Faith Formation
Religious Education and Spiritual Development for Children and Youth

CATECHESIS

Catechesis is more than just the handing on of religious instruction.  It is a life-long process of growth in faith leading one to live out the Gospel.  Little Flower Parish strives to provide a Religious Education Program in which children and youth can experience God's love through a growing knowledge of Jesus Christ and the Gospel message.  Through prayer, faith knowledge, worship and service, students experience a gradual commitment to a life of discipleship.

The Purpose:
"Catechesis is an education in the faith of children, young people and adults which includes especially the teaching of Christian doctrine..."

            Catechism of the Catholic Church, p. 8, #5

The Goal:
"to make disciples, to help all believe that Jesus is the Son of God so that believing they might have life in his name, and to educate and instruct them in this life, thus building up the body of Christ."

            Catechism of the Catholic Church, p. 8, #4

Catechesis in the Family:
“Education in the faith by parents should begin in the child's earliest years.  This already happens when family members help one another grow in faith by the witness of a Christian life in keeping with the Gospel.  Family catechesis precedes, accompanies and enriches other forms of instruction in the faith.  Parents have the mission of teaching their children to pray and to discover their vocation as children of God."

            Catechism of the Catholic Church, p. 537, #2226

Catechesis in the Church Community:
"Catechesis is the responsibility of the entire Christian community."

            General Directory for Catechesis, USCC, p. 207, #220

Little Flower Parish looks to the family, the domestic church, as the most important Christian influence on their children, since it is in the home that a child first encounters love, trust, acceptance and forgiveness.  It is through this lived experience that children first perceive a loving God in whom they can place their trust.

The primary goal of our catechetical program is to assist families in the spiritual formation of their children.  This goal is best achieved when there is cooperation and communication between the families and the Religious Education program.

We strive to create an environment where children can:

  • Belong to a Christian community

  • Develop positive attitudes

  • Experience Christian love

  • Grow spiritually

  • Pray

  • Read Scripture

  • Study Catholic doctrine

  • Learn about responsible behavior

  • Prepare for adult life in the Church

  • Objectives of Faith Formation:

  • To promote knowledge of the faith

  • To promote meaningful participation in liturgical worship and the sacramental life of the church

  • To integrate moral formation into a Christian way of life

  • To teach Christians how to pray with Christ, in Christ and in communion with the Church

  • To initiate the Christian into the life of the local church community and to foster active participation in the mission of the Church

  • To promote a missionary spirit that prepares Christians to witness to Christ in society    
    In particular with our children and youth...

  • To invite regular participation at Mass and in the celebration of the sacraments

  • To encourage participation in service to family, church and community              

  • To promote a prayerful relationship with Jesus and sharing knowledge of Him with others

  • To provide instruction regarding basic prayers, creeds, key biblical themes, important figures of faith and aspects of worship.

            INFORMATION

Religious Education Office:
Phone:  908/464-7444             FAX:  908/464-6342
Hours:   Sunday - 9:00 am -11:45 am
               Monday - 9:00 am -4:30 pm  
               Tuesday-Friday - 9:00 am-3:00 pm

Staff:
     Pastoral Associate - Kay Stumbar
     Youth Minister - Cindy Souza
     Coordinator - Lisa Gervasio
     Secretaries – Eileen Baker, Diana Blajsa

Registration for Religious Education Classes:
The program is open to children of registered parishioners.  Placement in classes is on a first come basis.  A copy of the Baptism Certificate is required for our records.  Re-registration for classes is required each year.

Fees:
     One child - $110.
     Two children - $170.
     Three or more - $225.
     Sacrament Preparation Fees:
            Reconciliation/Eucharist - $75.
            Confirmation - $75.     
(No one is denied participation in the program due to an inability to pay.)

Class Days and Times:
Grades 1-8:
     Sunday:  9:15-10:15 AM  or  10:25-11:25 AM
     Monday:  3:30-4:30 PM

7th and 8th Grade – Wednesday evening – 7:30-9:00 PM
Kindergarten:
     Monday:  9:30-10:30 AM  or  1:30-2:30 PM

How To Be A Good Partner In Your Child's Faith Formation:

  • Register and become active parishioners

  • Worship as a family.  Bring your child to Mass every Sunday.

  • Pray with your child.

  • Assist your child with religious education assignments.  Discuss what goes on in class with your child.

  • Offer your service as a catechist, aide, substitute, office volunteer or hall monitor in the Religious Education Program.

  • Participate with your child in the many opportunities that are offered to be of service to others.

  • Catechists:
    All of the catechists in our program are volunteers. 

  • Requirements include:

  •  being a fully initiated, practicing Catholic Christian

  • having a love for children

  • having a desire to share one's own faith

  • being willing to participate in certification and enrichment opportunities

Attendance:

We ask that parents, youth and children make a commitment to regular attendance at all classes and activities. Good attendance makes it possible to grasp religious concepts and to foster a sense of "belonging" to the parish community.  If a child or youth is absent, we ask parents to notify the Religious Education Office and to contact the catechist for any missed assignments.  Five or more absences may require remedial work and/or testing to ensure satisfactory progress.  It is also important that children arrive on time for class.

Regular attendance at Mass is essential to the process of forming faith.  As Catholics, we believe that God is present in those gathered together in His Name, in the Word and in the Sacraments.  We urge families to join in the celebration of the Eucharist regularly.

Curriculum:

     Kindergarten - Grade 6:  Silver Burdett-Ginn  THIS IS OUR FAITH series
     Grades 7 & 8:  Brown-Roa  CROSSROADS series
     Sacrament Preparation:
          Brown-Roa   CELEBRATING OUR FAITH - RECONCILIATION
          Brown-Roa   CELEBRATING OUR FAITH - EUCHARIST   
          Liguori         CONFIRMATION FOR TEENS

Sacramental Preparation:

First Reconciliation and First Eucharist preparation are provided in the second grade.  Requirements are:  the sacrament of Baptism, parish registration, one year of catechesis prior to the preparation year, and regular Mass attendance.

First Reconciliation is celebrated in December during Advent and First Eucharist is celebrated in the spring during the Easter season.

Children older than second grade age who have not received the sacraments of Reconciliation and/or Eucharist must complete one year of Religious Education classes and then participate in special sacrament preparation in addition to the regular classes for their grade.

Confirmation preparation includes the seventh and eighth grade curriculum and special evening preparation classes.  Requirements include:  the sacraments of Baptism and Eucharist, parish registration, 7th and 8th grade Religious Education classes and regular Mass attendance.  The sacrament of Confirmation is celebrated in the fall of ninth grade.

Parent enrichment is provided during children's sacrament preparation years.  Parents are required to attend sessions that give them the opportunity to renew and update their own faith as they prepare their children for the sacraments.

Youth Ministry Programs:

    Elementary Youth Group (EYG) - grades 3,4,5
    Junior Catholic Youth Faith Community (Jr. CYFC) - grades 6,7,8 
    Catholic Youth Faith Community (CYFC) - high school

Service:

Christian life expresses itself in action.  Through serving others, Christians come to know and join in Jesus' work.  Throughout the year, children, youth and parents have opportunities to respond to those in need through various activities including Thanksgiving and Lenten Food Drives, the Advent Sharing Tree project, adopt-a-family at Christmas, making sandwiches for a soup kitchen, cards for shut-ins and more.

Student Code of Behavior:

Jesus asks us to love God and love our neighbor as ourselves.  As we strive to follow Jesus, we need to show respect and courtesy to others.  We rely on parents to encourage their children to show respect for all persons, their feelings and property.  Children are expected to:

  • Follow classroom rules set forth by their catechist.

  • Always be respectful of others, both adults and classmates

  • Treat church property with respect. 

  • Do not leave the building without permission.

  • On Sunday mornings, go to the classroom upon arrival. Wait outside the room until the catechist arrives.  On Monday afternoons, if children arrive early, they are to go to the cafeteria.  There will be parent supervision until classes begin at 3:30 pm.

Discipline:

Catechists will set guidelines that serve to encourage Christian behavior in the classroom.  If a child or youth interferes with the learning process of the class, the following policy will apply:

  • The catechist will notify the Religious Education Office and the parents concerning the incident.

  • At the second incident, the catechist will notify the Coordinator and Pastoral Associate who will contact the child's parents to discuss the matter.

  • At the third incident, the child may be removed from the    classroom setting and other arrangements for religious education will be made.

Protecting God's Children:

In keeping with the Archdiocese of Newark mandate, all Little Flower catechists, aides and volunteers who have contact with children participate in the Protecting God's Children program.  This awareness program along with the screening of all volunteers and staff who have access to children helps to create an environment that is as safe as possible for the children in our program.

NCEA-ACRE:

This instrument for assessment of religious education is administered to all 5th grade students.  Included are a Religious Knowledge section and a Belief/Attitude section.  This instrument is also available for 8th grade; however, we offer our own assessment of religious education in the 7th grade as preparation for our Confirmation program.

Progress Reports:
A progress report for each student is sent out in February; however, we encourage parents to maintain communication with the catechist throughout the year.

Home Schooling:
Parents wishing to home-school their children in Religious Education may do so for grades 3 through 6.  Completed textbooks are to be returned to the Religious Education Office in January and in May so that we can check on the child's progress.  We will assist parents who home school with training and lesson planning.

Inclement Weather:
In the event that classes need to be canceled due to weather conditions, you will be notified by phone.  In general, for our Monday classes, if the public schools are closed due to inclement weather, there will be no religious education classes.