December 31, 2017 - "Parish Programs for Children"

One of the things that I love to do during the Advent and Christmas season is to go to Christmas plays, concerts, and other activities that children put on for their parents, grandparents, and the wider community.  I was invited to a Nativity play that was put on by our students in our Preschool/Kindergarten program that is held on Sundays from 11:10 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.  Everyone participated, and it was delightful.  When I mentioned this to some parishioners, they were surprised to hear that we have a program for pre-school children.  For that reason I thought that I would write about that today.  Children must be 3 or 4 by September 1 to be eligible to participate.  Classes began on September 17 and will continue until May 7.  The complete schedule is available on the parish website ( www.sfadw.org).  Our Religious Education staff is happy to accept mid-year registrations.
 
Our parish Religious Education and Youth Ministry Programs follow the curriculum guidelines of the Archdiocese of Washington, Forming Disciples for the New Evangelization.  Parent guides for this curriculum can be found at:  adw.org/forming-disciples/. The Child Protection Policy of the Archdiocese also outlines expectations regarding educational curriculum that must be presented on an annual basis to children and youth in our religious education programs.  This content is incorporated into the curriculum of our Religious Education and Youth Ministry programs and taught each year.
 
I think that it might good to review with everyone the mission statement of our parish Religious Education Program.  Together we share the hopes that children:
 
· Experience a personal relationship with Jesus and know that they are God’s special and unique creation.
· Realize that they are immensely and unconditionally loved by God and that the Trinity dwells in them.
· Understand that they are made to live in community, and have a responsibility to live moral lives, and to also continue Jesus’ mission by communicating God’s love to others.
 
Our Religious Education program curriculum is designed to be taught in sequence and each year builds on the content presented in previous years.  Therefore, children are expected to participate in Religious Education each year and attend classes regularly.  The textbook used in our parish program include:
 
· Pre-K (age 3):  God Made Me (Loyola Press)
· Pre-K (age 4):  God Made the World (Loyola Press)
· Kindergarten:  God Loves Us (Loyola Press)
 
The final thing that I want to cover today would be the roles and responsibilities of parents in this process of faith formation of our children.  In the Rite of Baptism, parents accept the responsibility of training their child in the practice of the faith.  At the same time, we pray for parents that as the first teachers of their children, they will also be “. . . the best of teachers, bearing witness to the faith by what they say and do . . .” (Final Blessing in the Rite of Baptism for Children).  Parish catechetical programs serve and support the parent’s primary role in their child’s faith formation.  Indeed, parenting offers many opportunities to teach by word and example in and through the circumstances of daily life.  Parents exercise their responsibility for their child’s faith formation by their efforts at home and with the parish community as they bring their children to Sunday Mass, provide for their religious education, and present their children for sacraments at the appropriate times.
 
In my column next week I will discuss suggested activities the parents can do at home to strengthen the knowledge of the Faith.
 
Happy New Year!
 
Fr. John Dillon