Hello and welcome to the Certificate of Christian Formation program. This program is designed to teach you fundamental Christianity. This is achieved by taking you through catechesis.

Catechesis is the religious instruction given to catechumens, or people preparing for (adult) baptism or confirmation (if baptized as a child). It ensures that those who consciously and voluntarily are committing themselves to this faith, know what the faith is that they are subscribing to. This is usually done by teaching them the fundamentals of the faith (The Apostles Creed), the foundations of morality (the Ten Commandments), and the fundamentals of communication with God (the Lord’s Prayer).

This catechetical program was designed and taught by The Rev. Canon Dr. Michael Petty, Ph.D, The Canon for Adult Formation at St. Peter’s Cathedral, in Tallahassee, FL. He also prepared the study guides and the discussion questions. It is based on the Catechism of the Anglican Church in North America, titled To Be A Christian.

The Program is broken down into 3 courses.

• CAT101 – Catechesis I;
• CAT102 – Catechesis II; and
• CAT103 – Catechesis III.

The Videos and the Study guide are available for free online (here), however, as we operate an institute that offers academic credit, we charge to cover the cost of the course facilitator, the course evaluator, and the institution.

About the Instructor:

Rev. Canon Dr. Michael Petty is a native of West Virginia and grew up in Houston, TX. He received his education at Austin College (B. A.) and at Vanderbilt University (M. Div., M. A., Ph. D.). During his twenty-five years of ordained ministry, he has served a large suburban congregation, a campus ministry at a medical school, and a hospital chaplaincy. He serves as Canon for Adult Formation at St. Peter’s Anglican Cathedral in Tallahassee, FL, a position he has held since 2005, the year of the establishment of the church. Since its founding in 2014, he has served as Director of The Charles Simeon Institute. In addition to pastoral ministry, Fr. Petty has served as an adjunct faculty member at the Perkins School of Theology (Southern Methodist University), the Nashotah House Theological Seminary, and the Tallahassee Christian College and Training Center [formerly the Center for Biblical Studies]. He is married to Sara Clausen and they have a son, Graham.