Faith Formation
Faith Formation (Grades K-5)
Kindergarten through 5th grade students learn in the traditional classroom setting with a lead teacher and an aide. Each teacher uses a Catechist Guide from the Faith Formation textbook series the parish supplies to help prepare weekly lesson plans. The K-5 classes utilize the We Believe: Living Your Catholic Identity series published by William H. Sadlier, Inc.
K-5 Curriculum Goals
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Kindergarten: To help the children know God as Creator and loving Father and to develop an awareness of the presence of God in themselves, in other people and in the world.
1st Grade: To help the children know, love and serve God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
2nd Grade: To develop the childrens’ participation in and knowledge of the sacraments with special emphasis on Reconciliation and Eucharist.
3rd Grade: To introduce the children to the fact that God has a Church to help transform the world.
4th Grade: To introduce the children to Catholic moral teaching and to foster moral living.
5th Grade: To enable the children to become knowledgeable of and active participants in the sacramental life of the Church.
Edge Program (Grades 6-8)
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Three-year cycle of lessons, effective for grades six through eight without repeating the lessons.
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Ministry style meetings done in a large area if possible, depending on group size.
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Edge provides the training, the lessons and a step-by-step guide. Sessions all have Scripture and Catechism of the Catholic Church references in them. Goals are plainly stated and a script for the teaching and plan for each lesson is included.
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Parent letters are provided to be sent home each week with an explanation of what the student has encountered in the session. The letters also provide family reflection questions.
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Format:
Gather (25 min) – welcome and introductions of new members (5 min), activity or game.
Proclaim (10 min) – teaching on Catechism of the Catholic Church or Scripture passage.
Break (25 min) – break into small groups and do short activity related to the teaching (10 min),
followed by 15 min in small group discussions. The 8th grade small groups may skip the activity and do a deeper discussion with the additional questions provided.
Send (15 min) – closing prayer
Weekly Challenge – activity or reflection sent home; it may be journaling, a reflection question, or an action to engage in with friends or family.
There are three types of Edge nights:
*Edge Night (teaching nights)
*Social Nights (centered on building relationships)
*Issue Nights (focuses on relational issues in their lives such as: self-image, loneliness, depression, crisis, atheism (these are just a few of the session topics from previous years).
Purpose Confirmation (Grade 9)
Doing lessons in a hands-on style as much as possible is key. There will be educational/catechetical pieces coupled with action pieces to get the students out and involved in the church, at Mass, in the community. A minimum of 12 meetings should take place, along with a retreat, and service hours done as a class whenever possible.
The diocesan requirements for Confirmation preparation currently in place will remain: 42 contact hours with a minimum of five service hours, a retreat, interview with the pastor, approved saint for Confirmation name, letter to the bishop.
Format: The format will follow the Edge program format
Gather (25 min.) – welcome and introductions of new members (5 min), activity or game.
Proclaim (10 min.) – teaching on Catechism of the Catholic Church or Scripture passage.
Break (25 min.) – break into small groups and do short activity related to the teaching (10 min.), followed by 15 min. in small group discussions.
Send (15 min.) – closing prayer
Weekly Challenge – activity or reflection sent home, may be journaling, reflection question, action to engage in with friends or family.
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​Small Groups (Grades 10-11)
We will invite young people to put their faith into practice: To learn to pray by praying together, to learn what discipleship is by discipling one another, and to learn from adult mentors who will journey together with them in exploring what it means to live our Catholic faith. God’s work is most visible in us and in our lives – not in textbooks and worksheets. That is why we lead with vulnerability in our ministries and relationships.
This model allows 10th and 11th graders to learn to live and love like Jesus by being with trusted adults that live and love like Jesus. Adults and young people will deeply live the application of faith and Church teaching in a way that allows our young people to be seen and known, and not to let them quietly slip away from the faith with nobody noticing. Small groups will begin before the completion of the Confirmation preparation and continue to journey together. Furthermore, by exploring where Christ is meeting our young people in intentional ways, we live our Church’s tradition and not just learn it.
Small groups will consist of 2 trained, faithful adults and 6-10 young people. They will meet 2-4x/month with the belief that the relationships will organically grow in having unstructured time together, too. The basic model of a small group session will be: Connect, Discuss, and Commit to incorporating a habit into my life in the next week.
Contact
Faith Formation, Director of Religious Education
MELISSA JOSEPH
724-981-3232 ext. 14