(effective 2/2009)

Purpose of Policy and Procedure:
The Holy Spirit Parish 4 Minute Catechesis Policy and Procedure is meant as a reference for anyone who is involved with approved programs at Holy Spirit Parish to determine when the 4 Minutes are an appropriate communication vehicle for a specific event or message.

Scope of the Policy:
The Holy Spirit 4 Minute Catechesis is a method of teaching elements of the Catholic Faith to the parish community. Some examples of content include teachings on the Sacraments, teachings on living Stewardship, serving the community as ministers, passing on faith to your children, how to pray, how to become Catholic, forgiveness and anger and Encyclicals from the Bishops or the Pope. The content for the 4 Minutes can extend for a single weekend or continue for many weekends.

The 4 Minutes occurs at each weekend Mass after announcements and before the final blessing and dismissal. It is 4 minutes in length each week. The following policy and procedures are specific for the 4 Minutes.

4 Minute Catechesis Policy:

• The Holy Spirit Parish Communications Policy (HSP01) applies to all 4 Minute content.
• The Holy Spirit Parish Program Policy and Procedure (HSP07) applies to all programs that might want to use the 4 Minutes. This includes the events themselves as well as events that lead up to an event.
• Content for the 4 minutes should be consistent with teaching some element of the Catholic Faith and not an extended announcement of some sort.
• The Pastor, Parochial Vicar or a regular visiting presider is typically the presenter for the 4 Minutes. On occasion, someone else may be asked or permitted to present the 4 Minutes.
• Requests for 4 Minutes should be part of a complete communications plan that utilizes all methods of communications
• Requests for 4 Minutes should be directed to the Pastoral Team for review. The Pastoral Team meets most Monday mornings and the agendas are set on Sunday evening.
• Requests for 4 Minutes received from people outside staff and/or leadership councils will be sent to the appropriate staff or council committee for review, planning and submission to the Pastoral Team.
• The Pastoral Team has the authority to bypass approval procedures for the 4 Minutes.

Responsibilities:
Pastoral Team:

• Researches, consults and advises on the 4 Minute content planning
• Ensures that there is a plan for the entire year for 4 Minutes
• Reviews and approves requests for 4 Minute content from all sources

Parish Staff, Council Leadership, and Committee Chairs:

• Suggests content for 4 minutes to the Pastoral Team as part of a complete communications plan for their specific area of responsibility
• Communicate Pastoral Team decisions for the 4 Minutes to their committees
• 
Program Chairs and Organizers:
• Develop content for any approved 4 Minutes
• Determine presenter for any approved 4 Minutes

4 Minute Procedures:

Yearly planning, requests and scheduling:

• ♣    Several 4 Minutes are done on a yearly basis and they should be calendared as soon as the dates are known.
• These may include the yearly Stewardship Campaign including the State of the Parish address, RCIA Come and See testimonials and the 4 Minutes that precede the Lenten Series. If there are any additional series planned, the 4 minutes will usually be used as prolepsis for those series.
• There are other yearly events that might suggest a 4 Minute such as Catechetical Sunday or Catholic Campaign for Human Development
• Any of these should be placed in the plan first before filling in with other topics or requests.
• Committees should consider any potential 4 Minutes requests as part of the communications plans developed in the yearly calendar. These should be submitted to the Pastoral Team as part of the yearly planning process

Ongoing requests and scheduling:

• All regular Pastoral Team meetings should include an agenda item to review any 4 Minutes plans, requests and updates.
• As part of the planning process for any event or program, the committee should prepare a complete communications plan. Any request for the 4 Minutes should be part of that communications plan and the plan should include multiple methods of communications, not just the 4 Minutes.
• The committee should make a request as soon as possible for the 4 Minutes and submit it to the Pastoral Team for consideration. The Pastoral Team requires at least 4 weeks notice to schedule and approved 4 Minutes.
• Approved requests will be scheduled as soon as it possible but they will not be scheduled until a current series has ended. Timing may be the sole reason for not approving a 4 Minutes. 
• The Pastoral Team will communicate to the committee once a decision is reached.
• If the request is approved, the committee should work with the assigned staff on the content and the presenter, insuring that the content follows the recommendations of the policy.