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Our Faith Formation model for families with children in Pre-K – 5th grade encompasses the following components:
(Special Note: A slightly different model applies to families who have a child preparing for First Holy Communion. Please Scroll to the bottom of this page for details regarding First Holy Communion Preparation.)
(1) Participation in weekly Sunday Mass: Families are invited to experience Sunday Mass as a family. In order to better engage the children in the liturgy, special attention is given to the children through:
- Child-focused homilies given by Fr. Jhon: These take place only at the 9 AM Family Mass on selected Sundays (see below for schedule of Masses with a special focus on children).
- Children’s Liturgy of the Word (CLOW): On Sundays when Fr. Jhon is not preaching children-focused homilies, families may attend either the 9 AM or 10:30 AM Masses where the children can participate in Children’s Liturgy of the Word. This means that during Mass (before the readings are proclaimed) a group of Faith Leaders guide the children out of the worship space into another room and share the Gospel message with them in an age-appropriate and engaging way. This takes about 20 minutes upon which the children are guided back into the worship space to continue Mass celebration with their parents. (See below for schedule of Masses with a special focus on children)..
(2) Family Faith Events : Parents and children participate in pre-scheduled family events which take place monthly, from October – April. Please refer to the schedule below for specific dates.
Schedule for Families with a Child
Preparing for First Holy Communion
Important! Participation in the 9 AM Mass on the same Sundays that class sessions meet (below) is a requirement. Any other Sunday when there is not a First Communion Preparation session, families are invited to attend a Sunday Mass with a special focus on children (either 9 AM or 10:30 AM).
Please refer to the Schedule of Masses with a Special Focus on Children posted above.
* On December 9, the session following Mass will be the Family Event Inkeeper’s Feast. We also encourage your family to participate in the Friday, March 15 event, Jesus The Healer, which will take place at 8pm in the church.
See page 3 for details on these two Family events.