As another year of Religious Education closes, we open up registration for our upcoming year 2011-2012.
Please return all forms and payment by June 15, 2011.
Religious Ed Signup Form – Click to Download
Through catechist surveys and informally asking parents how the new schedule for Rel. Ed. worked for them this year, we have found that things worked fairly well. We will keep mass and class time schedules the same. The only change will be that all 9th grade classes will meet on Sunday evenings. We are making this change because they will be using the Horizon curriculum, which has been used in the past, and is still used for grades 10 and 11. Classes for grades 9-11 will be two hours, 6:30-8:30 PM.
We will not have online registration this year because we are upgrading to new software. This upgrade will save us money and allow us to run more efficiently over time. We ask that you mail in or drop off your registration forms along with your payment, in the form of a check, made payable to St. Matthew the Apostle Parish no later than the due date of JUNE 15TH . The sooner we receive the registrations the faster we can get our new software up and running. We are grateful for your cooperation in this manner.
Pre-K and Kindergarten – as of now we have one Kindergarten catechist committed to Sunday mornings at 8:30 AM. If more people make the commitment to be a catechist, then we will be able to offer Pre-K and Kindergarten at other times. If you are interested in teaching this age group, please contact the Rel. Ed. Office.
In order to develop a strong foundation for their faith, our young people need to participate regularly in their faith formation classes and masses and must consistently attend classes and retreats. Please choose class times accordingly.
As in all aspects of raising our children we try to model the behavior we would like our children to aspire to. The same type of modeling happens with our faith. If you attend mass regularly, if you pray in front of your children and with your children, if you make Religious Education a priority, then you are modeling an attitude that speaks loud and clear that your faith is important to you with the hope and prayer that importance will rub off on your children.
The Religious Education Office has an open door policy. If we can assist you in any way, please let us know.
Sincerely in Christ,
Mary Ramsden, DRE
Youth Minister
Volunteer to be a Catechist
Being a catechist is a rewarding experience as you journey alongside St. Matthew’s younger parishioners. We ask that you help the parish by teaching in one of our programs. This year we need over 130 catechists. As you can see, it “takes a village” to raise our children in their faith. Please prayerfully consider teaching when registering your children. We cannot assign children to classrooms until we have two teachers to volunteer for a particular class. Catechist training, enrichment and support are offered throughout the year. If you have questions about teaching, please call the office. We would love to talk with you about being a catechist and could put you in touch with one or several catechists who can offer you their insights on this vibrant ministry in our parish. We need your help in order to accomplish all that we do and keep our costs as low as possible. You will be setting a great example for your children by showing them the importance their faith journey has in your life.
