“Education in the faith by the parents should begin in the child's earliest years... 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…” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2226)

Family Faith Formation

St. Mary Catholic Faith Community uses the Family Formation model of catechesis for children aged 3 through 5^th grade. Read on to learn more about this model of formation and how we implement it at St. Mary.

Family Model of Catechesis

The Catechism of the Catholic Church states both that “parents have the first responsibility for the education of their children” (2223) and that “the right and the duty of parents to educate their children are primordial and inalienable.” (2221)

The family model of catechesis gives back the right to, and responsibility of, teaching the Faith to parents, with the unwavering support of their parish community, ministers, and catechists. At St. Mary we affirm that parents have both the responsibility and the right to be the first and most important catechists of their own children. 

How it Works

Families gather at the parish for parish sessions twice per month to share a meal, because Jesus shows us that eating together forms a community. They participate in a faith-centered learning activity together that is tied to the liturgical times and seasons of our Catholic faith. Then, our catechists offer age level breakout sessions using our chosen curriculum, the Pflaum Gospel Weeklies. The four breakout levels are Preschool, Kinder and 1^st Grade, 2^nd and 3^rd Grade, and 4^th and 5^th Grade.

While child breakouts are meeting, parents and guardians participate in a Bible study or a talk given by a member of our staff or a guest speaker. These talks may focus on Catholic parenting, the liturgical year, or common questions about the Faith. Adult formation sessions begin at 11am on Sundays and 6:15pm on Mondays, and are open to any teen or adult member of the parish who finds the upcoming topic of interest.

Our families also gather for community events each month, centered around prayer and service. These events build community within our program while teaching our Faith, and giving us an opportunity to live it out well. Families are welcome to bring all of their children along to these events. They are also open to any family with a child enrolled in Edge or Life Teen.

At-Home

Perhaps the most important component of Family Catechesis is how families learn together. Our chosen curriculum provides a lesson for each Sunday of the year. Families will complete at least one of these lessons each month, on a week when we do not meet at the parish. Parents are provided a teaching guide and library of online resources through Pflaum, as well as receiving a workshop on our curriculum and how to use it at the beginning of the year.

We expect regular Mass attendance on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation from our families. The liturgy of the Eucharistic sacrifice is the fount and apex of the whole Christian life (Lumen Gentium 11), without which nothing we do in formation can be effective.

Family catechesis teaches children and parents together, empowers and emboldens adults to know and love their own faith, and supports parents in passing the Faith on to their children.  

Questions?

Reach out to our office at PanlenerJ@stmaryhc.org.