Position Title: Director of Children’s Faith Formation
Department: Youth Faith Formation
Reports To: Executive Director
Office: 1011 First Avenue, New York, NY
Status: Full-Time, Exempt
About the Department:
The mission of the department is build the Kingdom of God by supporting, training, and resourcing the parishes of the Archdiocese of New York in their ministry to evangelize and form young people and their families from birth to twelfth grade. Made up of a team of ministry experts and consultants that work collaboratively, the department marries the richness of Catholic Church with understanding of the needs of today’s young people and families to foster disciples of Jesus in the community of the Catholic faith.
Essential Position Duties and Responsibilities:
- The Director of Children’s Faith Formation is the archdiocesan expert on the facilitating effective catechetical ministry with children and families from birth to fifth grade.
- Work collaboratively with regional specialists, pastors, and parish leadership to identify tools and methods for parishes’ ministry to children and their families in a rich environment of cultural and economic diversity.
- Work with all archdiocesan ministries to further the archdiocesan mission to live, proclaim, and share the Gospel of Jesus Christ specifically working closely and collaboratively with the offices of Adult Faith Formation, Catholic Schools, Ethnic Apostolates, Family Life, Liturgy, Respect Life, and Young Adult Outreach
- Work in collaboration with the staff of the department of youth faith formation to promote and support comprehensive ministry with young people and their families from birth to twelfth grade
- Offer research and recommendations on various catechetical models and provide guidelines and guidance on catechetical processes, materials, texts, and resources that can be effective in their unique ministerial environments
- Identify and promote catechetical resources that are in conformity with the Catechism of the Catholic Church to supplement parish efforts such as instructional aids, digital resources, etc.
- Identify and promote effective practices for baptismal preparation
- Identify and promote effective practices for first Eucharist and first Penance preparation
- Identify and promote effective practices for parish ministry to early childhood children and families including but not limited to Catechesis of the Good Shepherd
- Identify and promote effective practices for ministry to and with young people with learning disabilities
- In collaboration with the Family Life Office, identify and promotes both spiritual and parenting formation for parents of younger children
- Work collaboratively with the director of ministry formation and the director of youth ministry to develop and provide spiritually, theologically, ministerially, and academically sound programs of preparation for parish faith formation leaders
- Identify formation needs for parish faith formation leaders and work collaboratively with the director of ministry formation to develop effective opportunities to meet those needs
- Work collaboratively with the regional specialists to assist parishes in the development, support, evaluation, and problem-solving in their ministry to young people and families from birth to fifth-grade
- Participate regularly in regional faith formation leaders’ meetings
- Liaise with Catholic catechetical publishers on topics related to faith formation
- Remain up-to-date on the latest guidance regarding catechesis and ministry from the Vatican and the USCCB and archdiocesan safe environment policies
- In collaboration with other members of the departmental staff, evaluate and update archdiocesan faith formation policies and procedures
- Identify, convene, and oversee working groups to address relevant needs, issues, and topics
- Participate in the planning and implementation of departmental gatherings and events
- Create and manage a budget for their ministry area
- Provide monthly content for departmental newsletter
- Collaborate on the planning and implementation of departmental events and gatherings
- Collaborate with the department’s social media presence by creating regular content
- Submit periodic project reports to the Executive Director
- Attend departmental team and working-group meetings
- Liaison with others nationally who engage in a similar ministry area
- Other duties as needed
Required Education, Experience and Skills
- Master’s Degree with a concentration in theology, religious education, or education required
- 6+ years of full-time paid experience in children’s catechetical ministry
- Bilingual in Spanish/English a plus
- Actively growing in one’s faith and able to be a witness of Christ through a life of authenticity and integrity as a Roman Catholic in good standing
- Exhibits on continually growing expertise on trends, methods, teachings, and research in children, families, ministry, and education
- Thorough knowledge with the foundational and catechetical documents of the universal and United States Catholic Church, such as Catechism of the Catholic Church, Constitutions of the Second Vatican Council, Directory for Catechesis, Co-workers in the Vineyard of the Lord, Renewing the Vision, etc.
- Strong interpersonal skills, organizational, time-management, and communication skills
- Interculturally competent with a strong sensitivity and awareness of the multicultural reality of the archdiocese
- Enjoys being an active member of a team in a joyful work environment
- Ability to work collaboratively with others as well as be self-motivated and work independently
- Have a valid driver’s license and ability to travel throughout the archdiocese
- Able to work flexible schedule that may nights and weekends as needed
- Proficient in MS Office programs (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook) and online navigation and research
- Proven facility with a variety of technological tools used for learning and formation (e.g. digital projectors, laptops, tablets, smart phones, etc.)
- Familiarity with online team collaborative programs such as Slack, Sharepoint, Dropbox, etc. a plus
Interested candidates should send a cover letter and resume to: Ela.Milewska@archny.org