Brigida Lapadula
Director of Evangelization of Youth
St. Michael the Archangel R.C. Church
Religious Education Office
Our Mission
To help our children grow in their understanding of our faith
and to deepen their relationship with our Lord.
Keeping in line with The Year of Faith proclaimed by our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, we strive to help our youth learn more about what we believe by encouraging them to take seriously the study of the Catholic faith, to read and meditate on Sacred Scriptures, and to participate actively in the celebration of the Eucharist.
The 3 components of our program:
- Family Faith Formation: Parents and children receive monthly lessons in the Parish. Families work together at home for the remainder of the month. The program puts emphasis on the role of parents as the primary educators of the faith and is designed for grades 1-6.
- Wednesday K-6 Program: Weekly lessons given by volunteer catechists in a traditional classroom setting. Weekly assignments for home and catechist-parent communication are strongly encouraged to achieve successful catechesis.
w Both of these programs provide the two-year required preparation for
First Penance and Reconciliation and First Holy Communion w
- Confirmation Preparation: 7th and 8th graders meet twice a month for lessons, also completing the Faith and Life online series at home. Classes are followed by the celebration of the Holy Mass. Immediately before receiving Confirmation in the fall of 9th grade, the candidates prepare by attending 4 sessions in which they review key concepts of the faith and participate in a retreat to allow them to reflect on how to live out the commitment they make to Christ in Confirmation.
w Our religious education program has a spiral approach in which learning builds upon previous years of experience and knowledge. Therefore, if a child has missed one or more years of religious instruction the child might be placed in a lower grade level. This placement will depend on formal, written assessments given by the office and the evaluation of the particular circumstances of the childw
In addition to the Religious Education program, our office supports the Parish community by encouraging the active participation of our families in the life of the Church in the celebration of the Holy Mass, other liturgies, and devotions; other faith formation activities; parish events; and community service projects.
To see our Religious Education and Family Formation Calendars in PDF format, please go to the Bulletins page on our website.
