About NCCL

The National Conference for Catechetical Leadership (NCCL) has been a leader in Catholic religious education in the United States since 1967. It is dedicated to bringing the teaching ministry of Jesus to every Catholic child, youth and adult.

NCCL grew out of the early Confraternity of Christian Doctrine (CCD) movement in this country, with roots going back to 1934. Its members represent the full spectrum of catechetical leadership: bishops, pastors, diocesan and parish directors of religious education, academics and publishers of catechetical materials. Today, it is the only independent national organization exclusively dedicated to serving the church's catechetical mission in the United States.

More than 90% of all dioceses/eparchies are members of NCCL, along with 10 parish DRE Associations and 10 publishing houses.

Mission Statement

We, the National Conference for Catechetical Leadership, formed as an organization of diocesan, parish, academic, publishing, and other catechetical personnel, strive to enrich and strengthen the ministry of catechesis throughout the Catholic dioceses of the United States, and seek to serve the Church by:

• Promoting the Church’s catechetical ministry in accord with the vision of Scripture, the wisdom of the Church, the expertise of our members, and the needs of the people we serve in our continually changing world;
• Collaborating with the bishops of the United States, international, national, regional and local organizations, other leaders who relate to catechetical ministers, and one another in the development of catechetical ministry, religious education, and faith formation;
• Nurturing the continual spiritual, professional, and personal development of religious educators and catechetical ministers in the Church;
• Gathering with one another at the national, regional, provincial, and diocesan levels to challenge our vision, foster our unity, strengthen our ministry, grow in faith, deepen our spiritual life, increase our understanding and broaden our perspective for catechetical leadership in the Church.