Why Family Faith Formation

Religious Education, also known as CCD, has been a classroom-centered format in the United States for decades.  So, why change something that has been done this way for so long?  This format of educating students in a class led by a catechist - a person who teaches about the Catholic faith - does pass on the foundations of what we believe and why.  However, it does not involve the parents in the process.

Family Faith Formation is a new way of supporting parents as the first teachers of the faith for their children.  The family has been called the Domestic church since the beginnings of the New Testament, because of the importance of the parents’ role in the faith development of their child.  As a parish, we want to do more to support parents in this role.

Children are involved in many afterschool activities: sports, dance, music, art and more.  As a parent, most of us have sat on the sidelines for practices, or in the dance studio or music school while our children develop, learn skills and rehearse.

Instead of “sitting on the sidelines,” Family Faith Formation gives parents the skills, tools and information to help them discuss our Catholic faith within the family.  

With engaging materials to use at home, combined with at-church sessions covering the same topics, children and parents will have many opportunities to talk about prayer, Bible Stories, the Sacraments and more.

Our new materials from Pathways give families everything they need to discover and learn more about what it means to be Catholic.  We can’t wait to take this journey together!
 

• Grades K-7 meet on Sundays at 10am for Mass, followed by Family Faith Sessions once a month.
• Grade 2 Families meet a few times a year on Monday evenings to prepare to receive Reconciliation and First Communion.
• Our Confirmation program for 8th, 9th and 10th grades meets from 7-9pm on Sunday evenings once per month.

LOOP, our Youth Group for Teens meets each month on Sunday evenings from 7-9pm during the school year.  LOOP stands for Living Out Our Purpose and is open to all High School age teens (including Confirmation students).