Certificate in Catechesis

Franciscan offers a two-year Certificate in Catechesis.

Officially launched in 2016, the Franciscan University Catechetical Institute seeks to serve Christ and his Church by forming those Catholics entrusted with the formation of others. The format of these classes is one-hour videos, in various subjects.  The classes are prerecorded in a studio and available to watch at any time.  The videos are broken up into 10-15min segments with written responses required after each video.  Each participant will be assigned a mentor who will receive the responses and do periodic check-ins.  Check out more info at Franciscan at Home. Registration for this program is below, please do not sign up for this program on their site.

You must sign up prior to August 30 each year.

The Cost: 
Participants pay the Diocese of Fargo $100 per year.  This includes your tuition and the cost for a mentor.

Registration:
You must sign up directly with the Fargo Diocese in order to be in the Certificate program and assigned a mentor.

Sign up and pay by credit card below.

The Dominican Sisters of St. Joseph in Lymington, Great Britian offer a two-year certificate in Catechesis.

Officially launched in 2024, the Certificate in Catechesis aims to provide a foundation of knowledge and practical skill necessary to catechists and adapted to their cultural and ecclesial context. It covers essential aspects of the doctrine of faith, liturgy, sacraments, moral life and prayer. It also forms catechists to engage in practical ways in missionary, kerygmatic and liturgical catechesis.  The classes are live and adjusted to our time zone from 1:00pm to 3:00pm on Tuesdays.  The classes are video-conferenced on Zoom and recorded for later viewing for those who cannot make the afternoons work for them.  Check out more info at Dominican Sisters of St. Joseph, Light of Truth program.  Registration for this program is below. Do not sign up on their site.  The sisters run their certificate program with a limited number of spots each year.  The portal opens in March and will close by Mid-August, if they are not already full.

The Cost: 
£495 per person/per year.  This is roughly $700 in 2026

Scholarships Available:
Limited Scholarships are available up to $400 per year. Priority is given to Parish Directors of Education and Catholic School Teachers, though catechists are certainly welcome to apply.

The sisters will be mentors for those in this program.

Sign up and pay by credit card below.

There are two in person reflection days a year that are required for the Certificate programs.  They will be held at Maryvale Retreat Center, Valley City on Saturdays from 9:00am to 3:00pm.  The format of these days will be a time of instruction, prayer and fellowship.  If you cannot attend one of the days, the catechist retreat each August can be substituted for one of them.  For those registered in the Certificate programs, you will receive an email closer to the date with sign up and payment links.

The cost for each reflection day is $30, this includes lunch.

The Dates for fall 2026 and spring 2027:

• Saturday, September 19
• Saturday, March 20

These dates also overlap the Faith and Culture Class weekends.  For those who wish to attend these classes, you may sign up to attend these classes but then stay through Saturday until 3:00pm.  You will receive information via email closer to the date of how to register for this as well.