Like it or not, most catechetical leaders follow the school-year calendar rather than the Church's year. That means August is the month to get ready. We make sure supplies are ordered, decide on dates for first sacraments and retreats, and schedule meetings for small group facilitators, catechists, volunteers, etc.

When I was teaching at a parish, I would also decide each August which project was to be my yearly crusade. I would choose one broad, overall objective on which to focus for the entire year. The goal varied: One year it was getting parents more involved; another year it was making sure every grade-school child knew what a sacrament was.

Sometime in the late 1990s I settled on one objective that became a perpetual campaign. I decided to see how every aspect of parish catechesis (from preschool programs to teen ministry) could touch more adults. The objective was not just to involve them in helping out, but actually to help them grow in their own faith.

Doing this helped me realize how much adult faith formation is already happening in our parishes. We are already touching adults in our sacramental preparation meetings, in our workshops for liturgical ministers and among the volunteer catechists who teach in our religious education program. I realized that sometimes it is just a matter of becoming more deliberate and focused in our planning.

For example, when you gather catechists at the beginning of the year, take some time to do some theological reflection and adult catechesis. Give them an opportunity to reflect on their lives and to consider where they are in their own faith. You might break into small groups intermingling new and returning catechists.

Ask them to share why they have chosen to teach and what they have learned or hope to learn from the experience. Have them reflect on the past summer months. What was the greatest lesson they learned, and how does that affect their faith? Or ask them to talk about the person in their life who most influenced their faith, sharing what they received from that person. Finally, gather everyone together and talk about the scope and sequence of whatever series you are using. Chose two or three different theological areas and do some adult catechesis with those gathered.

St. Anthony Messenger Press has a small book for catechists entitled "When You Are a Catechist: Handing On the Faith." The book is inexpensive and only 32 pages long. Read the introduction, which discusses the book's content, and also see a page on how Jesus taught. Feel free to copy this page to use as a handout for your catechists. Happy planning!

August certainly isn't too early to start thinking about children's catechumenate. This year, if you are not already doing so, consider involving the whole family in the process. When children of catechetical age are brought forward for Baptism, it often means their parents are also seeking a closer relationship to the Church. If we engage only the youngsters of a family in the process of initiation, we are missing a golden opportunity to evangelize and catechize the adults.

The RCIA also reminds us that one of the essential factors in initiating children is involving parents in the process, as well as peers who have already been baptized (RCIA #308). It also suggests that the various celebrations and rites of initiation take place within a smaller representative group rather than the whole congregation (RCIA #311). A family group from the parish makes an ideal representative group.

If you already have a family program in your parish, consider adapting its schedule and agenda to meet the needs of families who are presenting children for Baptism. If you have no family program, consider forming one for this specific reason. Learn more about how to integrate children's catechumenate and family programming. While this chapter was written as a reference for adapting the God is Calling family series, it offers relevant information for any family program.

In addition to making the process of initiation more beneficial, involving family groups can also provide the small community experience that neophytes often miss after they are baptized. One of the positive aspects of having an ongoing family program in your parish is the opportunity of inviting the newly baptized and their families to continue to be a part of the family program.

In the rush to line up catechists for all of our faith formation groups, assign rooms, order books and supplies, and force a smile as yet another family registers past the deadline, finding a fifth-grade catechist can end up on the same priority list as ordering construction paper.

We all realize the difference in importance of these two tasks. When I was a parish Director of Religious Education, I never prayed about what kind of construction paper to purchase, nor did I pray for the construction paper once it had arrived and was placed in the supply closet. I did pray that those God was calling to the ministry of catechist would respond to that invitation—and that I would know who they were so that I could also extend an invitation to them. I also prayed for them as they prepared for and engaged in that important ministry. I still remember many of them in my thoughts and prayers even now, years later. Their generosity to our Church, our young people and to me personally left a lasting impression on me.

Catechists volunteer to share faith but also need ongoing formation in the faith. It is important to build community among your parish catechists—a resource they can turn to for formation, support, collaboration and prayer. And it's vital to set the tone of the program year from your first gathering of catechists. Naturally there will be "nuts and bolts" information to share, but make some time to convey to your catechists that they and the faith they share are valuable, worthy of nurturing.

A video resource that both nurtures catechists in their faith and helps them prepare for the start of a new program year is Doorway People: Spirituality of the Catechist. While this video encourages catechists to see their everyday actions of welcoming, reflecting, listening and sending as holy, it also reminds them of all they receive from their students. (To see a video clip from Doorway People: Spirituality of the Catechist , click on one of the following media players: RealMedia | Windows Media).

Other videos for Catechist Formation and Enrichment (click on the video title for more information):

• Doorways to Holiness: Prayer and the Catechist (18 minutes)

• Catechist Training (7-video set , 20 minutes each: Creating the Environment, Asking the Question, Inviting to Pray, Discovering Faith, Exploring Scripture, Lesson Planning, Prayer Celebrations)

Getting ready for the fall push can be overwhelming—especially when you are facing the diverse needs and demands of small faith-sharing groups, RCIA groups and other learning and formation communities within the parish. Finding and identifying useful resources for these groups can be, at the very least, daunting. Where can you begin?

Catholic Update continues to be a tremendous source of information for adult believers who want to explore a variety of topics relating to their faith and their faith formation. To help those who plan for the use of these materials, St. Anthony Messenger Press offers the annually revised Catholic Update Sourcebook. In one place you'll find a copy of each and every Catholic Update still in print, along with a complete topical index and author index. There's even a special section that correlates Catholic Updates with the popular adult-formation video series, Catholic Update Video. This Sourcebook can go a long way toward making your planning more efficient and less painful!

Planning for RCIA? Come and See is a resource built on Catholic Updates, especially designed to help you plan and carry out an effective RCIA formation process in your parish. Come and See provides materials, including copies of nearly 80 popular Catholic Updates, for everything from doctrinal instruction to Scripture-breaking and at-home prayer and journaling activities. It can help you organize your preparation and get down to the real business of helping your RCIA participants begin to share their faith stories and begin to immerse themselves in the faith story of the Catholic community. Come and See is available in two editions, one for leaders and one for participants.

And if you're looking for a versatile, user-friendly source for Scripture study materials, why not try the Scripture from Scratch Sourcebook? In addition to providing you with a copy of each Scripture from Scratch newsletter still in print, this handy resource offers you 10 "mini-courses" utilizing the newsletters for beginning Scripture study. The mini-courses are designed for use in four-, six-, or eight-week studies. All in all a great value, and a tremendous help for anyone planning programs for self-directed, small-group studies.

How do you gear up for the start of the school year? Our editors will screen and post your ideas on our online bulletin board at AmericanCatholic.org. You can check the board from time to time to see others' ideas. Submit your ideas by clicking here.