RENEWAL OF CERTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS FOR COORDINATORS OF ADULT FAITH FORMATION, DIRECTORS AND COORDINATORS OF RELIGIOUS EDUCATION, AND COORDINATORS

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1 RENEWAL OF CERTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS FOR COORDINATORS OF ADULT FAITH FORMATION, DIRECTORS AND COORDINATORS OF RELIGIOUS EDUCATION, AND COORDINATORS OF YOUTH MINISTRY Office for Catechesis and Youth Ministry Archdiocese of Chicago FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS When is the application due? Where should I send the application? Do you have these forms available in an electronic format so that I can type the requested information? How long is certification valid for? What is required for Renewal of Certification? What if the $25 fee is prohibitive for me and/or the community that I serve? How many hours of ongoing formation are required? Do I need to submit additional documentation for ongoing formation? I am a Catholic School Principal and I did not create Five-Year Action Goals when I applied for initial certification. What do I do? I am certified as both a Pastoral Associate and a Director of Religious Education and Renewal is very similar. Is there any way to renew both certifications at one time? How do I fill out the application for Renewal? How long should my new goals be? What happens once I submit my application? Do I need to bring anything to my interview? How will I know the whether/when my certification has been renewed?

2 When is the application due? The application for renewal of certification should be received two months in advance of the Certification Commission meetings. Applications should be received by the OFCYM according to the following schedule: Certification Commission Meeting Due Date: October August 1 February December 1 May March 1 If an application is received after the above deadlines, the candidate s application will be considered at the next Certification Commission meeting. Where should I send the application? Applications for renewal of certification may be sent to the following address: The Archdiocese of Chicago Cardinal Meyer Center Office for Catechesis and Youth Ministry c/o CL Renewal of Certification Process 3525 S. Lake Park Ave. Chicago, IL Do you have these forms available in an electronic format so that I can type the requested information? Yes. Electronic forms are available. Please contact the Coordinator of Certification and Ministerial Development at the OFCYM at ldefelice@archchciago.org or by telephone at to have an electronic form sent to you via . Should you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact the Coordinator of Certification and Ministerial Development at the OFCYM. How long is certification valid for? Certification is valid for five years. After third renewal (15 years in ministry), certification may be granted for 10 additional years; requirements as determined by OFCYM. What is required for Renewal of Certification? The following are required for renewal of certification: renewal of certification application including the log of ongoing formation, review of past goals and creation of

3 new goals and the $25 certification fee. Checks should be made payable to The Office for Catechesis and Youth Ministry. An Interview-Review meeting is also required. This is scheduled after the Renewal Application has been received. What if the $25 fee is prohibitive for me and/or the community that I serve? If it is the case that the cost of the fee is prohibitive, please contact the Coordinator of Certification and Ministerial Development to discuss alternatives. How many hours of ongoing formation are required? For Directors, 100 hours (30 hours in Theological Courses and Seminars, 30 hours in Ministerial Courses and Seminars and 40 hours in Leadership Formation Days, OFCYM Formation Events, Retreats and Spiritual Direction ) of ongoing formation are required over 5 years. For Coordinators, 80 hours (30 hours in Theological Courses and Seminars, 30 hours in Ministerial Courses and Seminars and 20 hours in Leadership Formation Days, OFCYM Formation Events, Retreats and Spiritual Direction ) of ongoing formation are required over 5 years. Do I need to submit additional documentation for ongoing formation? No. The log of ongoing formation is sufficient. Please use the provided form and do not attach supplemental papers to this application. I am a Catholic School Principal and I did not create Five-Year Action Goals when I applied for initial certification. What do I do? This component of the Renewal Process does not apply to Catholic School Coordinators of Religious Education who were certified prior to I am certified as both a Pastoral Associate and a Director of Religious Education. Renewal is very similar. Is there any way to renew both certifications at one time? Yes. If you are applying for a joint renewal of certification as a Director of Religious Education and a Pastoral Associate, you should complete a Joint Renewal of Certification Application for Directors of Religious Education and Pastoral Associates. If you received the wrong form with these instructions, please contact the Coordinator of Certification and Ministerial Development at the Office for Catechesis and Youth Ministry or the Director of the Office for Lay Ecclesial Ministry to get the correct application. How do I fill out the application for Renewal? If you are not applying for joint renewal of certification, you should complete a Renewal of Certification Application for your designated category of Catechetical Leadership. If you did not receive the correct application, please contact the Coordinator of Certification and Ministerial Development at the Office for Catechesis and Youth Ministry. Ongoing Formation Log

4 Please follow all directions on the application forms, following the examples provided for documenting participation at ongoing formation events. Evaluation of Past Goals This component of the Renewal Process does not apply to Catholic School Coordinators of Religious Education who were certified prior to When you evaluate your past goals, please refer to the goals you set according to the old standards that you used. Please refer to the evaluation instrument from your last certification and state clearly in the new renewal application 1) What your goals were and 2) How you accomplished them using the four questions of What, How, Who and Timeframe below. Creation of New Action Goals When you get to the goal setting section for the next five years, please refer to the enclosed set of the 2008-revised set of certification standards (Form E). These standards are different from the standards you previously used.. Simply use the instrument to select one competency from each of the four standards as an area of growth that you would like work on over the next five years. Write this competency in the appropriate section of the application, following all directions and using the following four reflection questions: 1. What is your goal? 2. How do you plan to accomplish your goal? 3. Who will be involved in the accomplishment of the goal? 4. What is your Timeframe for accomplishing your goal? The renewal of certification process presumes sufficient qualifications of the candidate for Catechetical Leadership. Demonstration of competency may require for any given standard that the certified Catechetical Leader continue what is already being done. However, the need for growth is present in all leaders. If it is the case that all that is needed for a particular goal is to continue, this is not an appropriate choice for the Action Goal. The Action Goal should indicate where new growth will happen. Because the goal is something to be accomplished in the future, the Action Plan should be stated in future tenses. Additionally, the desire for growth on the part of the Catechetical Leader is presumed. The use of the verb try indicates desire but not commitment to concrete action. It is also not possible to assess in a concrete way whether a candidate has tried when the goal is revisited in the subsequent renewal process. Please do not use the word try if at all possible. When goals are revisited, the candidate will be given a chance to explain progress towards a goal. When a goal has not been met, this will not necessarily prevent the candidate from being renewed.

5 How long should my new goals be? Goals vary by individual candidate and community. However, it is difficult to adequately address each of the goal components in less than 150 words. What happens once I submit my application? 1. Review Once you application is submitted, it will be reviewed first by the Coordinator of Certification and Ministerial Development to ensure that all elements of the application are present and complete and that the content is sufficient to meet renewal requirements. It will then be reviewed by the Coordinator of Leadership and Catechist Formation to verify that the Ongoing Formation Log is accurate and sufficient. After both Coordinators have confirmed that the application can move forward, application will be made available for review by at-large members of the Certification Commission. 2. Interview The Coordinator of Certification and Ministerial Development will contact you to schedule a renewal interview. Participants in this interview will include: the candidate, the Coordinator of Certification and Ministerial Development, Coordinator of Leadership and Catechist Formation, local OFCYM Vicariate Coordinator for parish leaders or an OCS representative for school leaders. The interview may also include one or more additional representatives from the Certification Commission (pastor, certified Catechetical Leader, academic institution representative). 3. Presentation of the application to the Certification Commission After the interview, one participant from the interview (not the candidate) will be identified by the Coordinator of Certification and Ministerial Development to present the application of the candidate at the next Certification Commission meeting. At the meeting the application will be presented and reviewed and the Commission will recommend to the Director to renew, defer or deny certification. Do I need to bring anything to my interview? No. How will I know the whether/when my certification has been renewed? Within 2-3 of the Certification Commission meeting in which an application has been presented, a letter will be mailed to the candidate notifying her/him of her/his status. Candidates may also contact the Coordinator of Certification and Ministerial Development at any time.