parishes are encouraged to sponsor candidates.

The one-year leadership program, also $350 a year plus books, provides practical experience and study to enhance leadership skills and effectiveness in ministry.

"If you want to make a deeper commitment, I think PMF is great," Frederick said. "It is a good bridge. I can speak personally for how formative it is for (those who later want to enter) a graduate program."

"So much that is important with faith formation is to do it within a community," she added. "This is not an exclusive model, but it is important. I think it is ultimately important that we learn to uphold the Catholic teachings with respect and dignity," while listening to the various perspectives of others in the Catholic community.

For information on PMF or leadership track programs, contact Frederick at (404) 885-7248.

The Aquinas Center of Theology, a Center for Catholic Studies at Emory University, offers ongoing programs, particularly from a Dominican Catholic perspective and from ecumenical and interfaith perspectives on Catholic spirituality. The programs provide a way to grow in adult faith and credit is also given toward intermediate and advanced catechist certification. For information on the Aquinas Center programs, contact the Center, directed by Victor Kramer, Ph.D., at (404) 727-8860.

Spring Hill College, a Jesuit college in Mobile, Ala., has an extension program in the archdiocese that can lead to a master's degree in theological studies or a master of arts. Degree completion takes two to four years.

A certificate in theological studies can be obtained by those who do not hold a college degree and it is possible to build upon the CTS to obtain a bachelor of arts degree in theology from Spring Hill College.

There are also opportunities to audit courses.

Courses are taught in the Catholic tradition from a contemporary, ecumenical perspective and students come from a diversity of religious and professional backgrounds.

Classes are held at Holy Spirit Church, 4465 Northside Drive, NW, Atlanta. Faculty members hold graduate degrees in their fields. Courses are offered either on six Saturdays or on 12 weeknights from 6 to 9 p.m. so working people can attain the degree or certificate. One or two-week summer sessions are also scheduled in Mobile.

The MTS requires 10 graduate courses, equaling 30 credit hours in biblical, historical, moral, pastoral and systematic theology, plus electives. Courses cost about $200 per credit hour.

The certificate program is a non-degree program that follows the same requirements as the MTS, but on the undergraduate level, with adjustments in assignments and evaluation.

The MA degree is a research-oriented degree that requires the 10 MTS courses, plus three further courses in an area of specialization, a research thesis and reading skills in an appropriate foreign language.

Since the extension program was established in Atlanta in the spring of 1997, 21 people have graduated and 30 to 40 people are currently involved in study.

People who have completed the Pastoral Ministry Formation Program are given credit for six pre-theology credits needed for Spring Hill, according to Frederick.

For information on Spring Hill's extension program in Atlanta, contact Ann Bailey at Holy Spirit Church at (404) 252-4513, ext. 28, or e-mail abailey@hsccatl.com.

The University of Notre Dame, Institute for Church Life, offers STEP, the Satellite Theological Education Program. This provides on-line e-courses, for certificate credit only, that are being offered in two styles. The first are text-based, limited enrollment, six-week courses providing direct contact with the Notre Dame professor. Six courses were offered in 2001-2002, two during the October-December period, two during the January-March period, and two during the March-May period. Each course costs $65.

Beginning Sept. 30, four additional courses with six sessions each will be offered in a five-week course designed by a Notre Dame professor, but led by a master's degree level of theology instructor. Enrollment will be larger. Study groups will still be limited to fewer than 20 people and there will be a video component.

The Archdiocese of Atlanta is an affiliated diocese with STEP, which means students here receive a 20 percent discount, and the archdiocesan Department of Religious Education and STEP have a cooperative relationship to create the kind of courses that the archdiocese needs to provide continuing education for lay ministers. This is also an opportunity for lifelong learning for adult Catholics.

A certificate of completion is given for STEP courses and certificates include the number of contact hours earned. The archdiocesan Department of Religious Education is in the process of determining how STEP courses will apply as continuing education credits or for catechist certification. STEP also plans to provide 50-minute Catholic lectures.

Information on STEP is available at http://step.nd.edu. For information on how the archdiocese will apply STEP certificates contact Frederick at (404) 885-7248.

"This is a new project for the University of Notre Dame and we're delighted to be one of the first in the country to be affiliated with them," Frederick said. "I think it will be really helpful, especially to people in rural areas, to take some of their courses directly."