Religious Education

Holy Cross Religious Education serves youth from preschool age 4 through grade 8 and their families.  Preschool and Kindergarten classes meet during the school year on Sundays during the 9:45 AM Mass.  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 and guidance on home lessons from our pastor, Father Parker.

Our curriculum, Family Formation, 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.”

Family Formation’s unique format will 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 1-6) 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 (below) from our 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
NOTE: We have these lesson packets in the office, if you are interested to see one.   
•           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

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
            

Important information re: sacraments:  Baptism is the first sacrament we receive as Catholics.  Children in second grade celebrate First Reconciliation and Holy Communion.  Youth in eighth grade receive Confirmation.  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.