Dear Families,
Happy Summer! As the school year comes to a close and thoughts of day trips, beach time, summer camp, and fun with friends and family begin to fill our minds, please do not forget to enroll your student in religious education for the 2022-2023 school year. As you will recall, our program format shifted last year and the plan for going forward is to continue with that same format for the 2022-2023 year. The full outline is below but in short, families are asked to attend Sunday Mass, students in grades 1-2 will meet in person twice a month, students in grades 3-8 will meet once a month as part of our Family Catechesis program, and students in 9th and 10th grade will attend a one-day intensive class, complete at home assignments, and be confirmed in the fall of their sophomore year. Please read on for further details.
The expectation is that all families regardless of your child’s age will attend Sunday Mass. There is no better way to learn about our faith than through weekly participation in the liturgy and Eucharist which we know is the source and summit of our faith. Families will be provided with a small booklet which will ask for some basic information to be filled in (ex: what color was the priest wearing at Mass) as well as provide some questions for discussion among families. Pages from the booklet will be collected periodically and entered into a drawing to win some cool prizes!
Grades 1 and 2 will meet in person with a catechist twice a month (generally the first and second Sunday or Tuesday of a month). Participation in grade 1 is necessary for a student to make their 1st Penance/1st Communion as a second grader. Families will be asked to reinforce the concepts and materials students are learning in class at home. We will need catechists for our first and second grade students so if you would like to teach or co-teach a class, please contact me at ymindirector@gmail.com. All supplies are provided for you.
Grades 3-8 will participate in our new “Family Catechesis” program. Students in these grades will attend a large group session WITH a parent/grownup on the first Sunday of the month. These sessions will cover different topics and teachings so that families are able to continue the lessons at home with their children. Student text books and family pages will be provided. Students will be asked to complete and submit (via email) chapter review sessions. In essence, this is a hybrid model with one in person session a month, followed up by learning at home. We record these large group sessions and make them available online in the event that a Sunday morning class does not fit your family’s schedule.
Grades 9-10 will attend a one day intensive class, complete some at home assignments and service work and be confirmed in the fall of their sophomore year. (Students who enroll as sophomores or juniors will make their Confirmation the NEXT fall). Students entering ninth grade, regardless of whether they attend a Catholic school or not, MUST attend a one day “intensive session.” Next fall (2023) when they are sophomores, your student will return for a retreat in late September/early October and then will be confirmed in the late fall (likely the end of October-mid November.) There will be multiple days to choose from including Saturdays, Sundays, and some school break/vacation options. It is likely we will also offer options in the summer as well. These dates and times will be forthcoming so please register your student ASAP. This is a CHANGE from the past where students who attended Catholic high schools ONLY needed to attend in grade 10. Because we have moved Confirmation to the fall of 10th grade, all 9th graders must attend the program in grade nine. Students are welcome to hold off on attending class until their sophomore year but please be aware that this means they will make their Confirmation in the fall of ELEVENTH GRADE.
We hope to FINALLY be able to offer family events for children and their grownups to participate in throughout the year! These programs will include an All Saints Day party at the end of October, our Epiphany pageant in early January, Family Stations of the Cross on Good Friday, and other events as well!
While we will not need catechists for grades 3-8, we will need volunteers to assist at the large group sessions on Sunday mornings AND to help at the various family events and activities throughout the year.
While we know this program is very different from years past, we also know that many parishes are beginning to move towards a family centered model of religious education in order to help create opportunities for families to talk about, reflect upon, and celebrate our beautiful Catholic faith. We hope you will join us again on this exciting and faith filled adventure here at St. Catherine’s!
Happy summer,
Leah C. Ramsdell
Director of Religious Education and Youth Faith Formation
ymindirector (at) gmail.com or 781-769-5354 ext.349
Please click here for the 2022-2023 registration form for grades 9 and 10. (Registration forms have been mailed home to students in our program.)