New Saint Clare Center program overhauls religious education certification for Archdiocesan teachers
posted Aug. 18, 2011
A new program for the religious education certification of Catholic school teachers in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee created by Cardinal Stritch University’s Saint Clare Center for Catholic Life will begin this month, replacing the previous clock hour system of certification.
The Sustaining the Mission program will provide Catholic school educators with a solid foundation in their knowledge of the faith, ensuring that they receive instruction in all important areas. The program streamlines the existing method of certification and provides consistency for educators throughout the Archdiocese. Classes begin on Aug. 22.
Sustaining the Mission is different from the old clock hour system in that it provides a core curriculum. Rather than making individual choices from a variety of clock hour offerings, teachers will now progress through a core curriculum of classes tailored to specific faith formation needs.
The program will be conveniently delivered to school clusters or districts at in-service days, where all teachers from a group of schools will gather for presentations. Overall, the program will be delivered at 14 locations throughout the Archdiocese. In addition, Sustaining the Mission classes will be offered one Saturday each semester on the Cardinal Stritch University campus for any teachers from around the Archdiocese who need to make up missed sessions.
The Saint Clare Center has recruited 40 instructors from around the Archdiocese and has worked with them to establish consistency within the curriculum. In addition to the Saint Clare Center staff, presenters include professors from Catholic colleges and universities, priests, parish staff members and high school theology teachers.
The decision to use this new approach to religious education certification was made by Kathleen Cepelka, superintendent of Catholic schools, and Sue Nelson, director of the Academics and Faith Center of Excellence. From there, the program was developed by the Saint Clare Center staff with input from the Archdiocesan Office for Schools, the Office of Catechesis, a focus group of principals, and representatives of the five Catholic colleges and universities that comprise the Greater Milwaukee Catholic Education Consortium (GMCEC) – Alverno College, Stritch, Marian University, Marquette University and Mount Mary College.
The program is intended for all teachers of the Archdiocese regardless of their level of certification or education. Catechists in parish religious education programs will still be under the old system of clock hours or one of the specific programs approved by the Office of Catechesis.
Sustaining the Mission will be required for all Catholic schools in the Archdiocese beginning in fall 2012, but for the 2011-12 school year, the program is optional. Response from school principals has been very enthusiastic, though, and 100 of the 112 schools in the Archdiocese have already signed up. About 2,000 Catholic school educators will be participating in Sustaining the Mission this first year.
For details or questions about the Sustaining the Mission program, contact Michael Taylor, director of school and parish programs for the Saint Clare Center, at mvtaylor@stritch.edu or (414) 410-4353.