Catholic religious education in the Republic of Croatia plays a key role for both the Church and the school, as both institutions share a common responsibility for promoting human well-being and human rights, particularly the right to religious freedom. Over the past thirty-three years, Catholic religious education in the Republic of Croatia has developed into a subject that not only conveys religious values but also actively contributes to the holistic upbringing and education of students within the institutional framework of public schools. This paper examines the role of religious education in the Croatian educational system and analyzes the need for continuous professional development for religious educators to perform their duties more effectively in schools. In addition to the introduction and conclusion, this paper includes both a theoretical and an empirical part. The theoretical section scientifically addresses and analyzes three topics: religious education in the contemporary school, professional development, and competencies. The triple division of competences by Ziebertz into personal, theological and religious-pedagogical, as well as pedagogical-didactic competence, which forms the basis of this work, is supplemented by social competence, as emphasized by the Directory for Catechesis in number 140. In the empirical part of the paper, a mixed-methods research approach is used to investigate the perception of the relationship between participating in professional development programs accredited by the Teacher Training Agency and the acquisition of general and specific competencies for religious educators. The scientific relevance of the research problem is evident in the field of religious pedagogy and catechetics, specifically in defining the general and specific competencies of religious educators. The practical relevance is reflected in the evaluation of existing professional development programs for religious educators in primary and secondary schools in the Republic of Croatia and their impact on the development of educators' competencies. Additionally, it includes projections for the future development of professional development programs with the aim of enhancing the professional practice of religious educators.