Catechetical leaders are called to foster the development of a living, conscious, and active faith that is founded on an ongoing encounter with our Lord Jesus Christ in communion with the Catholic Church, the Body of Christ. The current K-12 Religion Curriculum Guide, which is organized around the four pillars of the Catechism of the Catholic Church: Creed, Sacrament, Christian Life, and Prayer, provides a framework for catechesis in parishes and for religious education in schools. For information about the correlation of a specific textbook series with the curriculum, consult the publisher or contact the Office of Evangelization and Discipleship (OED).
Religion K 12 Curriculum
3.03 MB | Updated: July 31, 2015
The K-12 Religion Curriculum Guide was adopted for the Archdiocese of Atlanta with permission from the Archdiocese of Indianapolis, Office of Catholic Education. This curriculum is under review in light of the 2020 Directory for Catechesis and other developments since the curriculum was published. OED will keep leaders updated as next steps and plans develop.
Please note: The Religion Curriculum’s 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. With the approval of the archbishop, the Office of Evangelization and Discipleship (OED) has been promoting family faith formation and is encouraging more parishes to embrace family catechesis. Even where parishes are still using mainly traditional approaches, OED encourages those parishes to rethink how contact hours are utilized. Opportunities for retreats, gatherings for family prayer in the parish, and other events and activities that foster an encounter with Christ and connection to the life of the parish, can and should be utilized as parts of the catechetical program and experience, in accord with the kerygmatic and mystagogical catechesis called for by the Directory for Catechesis. With family catechesis, contact hours not only include times for meetings/sessions in the parish but also encompass contact hours in the home. Catechesis is meant to be a way of life and ongoing. While hourly requirements have been helpful for scheduling the traditional classroom approach to catechesis, the archdiocese is encouraging parishes to embrace a more integrated approach to faith formation that engages and accompanies families. This means that it is acceptable to have less contact hours in the parish buildings, presuming that opportunities are included in the program for building the domestic Church in the home—for family prayer, conversations, and activities in the home. Family catechesis that is done and lived well exceeds the 30-hour requirement for in-person contact.
An example of family catechesis is our Families Forming Disciples program. More information is available at www.evangelizationatl.com/families-forming-disciples.
Chaperone Ratio Chart
289.34 KB | Updated: September 9, 2022
Ratios for the number of adults needed in a classroom or field trip setting may vary depending on a number of factors. This chart provides a general guideline.
Homeschool
The Guidelines for Catholic Religious Education in the Home provide parents and parish religious education staff with information to facilitate faith formation in a home setting while maintaining a connection to the parish community.
Conformity Listing of Catechetical Texts and Series
The Archdiocese of Atlanta adheres to the “Conformity Listing of Catechetical Texts and Series” provided by the USCCB Subcommittee on the Catechism. This Conformity List is a list of catechetical texts or series which have been judged to be in conformity with the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Pastors, however, may choose to define a parish appropriate list of approved texts or require a specific text be used.
Visit the USCCB Subcommittee on the Catechism for the latest Conformity List.
