Parish Catechetical Co-ordinator

Do you have experience working as an Catechetical Co-Ordinator? Would you like to make a real difference, using your skills to support a parish community?

About the Diocese of Westminster:

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Westminster is a faith-based charity. We are home to the Archbishop of Westminster (Cardinal Vincent Nichols) & the beautiful Westminster Cathedral. We are also one of the leading Catholic dioceses in the country, delivering our charitable mission through our network of 208 schools, 212 parishes and several hundred social justice initiatives. We seek to positively impact the lives of all members of our community.

We believe that to succeed we must be person-centred and place human dignity at our centre. We strive to take a holistic approach to the development of our people so that we may better serve the functions of our Church and the mission of our charity.

Our core values are Competence, Reliability, Honesty, Perseverance and Love

About the role:

There are two places of worship within this parish: Our Lady of Mount Carmel & St George (the parish church) and Our Lady of Walsingham, Holtwhites Hill (a chapel of ease – also used by the Polish Mission). The catechetical programmes are delivered at Our Lady of Mount Carmel & St George, which is also where the parish office is located and the clergy reside. The parish is a busy one and it covers a large geographical area. Sunday Mass count in October 2022 was 1250. This academic year there are 93 children preparing for Holy Communion (year 3) and 94 preparing for the Sacrament of Confirmation (mostly year 9 – some year 10). In addition, 17 children who had not been prepared for First Holy Communion in year 3 were catechised over the autumn term and received First Holy Communion after Christmas. These ranged from years 4 – 10. There are, at present, three priests on the staff, along with a permanent deacon. There is a Parish Secretary and bookkeeper and a large number of volunteers, including catechists and administrative helpers. The successful candidate would need to be happy working within a team and able to utilise and appreciate the contribution of the volunteers. It is essential that she/he has a natural and appropriate rapport with children and young people.

Principal duties and responsibilities:

• To co-ordinate, promote and develop catechetical programmes in the parish, including the following: Confirmation, First Reconciliation and First Holy Communion, to organise and prepare material for sessions and liturgies.

• To organise and develop catechetical programmes for children not attending Catholic schools

• To attend meetings for catechetical programmes as required

• To identify, empower and co-ordinate the recruitment and ongoing training and personal formation of all the volunteer catechists in the parish programmes

• To organise the classes and co-ordinate the curriculum (in consultation with the Parish Priest).

• To carefully maintain the annual catechetical budget

• To organise and coordinate occasional Masses for those with Special Education Needs. Alongside this is the need to prepare these children and young people for Baptism, First Holy Communion and Confirmation. There is excellent assistance with this from the diocese.

• To meet with the catechists and clergy to review, prepare and develop programmes to be followed

• To evaluate all catechetical programmes and keep up to date with new resources as they become available

• To link closely with the diocesan Agency for Evangelisation and be fully aware of the programmes they offer and attend meetings arranged for employed coordinators

• To develop close relations with and support the parents of those involved with catechetical programmes. This involves dealing with their worries, concerns and queries.

• To work and liaise with the Parish Priest and safeguarding representatives in the parish to ensure compliance with the diocesan rules and guidelines. This includes oversight of the necessary checks for those who volunteer as catechists.

• This role is subject to enhanced Safeguarding checks – DBS etc.

• To attend monthly Deanery meetings (Tuesdays)

• To undertake administration tasks such as registration forms and record keeping

• Any ad hoc duties as required

Benefits:

In return for your hard work and commitment to us, you will receive a competitive reward package which will include, but is not limited to:

• 5% pension contribution – Standard Life
• Cycle to Work scheme
• Access to low cost loans with Churches Mutual
• Employee Assistance Program
• £8K Death in Service benefit (all staff)

Location: Enfield Parish

Hours of work: 25 Hours per week (to be agreed on with Parish Priest)

Salary: £17.50 per hour

Closing date: Friday 24th March 2023 at noon

Job Reference: 477-ENFLD

To be considered for the role, please complete an online application. CVs will NOT be considered, therefore, please do not send them. Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted. Please note that you will need to be eligible to work in the UK to apply for this position. You must provide proof of Right to Work in the UK. We reserve the right to remove the vacancy before closing date.