Religious Education Grades 1st - 8th

Holy Cross Religious Education serves youth from grade 1 through grade 8 and their families.   Youth in grades 1-8 and their parents attend monthly sessions from September through early May.  At the monthly sessions, children gather with a catechist by grade while parents receive catechesis on the monthly theme from our pastor, Father Parker and guidance on home lessons from the Director of Religious Education.

Our model for catechesis is rooted in the Church’s call for parents to be the primary educators of their children in Faith and the parish’s role to support families in this mission.  As stated in the General Directory of Catechesis, “Parents are the primary educators in the Faith.  It is for this reason that the Christian community must give very special attention to parents.  By means of personal contact, meeting, courses and adult catechesis directed towards parents, the Christian community must help them assume their responsibility - which is particularly delicate today – of educating their children in the Faith.”

As of the 2019-2020 RE year,  we are implementing a new curriculum for  first and second grade sacramental preparation.  Signs of Grace: You Are Forgiven (by Augustine Institute) will help children in First Grade prepare  to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation for the first time.  When these children are in Second Grade, they will receive preparation to receive their First Holy Communion using Signs of Grace:  You Are Loved.  Signs of Grace was designed with the student in mind and intended to provide him or her with a variety of experiences and methods to encounter the love and mercy of Jesus, revealed both in Sacred Scripture and through the rich teachings of the Catholic Church.  Since the role of parents in the faith formation of their children is indispensable, each Signs of Grace lesson provides Family-Take-Home pages and activity pages to equip parents to continue faith formation at home, giving support and encouragement only parents can provide to their children.

We use the Family Formation curriculum for grades 3-6 with its unique format to draw your family together through the enthusiastic faith of your children.  Its creativity and simple concepts make learning fun, as each home lesson (designed for children in grades 3-6) is written at an elementary level but with adult level instruction to guide and enhance your teaching.  Parents do not have to be experts in the Faith, just willing to devote about one hour per week to quality family time in sharing the Faith.  For more information on Family Formation, see video links information at the bottom of this page.

For youth in grades 7 & 8, we use CHOSEN, a current program specifically designed to prepare young teens both intellectually and spiritually to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation and to become lifelong disciples of Christ.  CHOSEN seeks to win over the hearts of teens in a critical time in their lives and keep them firmly planted within the faith community of the Church.  It features highly effective and engaging material conveyed through videos, student workbooks, and discussion.

For more information, please see the link below entitled RE Registration Letter. Please note that families registering in our religious education program should also be registered in the parish.

Parish Registration Form

RE Registration Form

RE Registration Letter for 2020-21            

Important information regarding Sacraments:  Baptism is the first sacrament we receive as Catholics.  Children in First Grade prepare for their first confession and in second grade celebrate First Reconciliation.  Children in Second Grade prepare for and receive their First Holy Communion.  Youth in seventh and eight grade prepare for Confirmation and the youth receive the Sacrament of Confirmation in eighth grade. 
If you have a child who has not received Baptism, Reconciliation, Communion, or Confirmation and is beyond the grade level indicated for reception of any of these sacraments, please note the following:  You must register with our parish and complete a religious education registration form.  Your child will be placed in their current grade for religious education and minimally 2 years of religious education is required for reception of First Holy Communion and for Confirmation. Baptism will be administered at the Pastor’s discretion.     

To better understand our Family formation curriculum, see the video links (below) from our Family Formation informational meeting on May 9, 2018.  If you are interested to learn about:
•           The vision of the pastor who created Family Formation, click on the Family Formation 1 link:  https://youtu.be/R-CH8JIqq4g
•           Our Church’s teaching on parents as primary educators of their children, click on the Family Formation 2 link:  https://youtu.be/ItYJZou_3gY
•           The goals of Family Formation for you and your family and the basics of how it works, click on the Family Formation 3 link:  https://youtu.be/uZVeaB-Mcm0
•           A sample lesson packet, click on the Family Formation 4 link:  https://youtu.be/9oZw8LYjqJY
•           The structure of the program and its adaptability to younger (grades 1-3) and older learners (grades 4-6), click on the Family Formation 5 link:  https://youtu.be/zDy23eQGq1o
•           The fruits of Family Formation and practical tips for successful home lessons, click on the Family Formation 6 link:  https://youtu.be/iY7B3JaRFSY
•           A testimonial on how Jesus became the center of  one family, click on Family Formation 7 link:  https://youtu.be/Yl5oXRQbj2Y
•           How teaching your Catholic Faith is an investment in your children’s “eternal future,” click on Family Formation 8 link:  https://youtu.be/lDzZQBA6zV8