The
Vol. 22 No. 27 Thursday, August 2,1984 $10.00 Per Year
PRELATES - A special Liturgy at St. John’s
Melkite Church brought together archbishops of
the different rites. In the center, Patriarch
Maximos V, spiritual leader of the Melkite
Catholic Church throughout the world. He is
BY GRETCHEN REISER
The experience of being out of work is tough and
lonely - a time when the only practical help in the
discouraging struggle may be a job counselor who is
also trying to place many other people and who may
not be able to invest much time or concern in one
person’s plight
When unemployment escalates into a family crisis,
churches often get involved, bringing food or funds to
pay utility bills or even the rent or mortgage.
But someone looking for a job isn’t likely to go to
church to find one.
An ecumenical coalition of churches is trying to
“People turn to the churches for help”
in every other life crisis. “Why shouldn’t
they look to the church when they’re
unemployed?”
change that perception through the work of the
Christian Employment Cooperative.
The main office of the CEC is at 465 Boulevard in
southeast Atlanta, the new home of the Christian
Council of Metropolitan Atlanta, where the CEC rents
space. Seven churches have opened up satellite offices
of the CEC and have hours when people who are out of
work can come in, fill out xorms, get help with resumes
and try for jobs that the CEC has been seeking out
flanked on the left by Archbishop Joseph Tawil,
head of the Melkite Catholics in the U.S., and by
Archbishop Thomas Donnellan. See story, page
13.
from employers. Three more CEC satellite offices are
in community centers other than churches.
In addition, 27 other churches have assigned people
who represent the CEC and make the work of the
Cooperative known to employers and the unemployed
in their church community.
“People turn to the churches for help” in every
other life crisis, said Leon Bridges, who is the executive
director of the CEC. “Why shouldn’t they look to the
church when they’re unemployed?”
The CEC, whose only paid staff member right now is
Bridges, is more than a year old, but after months of
goal setting and planning has recently begun to move
into the actual business of finding people jobs.
The Cooperative uses the already extensive network
existing in any church community to try and match up
people who are out of work with local employers. But
there is more to the Cooperative, which tries to bring
compassion and support to the unemployed and a
committed effort to help them and their families.
“We want to be classified as a church - that we
CARE and we’re going to try to use every resource to
help them,” said Bridges.
The executive director has experienced many facets
of the situation job-seekers face. He worked for 25
years in the corporate world, including holding
executive positions where he was responsible for
interviewing and hiring others. Then he worked in the
field of personnel placement - helping place
professional people in management jobs and helping
(Continued on page 15)
New Program Trains
Religious Educators
BY MARY BETH MARINO
An archdiocesan training program has been devised for
all educators in the field of religious education.
Jim Sendelbach, director of the catechist
formation/certification program, said the innovative
program will provide faith enrichment, study and service
opportunities to fulfill the needs of the person teaching in
parish religious education classes.
In this conscientious effort to reorganize and update
the teaching of religious education, this program has been
presented to Archbishop Thomas Donnellan and approved
by the Board of Education.
“This program has been discussed over a long period of
time by the Board of Education and the value has been
seen” Sendelbach said.
“While it is not mandatory at this time, hopefully in
the very near future, all religious education teachers will
be accredited in this program.”
“The overall need for training lay ministers and
educators was prompted by Vatican IPs request to involve
more parishioners in various forms of liturgical worship
o, and religious education.” Sendelbach said.
\ Sendelbach said the present educators in the parishes
5 included some working on salary, others as volunteers,
J and a combination of part-time and full-time educators.
s Under the new program, catechists have a wide range of
educational opportunities offered them as well as
diversified options for obtaining certification.
An in-depth handbook is available as well as brochures,
obtainable through the Religious Education Office at the
Catholic Center.
The following outline will give a brief overview of how
the program works:
ARCHDIOCESAN LEVEL
The archdiocese offers a certification program uniquely
designed for teachers of religious education. Any
instructor could qualify for this certification, including a
parent who is presently teaching elementary school of
religion classes.
Teachers can achieve certification as a Catechist,
Advanced Catechist or Master Catechist. There are three
categories that must be completed in each level of
certification.
They are:
a. Content
b. Practice Methods and Development
c. Catechical Experience and Activities
CATECHIST CERTIFICATION
Requirements to achieve Catechist certification are:
a. completed 30 hours of course work in content.
b. completed 30 hours of training method and
development
c. completed 30 hours of activities and experience.
(Continued on page 12)
f >
On The Inside
In Vitro Fertilization 6
Flannery O'Connor
Anniversary 8
Patriarch Maximos V 13
v y
Making The Church A Place For Jobs
