Frequently Asked Questions

CatechismClass.com is an online Catholic education platform founded in 2004 by Fr. James D. Zatalava. We recognized the growing challenges in Catholic religious education—budget constraints, logistical difficulties, and declining student engagement—and created a convenient, flexible solution for parishes, families, and individuals seeking quality faith formation.

We were pioneers in online Catholic education, and our courses and platform address these challenges by providing:

• Accessibility: 24/7 online access to comprehensive courses completed at your own pace.
• Affordability: Cost-effective programs compared to traditional classroom settings.
• Flexibility: Adaptable to various learning styles and situations, including homeschooling and accommodating students with disabilities.
• Engaging Content: Interactive lessons, quizzes, and multimedia elements designed to enhance learning and retention.
• Parental & Parish Involvement: Tools for parents and parishes to monitor student progress and reinforce learning at home.

CatechismClass.com provides comprehensive Catholic religion courses accessible to everyone. Our courses are available online 24/7 and can be completed entirely at your own pace, with lifetime access to the material—even after you finish. There are no subscriptions or long-term commitments required.

Courses are completed through a simple web browser with no software downloads necessary. You can access our programs from any internet-connected device: laptops, desktops, tablets, or mobile phones. Whether you're preparing for the Sacraments or seeking to rediscover what the Church truly teaches, we have programs tailored to your needs.

Yes, CatechismClass.com is fully committed to the teachings of the Catholic Church. All of our staff—including writers, editors, and programmers—sign an Oath of Fidelity pledging their allegiance to the Catholic Church. Our programs are developed in complete accordance with Catholic teaching, and we exclusively produce Catholic materials.

Online education addresses key challenges in Catholic faith formation. Our RCIA program is used by parishes to accommodate members with demanding travel schedules or disabilities that make weekly in-person classes difficult. Our children's courses help families teach the Faith at home, and our programs empower children with physical or mental disabilities to learn at their own pace. Our best-selling godparent classes allow godparents living far apart to study high-quality pre-baptismal material together.

Yes! CatechismClass.com is used by both parishes and individuals, including homeschoolers, families, and those studying on their own. Our programs are designed for everyone, regardless of their role or prior knowledge of Catholicism. To learn more about parish implementation, visit our Parish Page.

No, our programs are not meant to replace in-person learning. While we offer some of the best online courses for Catholic faith formation, our materials are resources that happen to be online, rather than substitutes for community learning. We encourage students to attend Mass regularly, participate actively in their parishes, and live out their Faith through prayer and good works.

All six tasks are directly addressed by our lessons:

• Promoting Knowledge of the Faith — Through the Catechism section in all lessons
• Liturgical Education — Throughout our lessons in the Integration & Catechism sections
• Moral Formation — In the Catechism and Activity sections
• Teaching to Pray — In our Opening and Closing Prayer sections
• Education for Community Life — In the Catechism and Activity sections
• Missionary Initiation — In our Activity sections

An Imprimatur is official Church approval meaning "it may be printed." Historically, this distinguished books adhering to Church teachings from those that did not. However, Imprimaturs apply only to printed books, not online courses. The Church does not grant Imprimaturs for digital programs.

That said, CatechismClass.com enjoys the highest level of support available to an online program, with endorsements from several U.S. bishops and Bishop Robert Vasa serving as our Episcopal Advisor. For more information on our endorsements and episcopal support, visit our About Us page.

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) does not review or recommend any online curricula, including those produced by Catholic organizations. The USCCB does not conduct conformity reviews for websites or digital programs. However, we are endorsed by individual bishops and have received support from numerous dioceses and parishes nationwide. For more information on our endorsements and episcopal support, visit our About Us page.

The certificate request process depends on your course. Some programs use fast-track requests, while others require manual administrative review.

Fast-Track Certificate Programs: Baptism, Marriage, NFP, Pre-Cana, Confirmation Sponsor, First Communion Godparent, and Quinceañera have streamlined requests. After completing the required lessons with a passing score, go to your quiz results, click "See Details," and you'll see a green button to request your certificate. (For programs with multiple lessons like Quinceañera, the green button appears after completing the final quiz.) Follow the prompts to (1) Pay the certificate fee, (2) Fill in the Certificate Request Form, and (3) Optionally select expedited processing if you need your certificate within 24 hours (additional fee applies). You'll receive a confirmation email once submitted.

Comprehensive Review Programs: All other courses require manual review. Pay the certificate fee and submit a support ticket requesting an Administrative Review, including your User ID and program name. Our team will respond within 24 hours on average with next steps.

For detailed step-by-step guidance, visit our certificate requirements page which includes a helpful tutorial. If you have questions, please contact our support team.

We offer both options. A digital PDF certificate is available for download, and a printed certificate can be mailed to you for an additional fee. You will choose your preferred format when placing your certificate order. If you need your certificate quickly, the digital PDF option is fastest. For sacramental ceremonies, many parishes accept the printed certificate — if you are unsure which format your parish requires, we recommend asking your pastor or religious education director in advance.

Yes, we offer an expedited certificate option for situations where you need your certificate on a tight timeline — such as an upcoming baptism or confirmation ceremony. The expedited option is available during checkout when you place your certificate order. If you have already placed a standard order and need to upgrade to expedited, please contact our support team as soon as possible and we will do our best to accommodate you. We strongly recommend ordering your certificate as early as possible to avoid time pressure.

Digital PDF certificates are typically available within 3 business days of submitting your request. Printed certificates sent by mail generally arrive within 10 business days depending on your location. Expedited orders are processed with priority — please see our expedited option if you have an urgent deadline. If your certificate has not arrived within the expected timeframe, please contact our support team with your order details.

Our certificates are widely used and accepted by many Catholic parishes and dioceses throughout the United States. However, acceptance is not guaranteed — it is ultimately determined by your parish or diocese. Each parish and diocese may have their own requirements, policies, and preferences regarding certificate acceptance. We always recommend speaking with your pastor or religious education director before enrolling to confirm they will accept our certificate for your specific sacrament and situation.

If your parish has questions about our program, we're happy to provide documentation about our curriculum, our endorsements from U.S. bishops, and our Episcopal Advisor, Bishop Robert Vasa. Your parish can contact us directly if they need additional information to evaluate our courses. Please also see our Terms and Conditions for more information about certificate acceptance policies.

Yes, we can personalize your certificate to reflect both names (for example, "Mr. and Mrs. John Garcia"). Joint certificates are typically available for Baptism, Marriage, and NFP courses. Contact our support team with the names as you would like them to appear. Please note that both individuals must have individually completed the required course material to qualify for the joint-named certificate. A small certificate processing fee will apply for a manually prepared joint-named certificate.

If the name on your certificate is misspelled or incorrect, please contact our support team with your account information and the correct name as it should appear. We will issue a corrected certificate. In most cases a fee will apply for corrections, though if the error was on our part, there may be no charge. To avoid errors, please double-check that your name is entered correctly in your account profile before requesting your certificate — you can update your profile at any time from the "My Profile" tab.

For Fast-Track Programs (Baptism, Marriage, NFP, Pre-Cana, Confirmation Sponsor, First Communion Godparent, Quinceañera): Paying the certificate fee and requesting the certificate are separate steps. If you have already paid the certificate fee, go to your quiz results, click "See Details," locate the green button, and fill out the Certificate Request Form — you should not be charged again.

For Comprehensive Review Programs: Pay the certificate fee, then submit a support ticket requesting an Administrative Review with your User ID and program name. You should not be charged a second time.

If you're being asked to pay twice despite already paying, please contact our support team with your account information and payment details, and we will investigate and resolve the issue.

CatechismClass.com certificates do not expire — we do not and have never set an expiration date. However, expiration is determined by your parish. Some parishes require certificates to be from within 3 months of the sacrament. Others will accept certificates from up to 3 years ago. Most parishes will accept certificates completed within one year of taking the class and consider anything after 12 months to be expired. If you completed a course several years ago and are now preparing for a sacrament, we strongly recommend checking with your parish or pastor to confirm their specific requirements before reordering or retaking any coursework.

We offer comprehensive preparation courses for all major sacraments. Visit our Sacrament Guide to learn about preparation for Baptism, Penance/Confession, First Communion, Confirmation, Marriage, and more. Use our Course Selector to find the exact course for your situation.

The Godparent Preparation course is designed for anyone serving as a godparent at a child's baptism. The course covers the role and responsibilities of a godparent, the theology of baptism, the sacrament itself, and the godparent's lifelong commitment to the child's spiritual formation. Both godparents are typically required by the Church to complete formal preparation before the baptism ceremony. The course can be completed in 1-2 hours and concludes with a quiz. Once you pass the quiz, you will be able to order a certificate of completion that is readily acceptable to parishes. You can access the course at any time, allowing godparents living in different locations to complete their preparation on their own schedule.

Our Marriage Preparation course covers all major topics required for Pre-Cana or marriage preparation, including the theology of marriage, natural family planning (NFP), communication, finances, sexuality, and the sacramental nature of matrimony. However, whether our course fully satisfies your diocese's or parish's Pre-Cana requirements depends on their specific policies — requirements vary significantly by location, though our course is widely used throughout the United States and in more than 35 countries. Some dioceses accept our course as their complete Pre-Cana program, while others require it to be supplemented with additional sessions or an in-person component. We recommend checking with your parish or diocese before enrolling to confirm how our course fits their requirements.

Yes! We offer courses for all ages. We have K-12 curriculum, high school religious education, adult OCIA, marriage preparation, catechist training, and much more. Many courses are designed with age-appropriate content and learning styles. Our Course Selector will match you to the right course based on age and sacrament.

Retake policies depend on the specific course and situation. If you are a student: You do not contact us directly. If you're a child registered under a parent account, ask your parent to request the retake. If you're a student registered through your parish, contact your parish coordinator or director — they handle retakes for parish-registered students.

If you are an individual learner (not a student under a parent or a parish): Retake policies vary by program. For complete information on retake policies for your specific course, visit our certificate requirements page.

A passing score of 70% or higher is required to pass each quiz. If you do not achieve a passing score, you will need to retake the quiz before you can continue to the next section. To request a retake, please contact our support team. We recommend reviewing the lesson material before retaking a quiz, as you will need to demonstrate understanding of the content covered. For complete information on course requirements, visit our course requirements page.

Absolutely. Many homeschooling families use our homeschool curriculum for religious education. We offer complete K-12 programs, high school courses, and individual sacrament preparation courses. Families can use us as their primary curriculum or supplement their existing program.

Yes. You can manage multiple children from a single parent account. To add a child, go to the "My Students" tab and click "Create a New Student." Each child will have their own student profile within your account, and you can assign courses to each student individually. All children's progress and certificates are tracked separately under their own name.

Parishes can use CatechismClass.com in multiple ways: as a primary curriculum for CCD, to supplement in-person classes, for sacramental preparation, or simply to refer baptism families to our courses. We offer bulk licensing for parishes with significant discounts. Visit our Parish Page to learn about flexible license agreements and implementation options.

Click here and fill out the form to recover your username.

If you've forgotten your password, click here and fill out the form to set a new one. If you're already logged in and want to change your password, go to the "My Profile" tab.

Yes, both are case sensitive.

You can modify your profile in the "My Profile" tab.

To create a student account and assign courses, follow these steps:

1. Log in to your account and click on the "My Students" tab from the main menu.
2. Click "Create a New Student" to add a new student profile.
3. Fill in all required fields including the student's first name, last name, and email address (if applicable). All fields are required.
4. Save the student profile once all information is entered.
5. Go to "My Lessons" and look for the courses you have purchased.
6. Assign courses to the student by selecting the student's name and the course you want to assign.

Once assigned, the student will see the course in their account and can begin studying. You can track each student's progress separately from the "My Students" section. If you need more detailed instructions with screenshots, our New Customer Manual is available for download. If you have questions during the process, please contact our support team.

When you log in to your account, you are immediately placed on your "My Lessons" screen. Scroll down to access your materials.

If you've just purchased materials and don't see them, there may be a short delay due to payment processing. Electronic payments aren't automatic—materials are added to your account only after your bank clears and processes the payment, which may take up to 30 minutes depending on your bank.

No, only a parent or parish director may reset a student password. Please ask the parent or parish director for this.

CatechismClass.com uses both Stripe and PayPal to process purchases securely. With both processors, we never see, handle, or store your personal payment information. You can pay with a debit card or credit card during checkout with either processor, and there are no extra transaction fees charged to you.

CatechismClass.com provides detailed User Manuals in PDF format: New Customer Manual and Parish Coordinator Manual. For additional support, contact our support team.