Director of Life Issues and Ministry

Archdiocese of Washington; Hyattsville (MD); On-site; USD 85,000 - 115,000; Full time

Job summary

Archdiocese of Washington seeks a Director of Life Issues and Ministry to guide education, advocacy, and pastoral outreach across parishes. You will train clergy and lay leaders, coordinate life-issues campaigns, and oversee supportive programs such as Project Rachel.

You will lead educational campaigns, work with the Maryland Catholic Conference, and plan diocesan events, including pro-life activities and retreats, while ensuring doctrinal alignment.

Qualifications

• Candidate must be a practicing Catholic with strong knowledge of faith and life issues.
• Ability to communicate effectively in writing and speaking, with strong organizational and people skills.
• Reliable transportation to visit archdiocesan parish locations.
• Bachelor's degree in Catechesis, Religious Education or Theology required.
• Bilingual English/Spanish verbal and written skills required.

Responsibilities

• Provide training, homily helps, liturgical resources, pastoral guidance on life issues.
• Assist in establishing or strengthening parish and diocesan pro-life ministries.
• Lead workshops for clergy and lay leaders on life ethics and pastoral care.
• Coordinate life issues advocacy and public witness across local and national events.

Skills

Faith knowledge

Effective communication

Organizational skills

People skills

Reliable transportation

Education

Bachelors in Catechesis/Religious Education/Theology

Bilingual English/Spanish

Tools

MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)

Job description

In response to the Gospel call to uphold the dignity of every human life and in recognition of the pastoral responsibility of the Church to be a prophetic voice in society, the Archdiocese of Washington has created an Office of Life Issues and Ministry. This Office will be led by the Director of Life Issues and Ministry, who will be tasked with serving as a unifying and strategic resource in the coordination of support to pastors, parish communities, Catholic faithful, and organizations within the archdiocese in their mission to defend life from conception to natural death including, but not limited to, issues of abortion, euthanasia, end of life, physician assisted suicide, and the death penalty. This role is within the Secretariat for Evangelization and Synodal Renewal, will report to the Executive Director of Social Justice, and will coordinate with other archdiocesan departments including the Office of Justice and Peace, Youth Ministry, Catholic Schools as well as with Catholic Charities. It will also oversee the work of Project Rachel within the Archdiocese of Washington.

Duties and Responsibilities

Support Parish and Archdiocesan Life Ministries by providing the following:

• Provide training, homily helps, liturgical resources, pastoral guidance, and toolkits on life issues.
• Assist in establishing or strengthening parish and diocesan pro-life ministries.
• Offer workshops for clergy and lay leaders on life ethics and pastoral care.

Education and Awareness

• Develop educational campaigns to promote respect for life at all stages and the dignity of the human person, with a particular emphasis on issues of abortion, euthanasia, end of life, physician assisted suicide, and the death penalty.
• Equip schools and religious education programs with age-appropriate materials.
• Host archdiocesan conferences, speaker series, and digital content to raise awareness.
• Lead the organization of the yearly March for Life Mass and activities within the Archdiocese of Washington.

Public Witness and Advocacy

• Coordinate participation in local, state, and national pro-life events (e.g., March for Life, 40 Days for Life).
• Coordinate a Day of Advocacy.
• Partner with the Maryland Catholic Conference and USCCB on legislative priorities related to life.
• Promote non-partisan civic engagement rooted in Catholic social teaching and doctrine.

Pastoral Outreach and Accompaniment

• Provide compassionate pastoral support for women and families in crisis pregnancies in overseeing and supporting Project Rachel within the Archdiocese of Washington.
• Supervise the Coordinator of Project Rachel and provide support in offering healing retreats and clergy trainings.
• Partner with ministries offering post-abortion healing, hospice care, and support for people with disabilities.
• Ensure that those affected by injustice and violence find healing in the Church.

Establish the Archdiocesan Committee for Life to serve as ambassadors for life across the Archdiocese of Washington:

• Represent the clergy, ethnic, cultural, generational, and geographical diversity of the archdiocese.
• Establish a committee for Life in each Deanery across the archdiocese.
• Advise the Office of Life Issues and Ministry on strategic priorities and help implement initiatives.
• Serve as liaisons to parishes, schools, partner organizations, and communities.
• Assist in planning diocesan events and mobilizing grassroots support.

Qualifications

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Candidate must be a practicing Catholic, have excellent knowledge of the faith and life issues, and exhibit complete orthodoxy in word and witness of life.
• Ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing is essential along with excellent organizational and people skills.
• Reliable transportation required to visit archdiocesan parish locations.

Education and Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Catechesis, Religious Education or Theology required.
• Experience in Catholic advocacy, with a particular emphasis on Life Issues, such as abortion, euthanasia, end of life, physician assisted suicide, and the death penalty
• Experience in public speaking on behalf of Catholic causes, a plus.
• 3 years of experience in leadership at either the parish or diocesan level.
• Bilingual English/Spanish verbal and written skills required.
• Skills with MS Office including Word, Excel and PowerPoint required

Work Environment

This job operates in a professional office environment. This role routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers, phones, photocopiers, printers and filing cabinets.

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk and hear.
• The employee frequently is required to stand, walk, bend, use hands to handle documents, type on a keyboard and reach with hands and arms.
• Employee must be able to lift up to 20 pounds.

Position Type/Expected Hours of Work

Regular full-time employee (40 hours/week); evening and weekend hours may be required.