As you may know, our diocese is undergoing a strategic planning process called Into the Deep, which aims to help us move from “maintenance to mission” and to align our resources to more effectively spread the Gospel. One of the aspects of this process is to evaluate and improve our religious education program for our children and youth.
After much prayer and consultation with Bishop Hying, we have decided to adopt a new model of religious education based on Family Catechesis. This model recognizes that parents are the primary educators of their children in the faith, and that the parish’s role is to support and equip them in this mission. Family Catechesis combines parish-based group meetings and grade-specific instruction by trained catechists with at-home sessions guided by parents. This way, parents can grow in their own faith while they help their children learn and live the Catholic faith.
We are excited to announce that we are going to implement this new model starting from this fall, in collaboration with the other two parishes of our pastorate: St. Norbert's and Holy Cross. We believe that working together as a pastorate will enable us to share resources, foster unity, and reach out to more families. We will provide more details about the schedule, the curriculum, and the registration process in the coming weeks.
We ask for your prayers and your participation in this new initiative. We hope that Family Catechesis will be a blessing for your family and for our parish community. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us at any time.