“We know that parents are the primary educators, but as a parent I know you can only teach what you remember yourself,” declared Cindy Craft, new St. Mary Parish director of religious education. Craft and her staff of 98 catechists are tasked with leading the Barnegat church’s 1,300 young souls closer to Christ this year.

Craft, who served as the former youth minister in the Ocean County parish for many years, took the opportunity to share her gifts as a catechist in a different way as her milestone birthday approached. “I’d been thinking and praying about making a change since I’m getting older,” she revealed.

Conversations with St. Mary Parish pastor Msgr. Kenard Tuzeneu about her desire to enrich the faith lives of the parish youth more formally proved enlightening, and the availability of the religious education position came at the opportune moment. “I knew when I was 50 I wanted to change direction,” Craft said.

Craft’s new position as DRE is a good fit. The catechist completed the three-year program of studies and was commissioned a member of the diocesan Institute for Lay Ecclesial Ministry, and has resumed working toward her bachelor’s degree in religious education. She and her husband ,Philip, ordained a deacon this past May, are members of St. Pius X Parish, Forked River. The Crafts are parents of three grown children and have three grandchildren.

Though anticipating the instruction of each level of students in the kindergarten through eighth grade-program, Craft admits she needs to re-focus on the pre-teens who come to the parish religious education program. “I want to give them the foundation and the faith to put it into action and go out into the world,” she said.