Religious Education for Children

We are looking forward to seeing some familiar faces, and some new ones too, when our fall program begins on October 12th! Please click HERE for the full schedule of dates.

DROP-OFF/PICK-UP PROCEDURES (click HERE).

If still interested in registering, please review the TUITION form which can be found HERE, and complete the REGISTRATION FORM which can be accessed HERE.

Completed registration forms and payment can be dropped off at, or mailed to, the parish office located at 210 E. Logan. The office is open Monday through Friday from 8am until 2pm. If you arrive after-hours, there is a mail slot in the front door of the office where you can place your forms and payment. Please DO NOT place them in the outgoing mailbox. Checks can be made payable to "St. Alphonsus & St. Patrick Parish". Please include "R.E." in the memo.

As an alternative to our regularly scheduled Religious Education program (which takes place in the fall during the regular school year), we offer a two-week program in the summer for children entering 3rd through 7th grade the following fall. The Summer Intensive program for 2022 was completed 6/16/2022 - 6/29/2022. The dates for the Summer Intensive program for 2023 are TBD. The program runs from 9am until noon, weekdays only. The 2023 Registration Form will be accessible here at a later date.

The seed of a rich and deep spirituality is present within each child. In their earliest years, children grow in relationship with God and understanding of their faith. It is our mission to help parents in their responsibility to nurture their children's faith. Faith is based not only on an intellectual understanding of doctrine, but also on a conversion of the heart (adopting a way of life).

We proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom of God through prayer, education, service, social activities, and worship. Empowered by the Holy Spirit, we respond to Christ's call to "come follow Me" and carry on His teaching mission. We follow Jesus' example of teaching what to believe and then showing how to put those beliefs into practice.

Our purpose is to assist parents in:

• Teaching a Catholic way of life: laying the foundations for developing Christian attitudes, values and behavior in their children's early years;
• Presenting religious concepts in accord with their children's age and capacity for understanding and growth in faith;
• Helping their children make an increasingly personal response to God through their unique gifts;
• Integrating liturgical and Eucharistic formation with religious education (liturgical celebrations shape a child's faith every bit as much as Catholic schooling);
• Nurturing growth by providing a proper environment and witness of adults;
• Fostering a sense of community and belonging (faith is something to be lived and is lived best in community); and
• Recognizing and fulfilling their role as the first and foremost catechists of their children.

We also have a process in place to initiate children and young teens who have not been baptized and/or have had no formal religious education. The process normally takes at least two years to lead them into an experience of conversion and prepare them to celebrate the initiation sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist.

This is not a rigid program, but a process that is meant to be adapted according to the spiritual and educational needs and progress of the child. Children, with their parents and catechists, meet in small groups on a schedule that best fits their calendars. They progress through periods of preparation looking to Easter Vigil as the highpoint of their journey with the reception of the sacraments.