The Diocese of Nashville has a new Catechist Certification Program, “My Catholic Faith Delivered.” The program gives our catechists the knowledge and confidence to teach our faith to others. A team of certified catechists can transform our classes! The program can be completed online, live at the catholic Pastoral Center, a combination of both. There is a fee for each class with the total for each finished certified catechist being $120.00. Since each catechist is a volunteer who generously devotes their time to prepare and teach our students, it would be great if their classes were paid for by the parish. To help keep costs down we are asking for your help. If you would like to help the Catechists deepen their knowledge of our faith, please give your donation to Valerie or put your donation in an envelope marked, ‘ certification.’ This donation is tax deductible. To be certified, a catechist is expected to complete the following; 35 hrs. of training, the training consist of 8 courses [4 to 5 hours awarded for each course], 20 independent hours such as lectures, workshops etc., has verification of compliance for diocesan requirements for the Child protection Policy, and a background check. After they are certified, they are required to keep their certification current. This involves them completing 6 hours each year for a total of 18 hours in three years. [ renewal is every three years] To accomplish this, they are given options such as ongoing faith formation classes also offered by the catechist certification program, conferences, lectures, etc. This new program is also open to all adults who would like to learn more about their faith. If you would like to take one of the classes it is 15.00 per class or join us this summer when we view it together as a group then its free! [ if you are not wanting to be certified] For a list of topics, check with Valerie. Some of the topics include, Liturgy and Sacraments I & II, Creed I and II, Life in Christ, Theology of the body for adults, etc.