Saint Joseph Cathedral
Family Catechesis and Sacramental Preparation
2022/2023
At St. Joseph Cathedral we are committed to helping our parents lead their families in the domestic church of the home. Our goal as a parish community is to increase our love, devotion, and obedience to our Lord Jesus Christ and to glorify our heavenly Father in all that we do.
For catechesis we use a home-based family formation program by Sophia Institute Press called “A Family of Faith” designed to help the whole family grow together in the wisdom and knowledge of our Lord and His Church. In this program parents meet once per month for adult catechesis with two of our parish catechists who teach and equip parents to better fulfill the job of leading the family and living out our Roman Catholic faith in the home.
Acknowledging that the primary and most important catechesis of our parish children takes place in the home, we do offer a few classes for children at the same time as the parent class. This allows the family to come to the parish together once a month for catechesis and it allows for friendships to form within our Parish community.
Children’s Catechetical Classes:
St. Anthony’s Little Ones: This class is for 3–6-year-old children. This class is modeled after the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd and is a gentle and quiet way of learning about the Mass and our Faith with a very hands-on approach.
St. Teresa’s Sacramental Preparation Class: Our First and Second graders are in this class. The first graders are in a pre-preparatory phase this year, and then in the Spring of the 2nd grade year, these children will be prepared to make their 1st Confession. Our priest meets with the children to talk about confession and penance in March, and then the parents will bring the child to their first confession at either the normal confession times, or by making an appointment with the priest.
Blessed Imelda’s Sacrament Preparation Class: This is our primary sacrament preparation class in which we teach our children the doctrines of our Catholic Faith using the Baltimore Catechism as well as the “Faith and Life” series by Ignatius Press. The children in this class are in 3rd grade and are preparing to receive the sacraments of Confirmation and First Communion, typically in May.
St. Peter’s Class: This class is for children in grades 4-8 who have already received all Sacraments of Initiation (Baptism, First Penance, Confirmation, First Holy Eucharist) but would still like to be in religious education at the parish. Children in this class will continue learning the doctrines of our Catholic Faith using the Baltimore Catechism as well as a variety of materials from St Augustine Institute, Ascension Press, Ignatius Press and Sophia Institute Press. If there is a child who for whatever reason missed receiving sacraments in 3rd grade, they may attend this class with the goal of receiving sacraments in the Spring with the rest of the younger children.
Schedule for 2022-2023 Academic Year
All Families of Faith classes will be one Wednesday evening per month. Please make every effort to set aside these dates. If your child is preparing to receive sacraments, the Wednesday night parent catechetical classes are a critical part of your child’s preparation, and it is required that at least one parent will be present at these classes each month. This year we will be studying Volume 2 of “A Family of Faith” by Sophia Institute Press, which covers an in depth look at the Roman Catholic Church’s Sacraments.
September 21: Families of Faith 6:00-7:30pm
October 12: Families of Faith 6:00-7:30pm
November 9: Families of Faith 6:00-7:30pm
December 7: Families of Faith 6:00-7:30pm
January 11: Families of Faith 6:00-7:30 pm
February 8: Families of Faith 6:00-7:30pm
March 8: Families of Faith 6:00-7:30pm
March TBD: The sacrament of First Penance
April 8: Unbaptized children in grades 4-8 who have been preparing for sacraments will receive sacraments at the Easter Vigil
April 12: Families of Faith 6:00-7:30pm
May: 3: LAST Families of Faith 6:00-7:30pm
May 7: Children in the 3rd grade sacrament preparatory classes as well as baptized children in grades 4-8 receive sacraments at the 10:30am Mass with Bishop
Sacrament Preparation Agreement
(Applies to all parents of children in grades 1-8 who are in sacrament preparation classes)
Dear Parents,
At your child’s baptism the priest asked you this question:
“Parents and godparents, you have asked to have your child baptized, in doing so you are accepting the responsibility of bringing him/her up in the practice of the faith. It will be your duty to teach him/ her to keep God’s commandments as Christ taught us, by loving God and our neighbor. Do you clearly understand what you are undertaking?”
To which you responded with the solemn vow before God and the priest, “I do.”
We at the Cathedral are committed to helping you fulfill this vow. There is no greater commitment you make as a Catholic parent than to teach your children to love our Catholic Church and to help them to develop a deep and abiding love and devotion to our Lord Jesus Christ. Our home-based religious education program and catechesis will prepare your child to receive the sacraments of initiation into the Catholic Church. However, preparation for the sacraments begins with the regular practice of our Faith in the home by the family. As a prerequisite and a minimum, you as the parent must commit that your family will follow the precepts of the Catholic Church. These are the bare minimum requirements for a faithful Catholic to be in good standing with the Church.
The Precepts of the Catholic Church are:
1. You shall attend Mass on Sundays and on holy days of obligation and rest from servile labor.
2. You shall confess your sins at least once a year.
3. You shall receive the sacrament of the Eucharist at least during the Easter season.
4. You shall observe the days of fasting and abstinence established by the Church.
5. You shall help to provide for the needs of the Church.
At our parish, Sacrament Preparation is normally a three-year process culminating with the reception of the sacraments of Confirmation and First Holy Eucharist in the Spring of the third year.
Year 1- (Grade 1 and/or 6 years old): Home preparation
1. Register for Families of Faith on the parish website
2. OPTION 1- Complete the 1st book in the “Our Holy Faith” Series (St Augustine Academy Press) at home with your child. In person classes are not required for this option. (Registration fees cover the cost of the books)
3. OPTION 2- Your child attends St. Anthony’s Little Ones class once a month while parents go to parent Class, and the family works though the “A Family of Faith” books together at home. (Registration fees cover the cost of the books
* Please indicate on the registration form which option you choose so the correct books are ordered for your family.
Formal preparation for Sacraments generally begins at age 7 or grade 2 in our diocese, but indeed the hope is that the child’s heart and mind are preparing in the home even from birth with the faithful and gentle teaching and example of the parents. When this is the case, the child comes to formal sacrament preparation with a fertile and receptive heart, ready to learn more about what the Church teaches and what we believe.
Year 2- (Grade 2): Preparation for First Penance
1. Register for Families of Faith on the parish website
2. Registration fees include the purchase of the Baltimore Catechism and “A Family of Faith” books (Sophia Institute Press)
3. At least one parent and the child must attend monthly classes at the parish.
4. The child must attend the First Reconciliation mini retreat in the Spring and then the child will presumably be prepared to make their first confession in March.
Year 3- (Grade 3): Preparation for Confirmation and First Holy Eucharist
1. Register for Families of Faith on the parish website
2. Registration fees include the purchase of the Baltimore Catechism and “A Family of Faith” books (Sophia Institute Press)
3. At least one parent and the child must attend monthly classes at the parish.
4. The child must attend the First Holy Eucharist mini retreat in the Spring and then the child will presumably be sufficiently prepared for the reception of both Confirmation and First Holy Eucharist in May.
Once your child has received all sacraments of initiation, it is no longer required for the child and parent to attend monthly catechesis classes however, it is highly encouraged that the family continue to come to monthly classes. This helps the family to remain active in the parish community and it helps with continuing growth and knowledge in our beautiful Church through on-going catechesis for the whole family. Parents are welcome and encouraged to come to the parent classes even if they do not have a child in a class.
RCIA for Children (included in St Peter's Class)
These children are in 4-8 grade and are technically in “RCIA”, having not received sacraments at the normal age in our diocese (third grade). They are coming monthly while their parents attend the parent class. If your child is in “RCIA”, and is preparing for one or more sacraments, these are your requirements:
1. Register for Families of Faith on the parish website
2. Registration fees include the purchase of the Baltimore Catechism and “A Family of Faith” (Sophia Institute Press)
3. At least one parent and the child must attend monthly classes at the parish.
4. The child must attend the two mini retreats in the Spring and then the child will presumably be sufficiently prepared for the reception of all sacraments.
*Unbaptized children in grades 4+ will receive sacrament preparation in one year with the goal of receiving all of the sacraments of initiation at the Easter Vigil in April. Baptized children in grades 4+ will prepare for one year with the goal of receiving sacraments with the younger children in May.
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