At St Mary’s Church, we believe that religious education is a lifelong process and that parents are the primary spiritual and moral educators of their children. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church says so beautifully,
Education in the faith by the 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. The parish is the Eucharistic community and the heart of the liturgical life of Christian families; it is a privileged place for the catechesis of children and parents” (Catechism, 2226]).
Our responsibility as a parish church is to support parents in their role as the primary teachers and evangelists of their families. Through our full range of Religious Education programs, we seek to give the children in our care the knowledge, experience, and skills necessary to become faithful and fruitful disciples of Jesus.
Structure of Programs
Preschool Classes Ages 3 & 4
Sunday morning during 9.00 am Mass September - April
Religious Education Grades 1st – 8th*
Wednesday 6.30 PM - 7.30 PM September — April
*The format is weekly in-person instruction, along with monthly mandatory parent meetings.
Please see the calendar on the top right of this page for class and parent meetings.
Curriculum
Ages 3 & 4 use Image of God from Ignatius Press
Grades 1-8 use Spirit of Truth, Parish Edition from the Sophia Institute
Grades 3-8 use Walking with Jesus from the Sophia Institute
Homeschool & St Joe’s Confirmation Students.
If you homeschool or you have a child enrolled at St Joseph’s Middle School, it is important to register with the Religious Education office using the appropriate registration form.
Religious Education Contact
Linda Jackson
Director of Catechesis and Congregational Care