Catechist Formation

Nothing can replace the person of the catechist, whether in elementary grades, in youth ministry, in the RCIA, or in any other level of adult formation. The catechist him or herself leads the believer to both understand more and develop greater intimacy with Christ. This role -- an ancient one in the Church -- is one for which people MUST BE PREPARED.

Here at Twenty-Third Publications, we take this very seriously and we provide a powerful, inexpensive, and effective resource: INTO THE FIELDS. See below for more details.

Into the Fields is a parish or school based ministry formation process which helps you create a "religious community" among those many people in the parish who help to pass on the faith: youth ministers, school teachers, parish catechists, sacrament prep volunteers, pastoral care workers, and others.

It's very effective! Parishes using Into the Fields train facilitators who convene learning groups for formation. At this link you will find two helpful PowerPoint presentations to help with that training, plus the materials needed for each learner. An entire year of formation costs only $40.41, which comes to $4.04 per session - about the cost of a gallon-and-a-half of gas! It's a fantastic program and a great price.