Religious Education Program

"No greater joy can I have than this, to hear that my children follow the truth" (3 Jn 1:4).

Introduction

We have a religious education program in place for children who are members of the parish but do not go to Catholic schools.

For a long time, this program of instruction was referred to as "CCD" (Confraternity of Christian Doctrine), and in many places this term is still used. Another acronym, "PSR" (Parish School of Religion), has recently gained popularity as well. At Blessed Mother, we simply refer to this program as "Religious Ed."

Religious Ed is open to children in grades K - 8. Each grade is dismissed to their classroom from the Parish Hall, after the 10 AM Mass on Sunday. Classes begin at 11:15 AM and end at 12:30 PM. Usually there is time for each child to grab a donut and some orange juice in the Parish Hall before the dismissal.

Curriculum

The kindergarten students use Volume 1, “Who Am I?” from the Image of God series, published by Ignatius Press.

Students in grades 1-8 use the Faith and Life series, also published by Ignatius Press. It includes the following volumes:

• Grade 1: “Our Heavenly Father”
• Grade 2: “Jesus Our Life”
• Grade 3: “Our Life with Jesus”
• Grade 4: “Jesus Our Guide”
• Grade 5: “Credo: I Believe”
• Grade 6: “Following Christ”
• Grade 7: “The Life of Grace”
• Grade 8: “Our Life in the Church”

For more information about these religious education materials, see the following links:

• Image of God series
• Faith and Life series

It is very important to this parish that your child receives an education that is faithful to the teachings of the Catholic Church. As such, we only use textbooks and activity books that have been judged by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops to be in conformity with the Catechism of the Catholic Church.  

Handbook

The Religious Ed Handbook has everything that you need to know as a parent with a child enrolled in our Religious Ed Program. It includes:

• Welcome from the DRE
• Religious Education Calendar
• Important Dates for the Sacraments of Initiation
• Religious Education Curriculum
• Responsibilities for Program Participants
• Fundamentals of the Faith
• Other Important Information
• Final Prayer

This is a valuable resource that you should turn to often. You can download the handbook for 2009-2010 below, in Microsoft Word 97-2003 or Adobe PDF format:

Religious Ed Handbook: