St. Augustine's & St. Mary's
Faith Formation
Cathy Mackey, Director of Faith Formation
Faith Formation Overview
As you've heard at Mass and through parish and Faith Formation emails, Faith Formation this year is new, different, and exciting! St. Augustine's and St. Mary's Faith Formation programs are coming together for classes and we will be meeting at both parishes. To help you to understand the changes, I have made informational videos for you; scroll down to view them. Below each video is printed version of what is discussed in the videos. Please watch them completely, as many of your questions will be answered, but, of course, don't hesitate to reach out if you have any additional questions!
If you still need to register your child for Faith Formation, you can do so using the button below.
Also, immediately below are upcoming important dates and reminders.
Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions. I look forward to an exciting new year of faith, fun and family!
Blessings,
Cathy Mackey
Director of Faith Formation for the Parishes of St. Augustine's & St. Mary's
February 22 - 25, 2022, 9am - 12 pm daily
WINTER BREAK FAITH FORMATION for Grades 6-10!
We will have a four day long Winter Break Faith Formation session for students in grades 6-10 during February break! This will take place from Tuesday, February 22- Friday, February 25 from 9-12 daily at St. Augustine's. The students and families will also attend Mass on Sunday, February 27. This week will be worth a total of 13 hours of credit! Students must attend Mass on Sunday and class each day of the week in order to earn the 13 hours. Sorry, we cannot allow students to attend some days and not others for partial credit. Click here to register.
March 26, 2022, 12:30 pm - 6:30 pm, includes Mass
CONFIRMATION RETREAT (all Confirmation Candidates must attend, in its entirety). Scoll down to the Sacrament Preparation section for details.
Friday, June 3, 2022, 6:30 pm
REHEARSAL FOR CONFIRMATION will be held at St. Mary's. Confirmation candidates AND their sponsors must attend both rehearsal and Confirmation. If a sponsor will not yet be in town for the rehearsal, a parent must come to rehearsal with the Candidate and stand in place for the sponsor.
Saturday, June 4, 2022, 4:00 pm
CONFIRMATION will be held at St. Mary's. Confirmation candidates AND their sponsors must attend both rehearsal and Confirmation. If a sponsor will not yet be in town for the rehearsal, a parent must come to rehearsal with the Candidate and stand in place for the sponsor.
At the next in person class (January 23 or 24) your child's catechist (teacher) will give them their Gospel Weekly Readers for the weeks that they have missed. Please have your student complete at least three of the Gospel Weekly Readers and email (scan or photograph) or drop off to me the completed Readers by February 6 to receive credit for the class. This will meet the diocesan time requirement for the month as there will be no Living the Lesson assignment for this month.
Below is an updated calendar for grades 1-5, showing where and when we will meet for the rest of the year, as we will not be changing locations in January as previously planned.
Reminder: Please do not drop off your child for grades 1-5 before 9:15am on Sundays or before 7:00pm on Mondays, as our catechists are setting up their classrooms and getting everything ready for your child!
Also, please be sure to pick up your child on time: 10:15am on Sundays and 8:00pm on Mondays. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation!
Grades 1-5 Faith Formation Overview Video:
Update 2/11/22: Confirmation Students & Parents/Guardians, please download this important information from Cathy Mackey regarding preparing for Confirmation.
Winter Winter Break Faith Formation session registration is now live. Click here to register.
SUPER SUNDAY REGISTRATION is now live for all dates for grades 6-10. Click here to register.
The January 9 Super Sunday was canceled. Our speaker was going to speak about his work with the homeless. Since we cannot meet in person, but will have the speaker come to discuss this topic during our March Super Sunday, we will have students complete an assignment called "Homelessness Is One Paycheck Away."
This assignment was sent via email on Wednesday, January 5 at 6:00 pm. It is a complex one and is worth 5 credit hours (replacing the 2.5 hours in person and the 2.5 hours for Living the Lesson- there will be no additional Living the Lesson assignment this month). Therefore, students are expected to complete the assignment in full, according to the directions, in order to receive the full 5 hours of credit.
If, as a family, you choose not to complete the assignment, that is fine. Hours can be obtained during the Winter Break Session, the next two Super Sundays, and/or the Lenten activities that will be forthcoming. However, PLEASE remember that the year is half over and it is imperative that your child gets the required number of hours (30) in order to move up to the next grade level of Faith Formation for those students in grades 8 and 9, and in order to be Confirmed, for students in grade 10. Please note: since this assignment requires internet research, students should be supervised by parents, at parents' discretion.
***Father Cliff, Amy Casper, Deb Krisher, Deacon John, Deacon Joe and I are all completing the Homelessness is One Paycheck Away assignment! We will be discussing it during the homily at our next Super Sunday Mass in March!*** Check your email for additional assignment details. If you have questions, email Cathy Mackey at cmackey@syrdio.org.
Grades 6-10 Faith Formation Overview Video
Elementary Faith Formation (Gr. 1-5)
Upcoming Important Dates, Lessons & Reminders
Grades 1-5
Grades 6-10
Middle School/High School
Sacrament Preparation
Update 2/11/22: Confirmation Students & Parents/Guardians, please download this important information from Cathy Mackey regarding preparing for Confirmation.
**If your child is to receive the sacraments of First Reconciliation and First Eucharist THIS school year, make sure you register them for the Sacrament Prep as well as regular Faith Formation Classes. If your child attends a Catholic School, only the Sacrament Prep is required. If you have questions, please contact Mrs. Mackey for assistance.
**If your child will be making their Confirmation in 10th Grade, they need to be registered for Faith Formation during their 8th, 9th and 10th Grade years and must be registered for the additional Confirmation Sacrament Prep for the year they will be receiving the sacrament.
UPCOMING WORKSHOPS & RETREATS
Confirmation Retreat (All Confirmation Candidates Must Attend In Its Entirety*)
Saturday, March 26 from 12:30-6:30 and includes Mass.
* Please note that per diocesan guidelines, all Confirmation candidates MUST attend a retreat. If your child is truly unable to attend on the day of our retreat due to extreme circumstances, your child will have to attend a retreat with another church in order to fulfill the retreat requirement. Please let me know ASAP if this is the case, as our retreat may be the last of the season and it may be difficult finding another for your child to attend. Please only reschedule in an extreme situation; it is strongly encouraged that all Confirmandi attend with their parish. THIS RETREAT DOES COUNT TOWARDS THEIR CONTACT HOURS! This will be 6 out of the 30 hours!
Also, please email Cathy Mackey a copy of your child's baptismal certificate. She must have a copy of your child's baptismal certificate on file for your child to be eligible to receive the sacrament. Or, if your child was baptized at St. Augustine's or St. Mary's, please let her know.
Please remember that your child must complete the 30 credit hours, have attended the retreat, and is registered to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation for this year to be eligible to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation.
First Communion Workshop
March 27, 2022: 5:30 - 7:30 pm at St. Mary's
April 3, 2022: 5:30 - 7:30 pm at St. Mary's
May 1, 2022: 5:30 - 7:30 pm at St. Mary's
Students attend with a special guest! (parent, grandparent or godparent)
All workshops must be attended, in their entirety, for your child to be eligible for the sacraments. Your child MUST receive the Sacrament of First Reconciliation in order to be eligible to receive the Sacrament of First Holy Communion. There will be sign ups for First Reconciliation and First Communion as they get closer. For First Reconciliation, you will be able to pick a week that works for your family based on Father Cliff’s Confession schedule. (Dates offered TBA) For First Communion, you will be able to pick the weekend and Mass time that work best for your family! First Communion Masses will be offered during the months of May and June and will be offered at your home parish.
Sacrament Workshop Overview Video:
Sacraments Workshops Info
How do children become Catholic?
St. Augustine’s welcomes the full and conscious participation of all people in the life of the Church including Sunday Mass and faith formation throughout one’s life. From pre-school age through high school, students are taught what it means to be a disciple of Jesus. St. Augustine’s Parish offers a Faith Formation Program for children and youth in which they learn about the teachings of Jesus Christ and the customs, culture and traditions of the Catholic Church. For more information about our class offerings or registration, please call the parish office of faith formation at 638-0864.
Faith Formation Fee Schedule:
1st - 6th Grade: $50
7th - 10th Grade: $70
First Reconciliation/First Eucharist: Additional $50
Confirmation: Additional $30
Family Rate (3+ Children): $125 **Not applicable for Grades 6-10**
(Financial support is available if needed.)