Certification for Ecclesial Ministry: A Bishop's Perspective
The chair of the subcommittee, Bishop Gerald Kicanas, speaks about the subcommittee's work and the special role of lay ecclesial ministers in the Church.
Activities Reports
2022
The subcommittee has spent a good deal of time in 2022 receiving direct feedback on its existing resources and work from bishops, diocesan lay ministry leaders, leaders of national ministry organizations and the contributions submitted about lay ministry in the national synod process. These resources have helped the subcommittee to discern with these constituencies what is most needed in support of lay ministry in this critical time, and how to carry those needs forward into upcoming USCCB strategic planning endeavors.
2021
Even in the midst of the challenging impacts of our viral and social pandemics, the ministry of the Gospel is being accomplished! The uncertainty and fear brought about by COVID-19 and all of its global impacts remains, but slowly, inexorably, we pray it is receding. In its wake, things are perhaps altered in ways we couldn't imagine before, and many challenges remain, but the dedicated work of many in our church is fostering new dreams and visions, new ministerial approaches and enormous creativity as well. Many developments in areas of focus for our subcommittee continue to be shaped by the work of many leaders in our Church today, and give new hope and promise.
2020
As with all parishes, ministries, and organizations, the pandemic required unexpected transitions and creative adaptation in 2020 on our part. As we have always sought to be responsive to the needs of the national organizations and diocesan programs, and have made use of online technologies to stay in touch and conduct meetings, our office was able to quickly pivot to "remote" collaboration and so listen and work with you to resource those in ministry responding to the unprecedented needs of this year. The importance of creative thinking on the part of lay ministers and others to respond to these new needs highlights the importance of the type of ministry formation our office seeks to resource through the promotion of certification pathways. Wholistic formation enables the development of the critical analysis and visioning needed during such challenging times.
With your support and collaboration, the Subcommittee on Certification and our office were able to achieve many important things, even in this most difficult year.
Read the Letter from our Chairman to Ministry Leaders & 2020 Activities Report
Mandate
The Subcommittee on Certification for Ecclesial Ministry and Service assists the bishops in reviewing and approving certification standards and procedures to be used on a voluntary basis by arch/dioceses and national organizations in the certification of specialized ecclesial ministers. It also offers consultative services aimed at improving the quality of lay ministry formation programs that are sponsored by arch/dioceses and by academic institutions.
Key Mission Responsibilities
- Embody the concerns and priorities of the bishops of the United States for ministry, namely, that those who minister in the name of the Catholic Church, each according to his or her status in the Church, are humanly and spiritually mature, well-prepared through education and formation, possess professional competence and pastoral skills, and adhere to the authentic teaching of the Church.
- Review and approve sets of competency-based certification standards and certification procedures that have been developed for voluntary use by dioceses and national associations for various ministry specializations in such roles as campus minister, parish catechetical leader, youth minister, pastoral associate, director of music ministries, as well as hospital, prison, and seafarer chaplaincies.
- Promote the development and application of voluntary certification standards for specialized ministry that are based on expectations and competencies reflected in the four areas of formation outlined in the U.S. bishops' document Co-Workers in the Vineyard of the Lord,* namely, human, intellectual, spiritual and pastoral.
- Offer consultation, upon request, to lay ministry formation programs in arch/dioceses and academic institutions for the purpose of improving the quality and effectiveness of these programs in accord with the guidance offered by Co-Workers in the Vineyard of the Lord* and by other relevant pastoral documents of the USCCB and the universal magisterium.
* Vea la versión en español de este texto - Colaboradores en la viña del Señor - aquí.
Key Mission Relationships
- With the USCCB Committee on Catholic Education and other Conference committees, sub-committees, task forces, and offices, especially the Committees on Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth, Evangelization and Catechesis, Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations, Communications, and Cultural Diversity in the Church.
- With bishops, Church institutions and leadership personnel of national ministry associations, academic institutions, and diocesan offices.
Scope of Approval of Certification Standards
The USCCB Subcommittee only approves certification standards and procedures for arch/diocesan offices, national organizations of specialized ministers listed in The Official Catholic Directory which are federally recognized 501(c)3 organizations, and organizations or joint-sponsored programs of state or regional Catholic Conferences.
A list of arch/diocesan offices, national organizations of ecclesial ministers, and state Catholic Conferences with approved certification standards and procedures are available here.
Operational Plan Summary: 2021-2024
Every four years, every committee and subcommittee of the USCCB develops an operational plan for the coming years based on the USCCB's mission, the mandate of the committees, strategic priorities identified by the body of bishops, and related strategic and budgetary considerations. Overseen by the Committee on Priorities & Plans, each committee and subcommittee submits an operational plan, which are then combined to form the USCCB Strategic Plan and voted on for approval by the body of bishops. During each year of the strategic plan cycle, reporting is provided to the Conference from each committee and subcommittee on the progress being made.
Below is a summary of the objectives and activities for the operational plan for our subcommittee for 2021-2024.
Objective 1: Promote the use of competency-based certification and lifelong formation for those who minister in the name of the Catholic Church by U.S. dioceses, professional ministry organizations and ecclesial movements.
Activities for Objective 1
- Review standards and procedures for certification submitted voluntarily by arch/dioceses and professional ministry organizations.
- Dialogue with leaders of arch/diocesan programs and professional ministry organizations with certification standards and procedures approved by the subcommittee.
- Consult with collaborating secretariats, approved arch/diocesan and professional ministry organizations and other appropriate partners in order to respond to the impact of Covid-19 on ministry.
- Participate in workshops and symposia commemorating the 15th anniversary of the statement on lay ecclesial ministry, Co-Workers in the Vineyard of the Lord.
- Promote the value of certification and the important impact of well-formed ministers during the Covid-19 pandemic.
- Promote the work of the subcommittee and ecclesial ministry activities broadly
- Consider financially sustaining efforts to support the work of certification, ministry best practices development, and promotion.
- Regularly update the subcommittee and the body of bishops on the work accomplished by the subcommittee.
- Offer consultations, workshops, presentations and updates at national ministry conferences and via online or related engagements about the work of the subcommittee and related topics.
- Develop and promote formation resources for seminaries and programs of deacon formation on the role and experiences of lay ecclesial ministers in the church.
- Improve and promote existing resources and surface or create new online resources to assist in the formation and certification of lay ecclesial ministers.
Objective 2: Support intentional efforts to recruit, form and certify lay ecclesial ministers from among underrepresented groups in dioceses, professional ministry organizations and ecclesial movements.
Activities for Objective 2
- Provide a means for national ministry organizations to report and for the subcommittee to review aspects of their ministry resourcing which related to intercultural competencies and how their membership and leadership reflect the full range of diversity in the U.S. church.
- Enhance awareness of competency-based certification and lifelong formation opportunities for lay ecclesial ministers and promote greater use of Building Intercultural Competence for Ministers.
- Improve and promote resources and opportunities to assist leaders of arch/diocesan offices and professional ministry organizations in recruiting and supporting lay ecclesial ministers in general and from among underrepresented groups and ecclesial movements.
- Marshall existing and new intercultural competencies and related resources to assist Catholic ministers in responding to the systemic realities of racism and religious bigotry.
- Assist in resourcing the ecclesial movements, regarding the value of certification, and the organizations which offer it, and engage a dialogue with them about their own formational practices in light of the national certification standards.
- Work with approved arch/diocesan programs and ministry organizations to facilitate enhanced engagement with the ecclesial movements.
- Resource developments of V Encuentro related to enhancing and developing pathways to ministry formation among the Hispanic community to further these endeavors.
- Assess and respond to efforts to academically accredit Catholic ministry formation programs for Hispanics, as it relates to further developing pathways in ministry formation among the Hispanic community.
- Consult with other USCCB-lead initiatives related to ministry formation and certification.
Certification for Ecclesial Ministry: Intercultural Competencies
Maruja Sedano, Director of the Ministry Formation Institute in the Diocese of San Bernardino, discusses how ministry formation in today’s church requires intercultural awareness and competencies. The subcommittee approved their standards in 2019.
Objective 3: Foster, utilize and implement administrative structures and procedures, and enhance institutional relationships to assist the subcommittee, collaborating secretariats and committees, and other strategic partners in the promotion of certification and ministry formation best practices.
Activities for Objective 3
- Consult and resource relevant USCCB committees and staff, as well as external partners on considerations of strategic updates to the 2005 statement, CoWorkers in the Vineyard of the Lord, with special attention to areas of concern expressed by respondents in surveys and feedback garnered to resource this effort.
- Guide regular internal collaborative group meetings with secretariat staff resourcing the committees represented on the subcommittee and others in identifying progress on collaborative activities, implementing strategic plan objectives and sharing project updates.
- Establish and orient an informal advisory group, drawn from the subcommittee-approved arch/dioceses and organizations, as well as associated partners and collaborators in ministry formation, which can serve as a resource to the subcommittee
- Assess and implement opportunities to modernize office procedures, including remote work and remote meetings necessitated by Covid-19, file management and archives, collaborator tracking (database), as well as online services to assist the subcommittee and the office in streamlining costs and increasing efficiency.