Elements of the Formation Leader Discernment Application

I came that they might have life and have it to the full.  

John 10b

Thank you for your interest in the Formation Leader Discernment Process with the United States Association of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (CGSUSA). On behalf of the Formation Leader Discernment Team, we look forward to getting to know you!

Becoming a CGSUSA recognized formation leader at any level is a discernment process. It begins with you, the catechist, and includes the CGSUSA Formation Leader Discernment Team. We join with you to discern your readiness to take on this important role of sharing the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd with others. Although many people drawn to Catechesis of the Good Shepherd seek to serve children, not all who become catechists are called to be formation leaders, and recognition at advanced levels is not a set path. We want to encourage you to continue listening to how God is calling you to this role.

You must Sign In to your CGSUSA Membership account to access the Formation Leader Discernment Application.  Please SIGN IN and return to this page to continue to learn more about the application.  We strongly encourage you to download and read all three of the documents found at the buttons below.  These documents will provide detailed information necessary to completing the application form. The application form is hosted by a tool called JotForm.  This tool will allow you to save your application and continue/complete at a later time.  This feature will require you to create a free sign in JotForm.  CGSUSA has no oversight into your JotForm account or access to your saved or partially completed forms.

Preparing to Complete the Application

CGSUSA Formation Leader Discernment Application -The primary application form, CGSUSA Formation Leader Discernment Application, is divided into 8 main sections. You must complete each section before moving on the the next.

• Basic Profile Information – address, languages spoken, faith tradition, home parish, including uploaded image of yourself (cell phone ‘selfie’ or other photo)
• Catechist Formation History – course location, formation leader, year completed for each level including uploaded images of certificates
• Catechist Experience – setting, location, and length of time serving children at the level you are seeking recognition
• Other Formation Experience – events, courses, usage of CGSUSA online materials manual, and commitment to ongoing formation
• Education – past education experience and if you have received it, Montessori training
• About You – short answer getting to know you section – more details found in the Supplemental Information
• Status of Personal Album
• References – names and email addresses of three individuals willing to submit references on your behalf

Ministry Reflection and Portfolio – After your Formation Leader Discernment Application has been received and reviewed, you will receive an email from the Formation Leader Discernment Team. If your application meets the necessary criteria to advance to the next phase of the discernment process, that email will include a link to the Ministry Reflection and Portfolio form. You will not need to request this as you will receive it automatically when your application is updated. The anticipated timeframe for receipt varies for each applicant.  The portfolio includes your response to several Ministry Reflection Questions (upload via Word or PDF document), uploads of photos of your atrium environment and materials, and uploads sample album pages. The photos are intended to show the committee how well you have a theological understanding of the materials as they are arranged in the atrium and how the atrium materials are prepared considering the Materials Manual.

For New Cohorts in Formation Leader Discernment

Requirements and next steps once you have been accepted into the next cohort of the Formation Leader Discernment process.

You will need to have a mentor. This person is an experienced formation leader. You will receive guidance on who can serve as a mentor. The mentor will review your album. This will likely be the person with whom you serve as an assistant on a course. You will serve on at least one and possibly two courses as an assistant.

Serving as an assistant for catechist formation.  As an assistant on catechist formation in Part 1, you will primarily focus on being an observer in the course, listening to adult reflections, watching the presentations, and taking notes to update your album. During the catechist formation, you will want to observe the group dynamics and the interactions between the formation leader and participants, noticing what questions are asked and how they are answered. During the second half of the catechist formation, you may be asked to give a presentation (s), discuss album pages with a small group or assist in preparing the materials and the atrium environment for each course session, discuss with the formation leader the details needed for the session’s presentations. This role is very important for the experience it can offer you to prepare for the formation leader role. It is best that you do not also serve as the hosting coordinator, taking care of hosting details for the course while trying to serve as an assistant to the formation leader. The hosting duties may distract your focus from the course session. The Formation Leader Discernment Team will be looking to see if you have gained experience on at least one, and possibly two, full Level I courses. They will look for feedback from your mentor as well as from you.

As a member of a Formation Leader Discernment Cohort, you will be invited to participate in the Formation Leader Discernment Seminars when offered. For Level I this will be offered again in 2026. For Level II this is being offered in 2025. For Level III this is still being determined. All Discernment Seminars are hybrid events and include a portion of online study and a 4-1/2-day in-person meeting at a retreat center.