Advanced Ministry Studies

The Advanced Ministry Studies is a certification offered by the Archdiocese of Los Angeles Office of Religious Education. It is offered to Parish Catechetical Leaders: religious education coordinators, youth ministers, catechists, OCIA teams, baptismal formation teams, etc., Catholic School religion teachers/campus ministers, lay or religious ministers and to anyone working in any ministry or apostolate in the Church. This program will help participants to advance in their understanding of the teachings of the Catholic Church and be prepared for roles in different areas of church ministry.

Formation Components:

1. Catholic Spirituality
2. Catholic Theology
3. Evangelizing Catechesis
4. Pastoral Ministry
5. Pedagogy and Methodology
6. The Art of Accompaniment
7. Technology

For complete overview of the program please CLICK HERE.

FEES

The Advanced Ministry Studies registration fee is $20.00 and $50.00 tuition fee per class.

CATECHETICAL MINISTRY YEAR 2026-2027 CALENDAR

2026: August 22, September 26, October 17, November 21, December 19.

2027: January 23, February 20, March 13, April 17, May 22, June 5 – Retreat, June 19 – last class

This course is offered to accepted students in the Advanced Ministry Studies program. And serves as formal ongoing formation to any person serving in any ministry in the Church. E.g.: Pastors, Deacons, Master Catechists, Parish Catechetical Leaders, any person that wants to grow in faith, etc. Ongoing Formation fee $25.00

2026-2027 detailed calendar will be posted soon (for dates refer above)

The AMS Application process is hosted in the LEAD learning management system which is part of the ADLA C3 (Catholic Communication Collaboration) platform. If you do not have a C3lead account please create one here: c3.leadlms.com  Once you have created an account or if you already have an account please start the process in the following link: Advanced Ministry Studies (AMS) Application.

After applying you will be contacted to schedule an interview with our admitting team. Our goal is to guide and help you understand the AMS program and commitment.

If you have questions or need assistance please contact:

Flor de Maria Luna Fluna@la-archdiocese.org  or by phone to: 213- 637-7654
Elizabeth Argueta EArgueta@la-archdiocese.org or by phone 213-637-7358