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Welcome!
Saint Kateri Tekakwitha Faith FormationKindergarten - Grade 8
2021 - 2022
Faith Formation begins October 3, 2021
Saint Kateri Family Faith Formation will continue to be a program that encourages parents to accompany their children to Mass each week and to guide them in faith-based lessons.Mass is the Center of our ProgramMass is the center of Saint Kateri's Faith Formation. Sanitization procedures from the CDC and State of NJ are in place at church. However, if a family is still not yet comfortable attending Mass in person, Saint Kateri provides at least one live-streamed Mass each weekend.
Faith Formation - Including Sacramental Preparation
Family Sessions will take place after Mass each weekend (Saturday, 5pm; and after two morning Masses on Sundays), both in the church and the Community Room. Sacramental Preparation (First Communion and Confirmation) will involve specific family sessions and a supplemental home study program. The Schedule for the Year, Curriculum, and Online Registration can be viewed on this website, as soon as it is available.Mass Times (We will revert to original Mass times after Labor Day 2021)
Families participate in weekly Mass- Saturday Mass: 5:00 pm
- Sunday Masses: 8:00 am
9:30 am (also live-streamed)11:30 am6:00 pm
Families participate in brief but significant Bible-based Mass lessons, in person at the Family Sessions, and also at home. Lessons will also be posted on our website and on the"Saint Kateri Faith Formation of Sparta, NJ" Facebook Page. This year, we are planning to have some Pre-K 3/4 offerings at the 9:30am Mass Family Session! Sign up for this time if you have children in this age group--and spread the word!
1st Grade Curriculum
2nd Grade Curriculum
Sacramental Preparation for First Reconciliation and First Eucharist is a two-year program beginning in 1st Grade. 1st and 2nd Graders and their families will attend weekly Mass and family sessions. Additionally, these students will use a book and be guided by their parents in completing the weekly Sacramental Preparation at-home assignment. Families will purchase the Sacramental Preparation books directly through a link provided upon registering. As much as possible, First Communion Preparation will also involve specific Sacrament-specific family sessions at the church throughout the year.
Sacramental Preparation for Confirmation is a two-year program beginning in 7th Grade. Lessons by Father Vidal and our catechetical staff will be given both in person (at Family Sessions) and posted via our SK Faith Formation Facebook Page regularly for both 7th and 8th Grades. These students will study the Baltimore Catechism, Volume One, as well as lessons from St. Pope John Paul II's Theology of the Body. As much as possible, Confirmation Preparation will also involve Sacrament-specific family sessions at the church throughout the year.
Please Note: If your child is in grades 8, 9, or 10 and joining us for the first time, please contact Cheryl Wallace, DRE, and a catechetical plan will be arranged for your family.
The Domestic Church
Our bishop, the Most Reverend Bishop Sweeney has expressed the importance of the domestic church. "The family is the domestic church." (Lumen Gentium #11) This means that it is in the family that we first learn who God is and to prayerfully seek His will for us. Please see this wonderful article which uses statistics from studies on all major religions to show how crucial is the parents' example and involvement in the faith formation of each child:
https://aleteia.org/2021/05/21/if-you-want-your-kids-to-stay-catholic-heres-what-matters-most/
Mass and the participation of the faithful in the Eucharist are considered by the Catholic Church the primary means of education in the faith. The Catholic Church also teaches, "Parental involvement in all parish catechetical programs for children is essential." For additional information, visit: https://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/vocations/parents/tools-for-building-a-domestic-church
Our Catholic Faith extends infinitely beyond the weekend Liturgy.-
At the end of Mass, the last words are "Go in peace to love and serve the Lord and one another." In our lessons each week, we will address the needs of our families, our friends, those in our community, and in our world.
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Parents, our children's first catechists, give meaning to the family's faith in how to live and worship every day.
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Together we can effectively guide our children as they grow, learn and face the future by believing, loving, and living the gift of our Faith.
Our parish staff is privileged and honored
to be a part of
your family’s faith journey.
Registration and Calendar for the Year will be available ASAP.
cherylw@saintkateri.org
Phone: 973-729-3021
Dawn Green, Administrative Assistant
dawng@saintkateri.orgPhone:
Office Hours: Tuesday – Thursday