NATIONAL CONFERENCE OF CATECHETICAL LEADERSHIP

The National Conference of Catechetical Leadership (NCCL), which has as its mission to enrich and strengthen the ministry of catechesis in the United States, traces its roots to 1934 when diocesan directors of the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine (CCD) were first convened by Bishop Edwin O'Hara of Great Falls, Montana. The directors successfully petitioned the bishops to establish both an episcopal committee and a national center for the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine. The episcopal committee was formed in November of that same year, and the national center was established in 1935. In 1936, the directors began to meet annually under the aegis of the National Center.

When the directors gathered in New Orleans for their thirtieth annual meeting in April 1966, they decided to form their own organization, independent of the National Center. Episcopal approval for the move was sought and given in September of that year by the Bishops' Committee for CCD meeting in Pittsburgh for the Twelfth National Catechetical Congress. The National Conference of Diocesan Directors of Religious Education/CCD (NCDD) was formally launched in January 1967. NCDD was organized around the ecclesiastical provinces in the United States with the board of directors consisting of elected officers and a representative from each province.

In 1991, the organization changed its bylaws, structure, and governance to widen its membership and to facilitate decision-making and governance processes. In addition to diocesan directors and their staffs, membership was expanded to include academicians, parish directors of religious education, publishers, and affiliated organizations.

Governance of the NCCL is exercised primarily through two bodies: a Representative Council and a Board of Directors. The Representative Council includes representation from the ecclesiastical provinces and the various membership constituencies. The Council's basic functions are to elect the board of directors, entertain matters affecting the state and direction of religious education/catechesis, and to articulate the values of the Conference. The smaller board of directors supervises, regulates, and directs the affairs of the Conference. Both bodies meet in the fall and spring. The officers of the Conference are elected by the general membership.

The Conference publishes a journal, Catechetical Leadership, five times a year and quarterly update reports. The Conference holds ex officio status on the Bishops' Subcommittee on Catechesis and their Committee on Education. The national offices are located in Washington, DC.

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