The first catechists in any child’s life are its parents or guardians. They are the ones who first provide a child with a concept of right and wrong; the ones who—for better or worse—make manifest the Father’s love.
With this in mind, our goal here at St. Bendilde Catholic Church is to create a faith formation program for our parish youth that affirms and supports parents in their essential role. Our hope is to enter into a sacred partnership with parents, working together to form these precious little ones so that they can internalize and embrace the truths of our Church within their lives.
This is why we are excited about our Family Faith Formation program for children in grades K-7, using the A Family of Faith program from the Sophia Institute for Teachers. Though this program meets the faith formation requirement for children not enrolled in a Catholic school, it is open to ANY family wishing to grow in love and knowledge of their Catholic faith.
Monthly Family of Faith gatherings typically take place monthaly on Sunday evenings at 5:15 PM as part of our Rooted Program. These sessions are for BOTH parents and their children and will last approximately from 5:15-7:30 p.m. During this time students will be divided into age-appropriate classes where they will be given a lesson by a volunteer, safe-environment trained catechist. At the same time, parents will form a separate group where they will be catechized, encouraged, and equipped so as to be able to successfully instruct their children in the faith at home for the remainder of that month.
During the remaining weeks, parents and students will complete weekly lessons that are designed for the entire family to do together. These lessons are intended to be interactive, filled with games, Scripture quotes, crafts, lives of the saints, etc., and are designed to reinforce and deepen your family’s understanding and appreciation of our Catholic faith. Families are also given options, allowing them to choose the lessons/activities which best fit the needs of their particular child(ren).
Register your family online HERE
NOTE: Children preparing for their First Communion must also register for our Sacramental Preparation Program which also meets monthly on Sunday evenings from 5:15-7:00 PM.
For more information about our program, contact Parish Catechectical Leader Audrey Huck at [email protected].