Maggie Cook - Director of Family Faith CatechesisWhat is Family Faith Formation?
Family Faith Formation is a family-based catechesis model that empowers parents and children to be confident in practicing and sharing their Catholic faith. Our goal is that each and every family that we walk with would have a fruitful prayer life, frequent the sacraments and would know that they are a beloved son or daughter of God.
Here at St. Catharine we believe that truly knowing Jesus Christ doesn’t mean going through a program or meeting certain requirements , but by encountering Him as a person!
The resources and content we use were chosen with those goals in mind. Both research and Church tradition has shown that the most successful way to pass down the Catholic faith to your children is through consistent practice as a family, an openness to their questions and curiosity about the faith, and regular and meaningful conversations. We want to help our parents feel confident in leading their children in the faith!
We invite you to register for Family of Faith so that we can support you and your family in knowing and loving the person of Jesus Christ.
Who should attend Family Faith Formation?
All families with children in grades PreK-8 who are not attending a catholic school should participate in Family Faith Formation. Families with children enrolled in the school are invited to join in the fun, too!
Why? Because Faith is not transactional - where we send our child to Catholic school or send in a registration form and then Sacraments or spirituality is dispensed. Our Catholic faith is based on a relationship with the Holy Trinity! That being said, we love having the whole family come together to build those relationships within the family and with the broader community of St. Catharine.
We want to encourage and support conversations about Jesus at home between parents and children. Faith must be talked about and lived out at home with the people children love the most- their parents!
Family Catechesis occurs on Sunday mornings from 9:30am-10:50am. Calendar above.
Registration for 26-27 school year opens April 26th!
The Pathways of Formation at St. Catharine
This year there will be 3 main pathways and one additional formation evening for Middle Schoolers that will be offered to accompany families and to provide them with the resources they need to grow in their faith as they seek to fall more and more in love with the person of Jesus Christ.
Each main pathway is made of a combination of at-home family meetings and at-church monthly sessions.
All of our at-church sessions have the option of attending Mass either before or after. The Mass is the primary community gathering and a way in which we can participate in the life of the Church. During the Mass, we not only hear the Gospels proclaimed to us, but we also receive the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ! This gives us the grace we need to become saints! It is very likely that Family Faith Formation will have no lasting effect on the child who does not attend mass weekly with their family or participate in the sacraments with their family.
General Faith Formation
All students and families not receiving sacraments this year.
Continued Growth Pathway
This continuing formation is just as important as the Sacrament years. The Church calls these types of years, “mystagogy” - where we continue to live out the faith and experience the grace of the sacraments in our lives.
This year, we will be utilizing the materials Devotion. Devotion is an experience in which families will experience 12 traditional monthly devotions. They will be creating their own personalized home devotional prayer books to use throughout the year with their family. Over time, families will naturally integrate these prayerful practices into the rhythm of their daily lives, deepening their faith together at home and further connecting them to our parish.
Middle School Small Groups
New this year, all middle school students (6th-8th grade) will be joining a middle school small group. Run by adult volunteers and overseen by our Middle School Youth Minister, these groups give our students time to reflect with their peers and grow in community. Snacks provided, of course!
First Reconciliation and their First Communion
Typically in 2nd Grade. Students need to be enrolled in Faith Formation for at least two consecutive years prior to receiving a sacrament.
All of these families and children will be on the 1st Reconciliation/Eucharist Sacrament Prep Pathway.
This pathway is specifically for families that have a child who will be preparing for First Reconciliation and First Eucharist in the 26-27 school year. These at-home lessons provide the resources for your family to learn more about the mercy and compassion of our God who comes to save and feed us! You will be supported in these weekly at-home meetings through monthly sessions at Church where we will gather as a community to learn about how the mass relates to daily life.
This pathway will also include two retreats. A First Reconciliation Retreat and a First Communion retreat where we invite you and your 2nd grader to take a morning away from the busyness of life to prepare to encounter Jesus in these wonderful moments of grace!
Please see the calendar for important dates regarding First Reconciliation and First Eucharist.
Confirmation
Typically in 8th grade. Students need to be enrolled in Faith Formation for at least two consecutive years prior to receiving a sacrament.
All of these families and children will be on the Zeal pathway.
This pathway is specifically for families with a child who is preparing to receive an outpouring of the Holy Spirit through the Sacrament of Confirmation. These at-home sessions will be supported by monthly at-Church sessions where we will be able to share our experiences as we grow in relationship with the Holy Spirit and learn to live a life of discipleship.
This pathway also includes a day-long retreat where our students will step away from the busyness of life to encounter God more deeply as they prepare to be filled with the Holy Spirit. See the calendar for important dates regarding Confirmation.
Confirmation students will also all be enrolled in a middle school small group.
Sponsor information and Confirmation name are due by December 1st, 2025.
PreK and K Students (3-6 years old)
This year, we are encouraging all families with PreK and K students to enroll them in our Catechesis of the Good Shepherd program (CGS). This program is a hands-on catechesis based on the Montessori method. It involved cultivating a beautiful space for our students that allows them to learn to pray and meditate on Scripture and the sacraments.
Please note that for our CGS students, catechesis will be weekly. They are welcome but not expected to attend our At-Church sessions. Childcare is provided at our At-Church sessions for our PreK and K students.
Join the Team!
Each participating family is also asked to serve in our program in some way. The success of Family Faith Formation at St. Catharine relies on solid and dedicated volunteers who will share the love of God and His Church in our parish community.
We will be asking with volunteers throughout the year to assist with the following:
- Child care (receives 10% discount): aides help during several of the at-church sessions on Sundays
- At-Church Aide (receives 10% discount) : Commits to helping the Sacrament sessions and being present for the Sacramental Retreats
- Lead Catechist (receives 25% discount): commits to leading a parent group during the Sunday monthly at-church meetings. All materials and script are provided.
