PASTORAL ASSOCIATE FOR Religious Education

The Religious education program has as its mission the awesome responsibility of bringing the Good News of Salvation to all of the children entrusted to our care as well as to their families. You are the Church, your children its members and leaders of tomorrow. Your fidelity to bringing them up as practicing, active members of the Church is your response to the commitment you made on their behalf at their Baptism.

To meet the many challenges of an ever changing materialistic, anti-God mentality, children need to be rooted in God from birth in a loving home, in what Pope John Paul refers to as the Domestic Church. Your children come to us for Faith Formation as young as 4 years of age in Pre-K to the 8th grade. During this time, they learn the special gift that is the Family into which they were born as they are introduced to that special family we call the Church, the Family of God. As members of the family of God they are invited into a personal relationship with God in and through the person of “Jesus Christ,” the Son of God. In the Second Grade (age 7-8) they are prepared to celebrate the Sacraments of Reconciliation and Eucharist, calling them to enter more deeply into that intimate friendship of a lifetime with Jesus, their Lord and Savior.

As they continue to participate in the faith formation offered by the parish over the next few years, they learn about the Catholic Church, the family of God of which they became members at their baptism. Their spiritual and intellectual formation continues as they study the sacraments which nourish our souls and bodies and the commandments, the basic laws of God as contained in the Sacred Scriptures.

Our children’s growth in knowledge of the Faith progresses as they grow and mature. The study of the Sacred Scriptures is part of every lesson but is more heavily concentrated in the 6th grade. Our Junior High Students focus on the Sacraments, the New Testament, the Mystery of God and Christian Morality. The opportunity for discussion, sharing, creativity, self expression in art work and dramatization on all levels are available to all. We try to meet every child’s individual learning needs in a loving, friendly and welcoming environment where everyone is loved for who they are.

Our 9th grade students are invited to prepare for the Sacrament of Confirmation. If they are not ready for that important commitment, they have the option to wait until they are ready. The program is a blend of prayer and talks on content specific to the Sacrament of Confirmation. Currently these sessions take place on certain Sundays from September to April. We are fortunate to have the aid of several adults and some Teen Peer Leaders who work with the DRE to prepare our candidates for the Sacrament of Confirmation.

While all of this happens, many of our faithful volunteer catechetical staff avail themselves of courses that are offered here at the parish or on a diocesan level to become fully trained certified catechists. Most of the training is presently provided by our Director of Religious Education here at the parish one evening a week as well as during the summer.

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