Mission: Our goal is to help children with their families grow closer to God and in their faith by developing a love for Jesus and the Mass, growing in their prayer life, and sharing this love with others.
The main focus of our program is the Mass, and the family as the first place where children experience the faith. As Catholics, we share in the Eucharist each week when we gather as a community for Mass. It is through the rich liturgical symbols and rituals that we are drawn to a deeper understanding and celebration of the mysteries of our faith. Attending Mass each week as a family is expected; what children learn in the classroom builds on what we do and learn at Mass.
Registration takes place in the Spring and Summer online. Weekly classes start in October and continue until Palm Sunday. Each week begins with a 15-minute Family Session (one parent required) before children go to their hour-long class. We also have several family faith-enrichment events throughout the year, such as Teaching Mass, Family Stations of the Cross, and service projects.
We use Pflaum’s Gospel Weeklies for all grades (except those going the sacrament prep course), which follows the liturgical year, and focuses on the Sunday Gospel, while still teaching the basic foundations of our Catholic faith. We also offer “Parent Conversations” during class times to meet with other parents and discuss our faith in everyday life.
Sacrament Preparation (First Reconciliation and First Eucharist): Our sacrament preparation program is designed to help guide children and their parents as they continue their journey of Christian initiation in the life of Christ and the Church. We use Dynamic Catholic’s Blessed program, which combines a traditional textbook with engaging video segments for each session. It is important that children have some faith formation before receiving these sacraments; if your child is new to the faith or has not had any formation, please contact us so that we can discuss and make sure they are properly prepared.
Parents must attend meetings during their child’s class time in the fall and spring to give them activities and ideas that they can use at home to supplement the preparation of their children for each sacrament, and also to help them in their own faith journeys. First Reconciliations are celebrated in December and First Communion Masses are celebrated in May.