“A parent is a child’s most important religion teacher. You model by example. A faith-filled home is therefore essential if the formal religious instruction
– Cardinal Joseph Bernardin
is to have its best results.”
We are delighted to have your family be part of our parish’s growing faith community, where your child will discover and develop a deeper relationship with God. Our Religious Education Program follows a family-based model centered on the importance of parents accompanying their child on their faith journey. While in person instruction is primarily with the children only, we encourage families to attend Mass together, as it fosters a strong sense of engagement in communal worship, prayer and reflection and deepens their relationship with God.
Children in Grades 1 through high school are eligible to enroll in our program. In order to receive First Reconciliation, First Communion, or Confirmation, children must be enrolled in a two-year sacramental preparation program. Please refer to our Religious Education Calendar for class days and times.
Registration for Religious Education opens annually in the spring and can be done online or in person by visiting the parish office. At the time of registration please provide a copy of your child’s birth certificate, as well as any copies of certificates for an sacraments already received. Yearly tuition is $200. There is an additional sacramental fee for First Communion and Confirmation of $100. Tuition and fees can be paid in full at the time of registration.
Our Parish Religious Education program includes:
First Reconciliation: Reconciliation is about God’s love and forgiveness. Catechesis for the Sacrament of Reconciliation begins in year 2, followed by First Communion preparation. In year 2, children start to look at the choices they make in their daily lives and evaluate them as loving or unloving acts. In the fall, children begin to prepare for the reception of the Sacrament of Reconciliation during the first weeks of Lent. Both parents and children are required to attend a Reconciliation retreat.
First Communion: The Eucharist is the source and summit of Christian life. The term “Eucharist” originates from the Greek word eucharistia, meaning thanksgiving. It is through the weekly celebration of the Mass with our faith community and the reception of the Eucharist that we are united with the life, death and resurrection of Christ. First Communion is received in the second year of Eucharist preparation. The child must have completed two years of religious education as well as participate in a First Communion retreat.
Confirmation: At Confirmation, the graces received in Baptism are sealed with the reception of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. This sacrament enables your child to better participate in worship and in the apostolic life of the Church. The words that Jesus shared with His disciples at Pentecost apply to each one of us at Confirmation: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come down upon you; and you will be my witnesses” (Acts 1:8).
- The Confirmation Program “Journey” is a two-year program designed to inspire the next generation of Catholic youth to discover their Catholic identity and deepen their relationship with God and love for their family, friends, and community. It commissions student discipleship by training them to impact their world. We believe that our young people aren’t just the future of the church but are the church of yesterday, today, and tomorrow. With our well-rounded integrated curriculum, our young people will be in conversation with their own transformation, discovering how the sacraments nourish and express their faith.
- Our Approach integrates the concept of safe space for youth to discern their vocations, participate in spiritual direction, engage in conversation, and be involved in the Works of Mercy. Our focus is to develop a new church by having our youth participate in parish ministries to deepen their relationship with the risen Christ. Our young people will grow sustainable relationships with others, build self-confidence, resilience, and self-awareness, and at the same time receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit through team-building skills, music, art, prayer, and scripture.
- Confirmation Requirements include: Completing a project related to a saint of their choosing, choosing a saint’s name and a sponsor, composing letters to the bishop and their pastor, and the completion of various service projects. In the spring, families will submit a sacramental form attaching the student’s Baptismal and First Communion certificates. Sponsors will need to submit a good standing form and have it signed by the pastor in their registered parish.
Confirmation is usually celebrated in the spring, and most students begin their preparation in the seventh grade. Classes meet from September through May on Sundays from 8:30 AM to 10:30 AM and once a month on a Sunday evening from 4:30 PM to 6:30 PM. Students are expected to attend Mass.