Elementary Religious Education

Religious Education Sessions 2009-2010
Pre-School through Grade 8

Parent Update 2010

 

Elementary Religious Education:
Elementary Religious Education                                      Youth Ministry
    Sunday Classes Begin: Sept. 27                                       Tuesday Classes Begin:
     Pre-school    (4 year olds)   Sunday 10:30-11:30 a.m.     Grade 7 Rel Ed - Sept. 22     7-8:15 p.m.
     Kindergarten (5 year olds)  Sunday 10:30-11:30 a.m.     Grade 8 Rel Ed - Sept. 29     7-8:15 p.m.
     Grade 1                             Sunday 10:30-11:30 a.m.                  
                                                                                             Confirmation Grade 8 *:
     Wednesday Classes Begin: Sept. 23                               1st Parent/Student Meeting: Tues. Sept. 15   7-8:15p.m.
     Limit is 12 students per class; first come, first served.     *Separate Registration Form and  
     Grades 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6         Wed. 7:00-8:15 p.m.            additional $80.-  Fee for Confirmation
     Tuition:                       

# of Children	Early Registration -before Aug. 18, 2009-		Late Registration -after Aug. 18, 2009-
	Registered  Parishioner	Non-Registered Parishioner	Registered Parishioner	Non-Registered Parishioner
1 child	$80	$100	$110	$130
2 or more children	$130	$100 per child	$160	$130 per child

Please make checks payable to St. John the Baptist; complete both sides of the Registration/Emergency Contact Form; and return all to Parish Office.  Your tuition supports only part of the cost of the program.  The rest is subsidized by the regular envelope collection.

Interested in 1st Reconciliation and 1st Eucharist Programs?  Please call the Parish Office: 301-622-3933.

To contact us during class time, please call 301-622-4645.
If Montgomery County Schools are closed or have early dismissal due to inclement weather, all Religion Classes and Activities will be cancelled for that evening.

  

Please complete both pages of the Registration/Emergency Contact Form below and return it to the Parish Office with payment.

Rel Ed Registration Form 2009-10

Confirmation Registration Form 2009-10

 

Please send payment with completed registration.

Children’s Liturgies
Religious Education Calendar 2009-2010
Ministry of Shepherding

 

Children’s Liturgies 2009 - 2010
Saturday 5 p.m. Mass in the Church

October 3 - 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time
October 24 - Pumpkin Liturgy, 30th Sunday in OrdinaryTime
November 7 - 32nd Sunday in OrdinaryTime
December 5 - St. Nicholas Liturgy, Advent, 2nd Sunday
February 6 - Scouts Liturgy, 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time
March 6 - 3rd Sunday of Lent
May 1 - 5th Sunday of Easter

Sharing God's Gifts

Elementary Religious Education Pre K-6

“Catechesis is an education in the faith of children, young people, and adults which includes especially the teaching of Christian doctrine imparted, generally speaking, in an organic and systematic way, with a view to initiating the hearers into the fullness of Christian life.” CT 18

The mission of St. John the Baptist Religious Education Program

The mission of St. John the Baptist Religious Education Program is to bring individuals to a genuine knowledge and love of Jesus Christ; to invite them to a full and active participation in the life of the Church and to help them understand the relationship between faith and life. The Catholic Church recognizes that parents are the primary and principal educators of their children, especially in the task of faith formation.

Parish catechetical programs are to assist parents by providing formal, systematic catechesis and sacramental preparation programs. The themes of God’s love, Jesus, Sacraments, Prayer and Scripture are present throughout St. John’s Religious Education curriculum. Certain grade levels focus on particular topics such as the Ten Commandments, the Church, The Sacraments and the Hebrew Scriptures/Old Testament.

First Reconciliation and First Eucharist Preparation for Children 2009-10

All sacramental preparation programs are parish-based, which means that:

1. Children prepare for and celebrate the sacrament within the parish in which they are registered, and
2. Children who are in the parochial school and the Religious Education Program attend these programs together.

These preparations are in addition to your child’s regular religious education, whether that is through the St. John the Baptist School, or through the Religious Education Program. We prepare children for the sacrament of Reconciliation prior to, and separate from, when we prepare children for First Eucharist.

Your child must attend religious education classes for at least one year prior to the sacramental preparation year, and must be at least age seven. Parents of children who have not been attending regular religious instruction, and who would like their children to prepare for these sacraments are asked to meet with the Director of Elementary Religious Education, Ginny Cohen.

One or both parents or guardians are required to attend the sessions for the reasons that

1. Sacraments are part of family/home life, and
2. it is necessary for the parent to be refreshed in the sacrament and involved in the program in order to support that child’s faith development.

To register, call or visit the parish office. To discuss the sacraments or questions of your child’s readiness, call Ginny Cohen.  Once you register, you will be sent information two weeks prior to the first session. You will be asked to pay for the book fees, but otherwise there is no tuition.

This year’s schedule is as follows:

Sacramental Programs – Parents & Children – Mondays 7-8:15 p.m.
Pre-registration is required; call the Parish Office at 301-622-1122

First Reconciliation Program           First Eucharist Preparation (Winter)   First Eucharist Preparation (Spring)
October    26 – Session 1                              January  11 - Session 1                    April 12 - Session 1
November 02 – Homework                                        18 - Homework                          19 - Homework                  
                 09 – Session 2                                           25 - Session 2                             26 - Session 2                  
                 23 – Session 3                                              
November 30 - Reconciliation Service            February 1 - Homework                 Sat., May 1 Mass & Break
                                                                                     8 - Session 3                                Open Session (5 - 7p.m.)
                                                                                                                              May 3 - Homework
                                                                      Sat., March 6 Mass & Break                 10 - Session
                                                                                 Open Session (5 - 7p.m.)

Working at home with your child each week is part of the preparation. The calendar dates shown here include “homework” nights as reminders to set aside time on your family calendar for this. “Breaking Open the Celebration” includes attending the 9:00 am Mass and a session for entire families afterwards.   The celebration of a child’s First Eucharist may be scheduled by the family with the parish secretary after completion of the preparation program and book.

Ministry of Shepherding

Shepherding is a ministry of welcoming. Its purpose is to make the young person making First Communion and the family feel comfortable and confident with everything that is happening in the liturgy so the young person has a wonderful experience of meeting Jesus in the Eucharist for the first time. Shepherds are contacted by the Parish Center to ask if they can shepherd a particular Mass and then the Shepherd gives the family an introductory call.

The family will arrange to meet the Shepherd in rear of the church or hall fifteen to twenty minutes before Mass begins. The Shepherd introduces the family to the Presider. Anyone (single or couples) interested in this ministry of welcoming should call the Parish Center at 301-622-1122.

*Notes: There are no classes for children on the weeks when Catechist Workshops are scheduled.
If Montgomery County Schools are closed or have early dismissal due to inclement weather, all Religious Education classes and activities will be cancelled for that evening.