Supporting Faith Formation at Parishes and Schools
Welcome to the online home for religious educators within the Archdiocese of Atlanta. This webpage is designed to serve as a central hub for communication and support for your work. Here you will find the latest announcements, formation opportunities and resources to assist you in your ministry of evangelization and catechesis.
This page primarily provides information for parish catechetical leaders [PCLS] (e.g., directors of faith formation or religious education, youth ministers, etc.) as well for school religion teachers and anyone responsible for catechesis and handing on the faith at our parishes and schools. These resources are provided by the Office of Evangelization and Discipleship (OED). Catholic schoolteachers should also consult further with the Office of Catholic Schools.
Additional webpages have helpful information for religious educators, including:
To be added to the OED weekly memo for PCLs and the monthly newsletter, email Benedict Esposito at besposito@archatl.com.
All catechists, including paid staff and volunteers working with youth and adults, must be Safe Environment compliant per the policy of the Archdiocese of Atlanta. This includes up-to-date VIRTUS training and a clear background check. Learn more on the Safe Environment webpage.
The Archdiocese of Atlanta adheres to the “Conformity Listing of Catechetical Texts and Series” provided by the USCCB Subcommittee on the Catechism. OED also recommends additional resources for family catechesis, given some of these fall outside the scope of the conformity listing or have not yet been reviewed by the USCCB.
Pastors have discretion to utilize other materials for faith formation efforts, presuming they conform to or are consistent with the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
For questions and more information, contact:
Required Registration Forms
The following documents are required each year for parish faith formation programs.
As these forms can be updated at any time, we encourage you to download them from this website at the beginning of each catechetical year to ensure you are using the most up-to-date version.
AoA Annual Media Release Form in Spanish - Formulario anual de liberación de responsabilidad de medios
Published: April 4, 2018
AoA Annual Media Release in Portuguese - Formulário Anual De Liberação
Published: April 4, 2018
AoA Annual Media Release in Vietnamese - Mẫu Phát Hành Truyền Thông Hàng Năm
Published: April 4, 2018
AoA Permission To Contact Youth Form Fillable in English
Published: July 29, 2020
Giấy Cho Phép Liên Hệ Với Trẻ Em Permission to Contact Youth
Published: July 29, 2020
Catechist Formation
The process for catechist certification in the Archdiocese of Atlanta is contained in the document Communicating the Catholic Message (CCM). While this document remains in use, the certification model is under review and will be updated. Contact OED if you have any questions.
Parish Catechesis Certification
The levels of certification are listed below. Credit may be earned concurrently, but certificates are awarded in advancing order.
- Basic: 24 hours required (14 courses with specific content – see chapter 4)
- Intermediate: 42 hours required (course hours in specific content area)
- Advanced: 48 hours required (course hours in specific content areas)
The process for parish catechist certification:
- Print the parish catechist certification log.
- Attend courses or complete an online course.
- Record each course completed on the log sheet.
- Submit the completed log sheet to your parish catechetical leader assisting with catechist certification. Instructions for submissions are in chapter 2, page 18 of CCM.
- Additional support documents and templates for parish catechetical leaders are available in chapter 5 of CCM or from the Office of Evangelization and Discipleship.
1. Parish Catechist Certification Log: Basic
Published: February 11, 2022
2. Parish Catechist Certification Log: Intermediate
Published: February 11, 2022
3. Parish Catechist Certification Log: Advanced
Published: February 11, 2022
Master Catechesis (CCM, Chapter 9)
Master Catechist certification is available for those who have a degree or certification in catechetics, theology, religious education or a related field.
Applicants for Master Catechist must apply and complete all requirements. The application is submitted by the parish catechetical leader or Catholic school principal.
Master Catechists are expected to maintain 20 hours of ongoing formation every five years to retain their status.
Master Catechist Renewal application and log
Published: August 27, 2025
Catechesis of the Good Shepherd
Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (CGS) is a religious formation methodology for children ages 3-12 that unites adults and children in a common religious experience.
Sponsoring parishes with CGS provide resources and information for this program.
View upcoming training for CGS on the resources calendar.
For questions and more information, please contact:
University of Dayton VLCFF Certification Programs
The Office of Evangelization and Discipleship has partnered with the University of Dayton and the Virtual Learning Community for Faith Formation (VLCFF) to provide certifications.
These certifications are in youth ministry, catechist and adult formation leadership.
This partnership provides a reduced 50% tuition incentive for all students from the Archdiocese of Atlanta who enroll in the courses. To further encourage and support parish leaders to achieve advanced certifications in catechesis and youth ministry, an additional tuition incentive is available to further reduce costs for students.
Learn more about these certifications and find submission forms below. For questions, contact Michele McHale-Pickard at mmchale-pickard@archatl.com.
Certificate in Adult Formation Leadership Overview
Published: January 30, 2026
Certificate in Adult Formation Leadership Submission Form
Published: January 30, 2026
Certificate in Catechesis Program Submission Form
Published: January 30, 2026
Certificate in Youth Ministry Program Overview
Published: January 30, 2026
Certificate in Youth Ministry Program Submission Form
Published: January 30, 2026
School Teacher Catechist Certification
Catholic schoolteachers are required to earn 150 hours of certification credit in specific competency areas. Renewal of catechist certification requires 36 hours of credit over three years.
See the process for parish catechist certification:
- Print the Catholic school catechist certification log sheet.
- Attend courses or complete an online course.
- Record all relevant catechetical hours in the appropriate dimension until 150 hours are complete. Hours are earned based on time spent as a learner and cannot be earned for planning classes and liturgies. Hours must be directly related to faith formation.
- Submit the completed log sheet to the catechist certification administrator at the school.
- The catechist certification administrator at the school will review the completed application and the log of the courses. After review, the administrator will send both documents to the Office of Catholic Schools that will award the certificate to qualified applicants.
- Additional support documents and templates for school catechist certification administrators are available in chapter 8 of CCM and the Office of Catholic Schools.
Catholic School Catechist Certification Log Sheet
Published: January 30, 2026
Certified Catechist in the Catholic School Renewal Application
Published: January 30, 2026
For more information, contact the Office of Catholic Schools in the Chancery directory.
Certification Resources
The following programs are available and approved for parish and school catechist certification for the Archdiocese of Atlanta.
Religion Curriculum
The current K-12 religion curriculum guide is organized around the four pillars of the Catechism of the Catholic Church – creed, liturgy & sacraments, Christian moral life (inclusive of Catholic social teaching) and prayer. This provides a framework for catechesis in parishes and for religious education in schools.
Please be aware that the current religion curriculum for parishes is dated and is under review. For information about the correlation of a specific textbook series with the curriculum, consult the publisher or the Office of Evangelization and Discipleship. School teachers should consult the Office of Catholic Schools for curriculum questions and updates.
Please note: The 30-hour requirement for in-person contact (30 hours of session/classroom time in the parish buildings per year) no longer applies universally to children’s faith formation in the Archdiocese of Atlanta. This flexibility has been approved by the archbishop as parishes move towards family faith formation.
Parishes are encouraged to consider various ways contact hours are utilized. Retreats, gatherings for family prayer in the parish, and other activities and events that foster an encounter with Christ and connection to the life of the parish should be part of the catechetical program and experience, in accord with the kerygmatic and mystagogical catechesis called for by the Directory for Catechesis.
Resources
