On Saturday, February 21, 2026, the second cohort of Catholic educators in the state of Oklahoma graduated from the Catholic Educator Formation and Credential Program. Photo credit: Chris Porter.
“It has deepened my understanding of how to weave our faith into the daily life of the classroom, helping my students grow in wisdom and virtue.” – 2026 CEFC Graduation
Feb. 21, 2026 – After 18 months of intensive in-person workshops, weekly online classes, homework assignments, and teacher observations, 20 Catholic school educators in the state of Oklahoma graduated this Saturday, February 21, at the Catholic Pastoral Center in Oklahoma City. This marks the successful completion of the second cohort of the groundbreaking formation and credentialing program facilitated by the Institute for Catholic Liberal Education (ICLE).
Oklahoma is the only state in the country to offer the Catholic Educator Formation and Credential (CEFC) Program to all of its Catholic educators. Both the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City and the Diocese of Tulsa and Eastern Oklahoma provide CEFC formation for teachers. Taught from a distinctly Catholic perspective, the CEFC is the only teaching credential program in existence designed to offer a uniquely Catholic formation for educators as an alternative to secular state licensure.
“By providing the CEFC program to their teachers, Oklahoma is leading the way within the Church in forming Catholic school teachers,” said Dr. Ryan Messmore, D. Phil., President of ICLE. “It has been a real joy to partner with them, and it is refreshing to see the leadership — from the Archbishop to the superintendents to the school principals — make this sort of intentional investment in renewing Catholic liberal education. You could sense the gratitude as well as the hope these teachers represent during the graduation ceremony.”
A VISION FOR CATHOLIC PEDAGOGY
A robust Catholic education focuses on holistic formation that seeks full human flourishing. Pedagogy should invite each student to claim his or her identity as a child of God and puts Jesus Christ, the Logos, at its center. This has a profound impact on what and how Catholic educators teach in their classrooms. Because the goal of Catholic education is different from the goal of secular education, the way its teachers are prepared for the classroom must also look different.
‘The word ‘formation’ in our name makes all the difference,” said Aly Barnes, Director of the Oklahoma Cohort. “We aren’t just a credential program; we seek to form the teachers, to help them to see their students and the subjects they teach through a Catholic lens. That’s what I’ve been so struck by with this year’s cohort: They have been formed. You can see it in their growth over the past 18 months.”
ENCOUNTERING CHRIST THE TEACHER
“It was such a blessing to participate in CEFC because I had the opportunity to better understand not just what and how to teach, but why education is important and how learning always ties back to God,” said Emily Strah, member of the graduating cohort. “I learned various classroom strategies through the Seven Liberal Arts that have enriched my vocation, specifically through the Trivium, memory work, and wonder, therefore further enriching my students’ education by viewing the world from a place of awe.
Stah graduated at the top of the cohort, earning the title Distinguished Graduate. “Throughout my career, I have known that the mission of a Catholic educator is to bring students closer to Christ the Teacher,” she said. “But, after CEFC, I am actively living out this goal more than I was before! I am so thankful!”
“The CEFC credential program was meaningful to me to pursue because it gave me a renewal of mind and heart to continue persevering as a dedicated teacher,” said another graduating member, Hanna Massell. “While I came into the program anticipating that sense of renewal, I did not anticipate the great delight I would experience in that process of renewal.”
With this second cohort now teaching within their schools as credentialed Catholic educators, Oklahoma continues to set the standard for the renewal of Catholic liberal education across the nation.
Applications are now being accepted on a rolling admissions basis for the CEFC program. Read more and apply on our CEFC webpage.