Greetings from Maria H Sedano (Maruja)
Director of the Office for Catechesis and Youth Ministry
en español »

Welcome to the Office for Catechesis and Youth Ministry Home page.

One of the ways the Catholic Church fulfills its Evangelizing mission of bringing the good news of the Gospel to all is through Catechesis. “The object of all catechesis is to put people into communion and intimate relationship with Jesus Christ”, says the National Directory for Catechesis. Through Catechesis the Church echoes and teaches the Word of God, passing on the faith and tradition received to adults, youth and children.

At the Office for Catechesis and Youth Ministry we are committed to apply the very best of Catholic theology and catechetical theory to the many kinds of catechetical programming and services we provide. Aware of the multicultural and multilingual reality of our Archdiocese, we strive to be sensitive to the spiritualities and cultural values of the people we serve. We prepare our catechists and catechetical leaders to have a collaborative role with us, with each other, and in their parishes. We work to enrich the faith of the people who comprise the Catholic Church of Chicago.

If this is your first time visiting us, I hope you find valuable information for your ministry and that you will return often for updates of our services and other important news. I also invite you to visit our Jegen Center, our catechetical media and resource center at www.jegen.org.

May God bless you in your life and in your catechetical mission.

The Office for Catechesis and Youth Ministry (OFCYM) is the representative body through which the Archbishop directs the catechetical and youth ministry activities of the Archdiocese of Chicago. As part of the evangelizing mission of the Church, the OFCYM promotes lifelong catechesis through:

• Direction of the formation, certification and renewal of certification processes for parish and Catholic school catechists and catechetical leaders
  
  
• Analysis of the state of catechesis and youth ministry in the Archdiocese leading to the design and/or implementation of appropriate responses
  
  
• Development of programs for ongoing formation of catechists, youth ministers and catechetical leaders
  
  
• Facilitation of widespread use of all media resources
  
  
• Collaboration and networking with Archdiocesan departments and agencies and other related local and national organizations
  
  
• The OFCYM mission serves catechetical leaders, youth ministers, and catechists in vicariates, deaneries, clusters and parishes of the Archdiocese.