From their website: The National Community of Catechetical Leaders is dedicated to promoting the ministries of evangelization and catechesis in the U.S. Catholic Church by fostering a community of leaders who proclaim and teach the Word of Jesus Christ through the witness of accompaniment, education, and formation in the Catholic faith.

Olga Islas began catechizing school-age students, both in parishes and in the context of a Catholic school, long before becoming a teacher in 2000, and eventually, the principal of Saint Patrick’s Elementary in 2011. Previously she served as the director of catechetical ministry at Our Lady of Guadalupe parish before transitioning to education.“When I first became director at Guadalupe, the pastor asked me to go to school,” she gave as an explanation as to why, as a trained nuclear engineer, she obtained a master’s degree in Pastoral Ministries from Santa Clara University at her pastor’s behest.

But her diocesan involvement does not stop there: for years she has been teaching Spanish courses in the diocesan Institute for Leadership in Ministry (ILM). Later, when Saint Patrick's Proto-Cathedral — now Our Lady of La Vang — ceased to exist due to a fire, she directed catechesis for Saint Patrick’s School and the Spanish-speaking community of Our Lady of La Vang by holding classes for parents and children at the school. In that time, amid insurmountable obstacles including the COVID-19 pandemic, Olga became deeply familiar with the need to include parents as the primary catechists of their children.

In February 2024, the National Community of Catechetical Leaders (NCCL), a non-profit organization based in Washington, D.C., received not one but two grants from the Lilly Endowment. Through the endowment, NCCL has launched an initiative, Parents and Families at the Center of Faith Formation Project, which places parents and families at the center of catechetical education. Providentially, this aligns perfectly with the Pastoral Plan for Family, whose first objective is parents.¹

On the NCCL website, the motivation for the parent-centered initiative is explained:

The prevailing model of Catholic parish faith formation (catechesis) for children and adolescents is not adequate for faith transmission and formation today. The current model of weekly, age-graded classes or programs at church involves only 20-30 hours of faith formation annually. It is a model that makes parents/caregivers and the family peripheral to faith transmission and formation.

In response to the need for a new model, NCCL “seeks to build on how Catholic families are already transmitting faith and values so that new approaches and strategies support parents. The new approaches and strategies will be developmentally appropriate, culturally responsive, personalized to diverse parental religiosities, and responsive to diverse family structures.”

Olga was thrilled when she was informed about the initiative. “I was very enthusiastic about entering this initiative because. I truly believe that what is going on with our children and with our youth as far as being turned off by the Church can be reversed by parents.”

Islas believes that catechizing the whole family lies far beyond the ‘graduating from Catholic class’ mentality that often permeates drop-off style parish catechetical programs. “I am certain that parents are aware of their tremendous influence on their children's faith journeys. We can talk about Mass attendance, but it goes beyond Mass attendance.” She briefly elaborated on her overall hope for implementing the program. “I believe the NCCL’s initiative will be extremely helpful in creating the bridge we need for parishes to collaborate and help parents take their rightful place in their children's faith journey.”  Her belief is shared by those who hope to implement NCCL’s project in several participating parishes in the diocese.

Although the Parents and Families at the Center of Faith Formation Project is very new, and Olga has only begun in her new position, she has a deep sense of the potential positive impact of the initiative. “One of the opportunities this initiative offers us is to come together to share the treasures we already have at our various parishes and Catholic schools. We will also be able to access many of the existing resources — for there is an explosion of resources — as well as find and create new ones that respond to the needs of our diverse communities.”

Both Olga and Irma Alarcón de Rangel, the diocesan Director of Disciple Formation, will travel to Chicago in August 2024 to strategize with other diocesan leaders over the shape that NCCL’s initiative will take across participating dioceses nationally.

¹ Diocesan Pastoral Plan Priority for Family, Obj. 1: Engage and support parents in becoming their children’s primary teachers of the Faith. In our parishes and schools, the People of God, especially parents of all types, can expect training and formation on how to share the Catholic faith with their children and grandchildren, whether they are infants, children, teens, or adults.