Religious Education Program
Religious Education begins when a child begins Grade 1 and continues through Grade 8, when a child is confirmed. Families must be parishioners registered at Church of the Sacred Heart.
Sacramental Preparation
Sacraments are sacred encounters with God and as such require preparation. This preparation includes the program as described above as well as attendance at a retreat beforehand.
First Reconciliation and First Communion: Two years of preparation. The best time to begin is when a child enters first grade.
Confirmation: This sacrament is celebrated in the Spring of eighth grade, if a child has completed Religious Education from Grade 1 through Grade 8.
Our program has three parts:
- Mass attendance at Sacred Heart on Saturday evening or Sunday morning at least 15 times between September (after Labor Day weekend) and the end of June. The Third Commandment requires us to keep holy the Lord’s Day (Sunday). Children must be accompanied by a parent or other family adult at all times. Let’s follow the Ten Commandments!
- Accurate presentation of Church teaching. Complete 2 lessons a month on your own schedule online and submit 1 homework assignment each month. Lessons are available online the first of each month, September through June, for the accurate presentation of Catholic doctrine.
- Family gatherings enhance learning and foster parish community. Children must be accompanied by a parent or other family adult at all times. Attend any FOUR of the following:
- Sunday, Sept. 14, 3-4 pm in church, The True Story of Our Lady of Fatima
- Thursday, Oct. 16, 6:30-7:30 pm in church, St. Margaret Mary & the Sacred Heart of Jesus
- Friday, Nov. 21, 6:30-7:30 pm in church, Advent: Preparing for a True Christmas
- Wednesday, Dec. 17, 6:30-7:30 pm in church, Advent Candlelight Prayer Service
- Sunday, Jan. 4, 10-11 am in school cafeteria, Meet and Greet the Three Kings (Epiphany)
- Tuesday, Feb. 10, 6:30-7:30 pm in church, Getting Ready for Lent
- Thursday, March 19, 6:30-7:30 pm in school cafeteria, St. Joseph’s Day
- Friday, March 20, 7:15 pm in church, Living Stations of the Cross
- More may be added.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why should enroll your child in religious education every year? To become a fully initiated Catholic, a person must celebrate three Sacraments of Initiation: Baptism, Eucharist and Confirmation.
If a person has not celebrated all three sacraments, he or she
• cannot be a godparent,
• cannot be a Confirmation sponsor, or, possibly,
• be permitted to marry in a Catholic parish. (According to Church law 1065 §1: “Catholics who have not yet received the sacrament of confirmation are to receive it before they are admitted to marriage if it can be done without grave inconvenience.” This implies that a pastor may decide to delay the Sacrament of Matrimony until the Sacrament of Confirmation is celebrated.)
Why can’t these three sacraments be done all at once for children? If someone is going to be Catholic for the rest of their lives, there’s no reason to rush. Spiritual formation should be done properly, allowing the person time to learn, reflect, and live their faith. A thirteen-year-old can understand much more and live their faith more completely than a seven-year-old. Just as it is ridiculous to stop a child’s general education at the age of seven, similarly, we all need education in the faith throughout our lives, gradually growing in holiness, devotion and commitment to Jesus.
Resources