Youth Faith Formation
2023-2024 Faith Formation Registration
Classes for the 2023 – 2024 year are listed below:
PreK – 9th grade: First class is 9/27/23 Confirmation Orientation (10th -12th grade) starts is 9/13/23 and Discipleship classes 10/4/23
Together as One Faith Formation is a place where Families Belong! Our Pre-K to 9th graders meet from 6:00 – 7:30pm most Wednesdays during the school year, offering a Community meal from 5:00-6:00pm so you have one less thing to worry about. Just grab the family, come over to St. Peters, eat together, then we meet in the sanctuary of the church from 6:00-6:15pm for our family rally before kids are sent with their teachers to each of their classes, where they will learn about our faith and most of all, develop and deepen a relationship with our friend and Savior, Jesus.
Adults can participate in a number of faith-building activities while students are in class, and will have the opportunity to provide input as to what they would like to see. The opportunities for spiritual growth for adults abound – just click the button below for more information.
Pre-K thru 9th grade Wednesday night Program
Pre-K through 3rd graders will experience our Catechesis of the Good Shepherd classrooms. Catechesis of The Good Shephard (CGS), is a program for students age 4 – grade 3 and helps children enter into a relationship with God. CGS takes place in a room called the “Atrium”. This is what the entrance space in Basilicas was called in ancient times. The Atrium is “more like a church than a classroom.” Children become acquainted with the historical character of the liturgy through the events of the Last Supper, Christ’s death, and His resurrection.
The 3-6-year-old child is particularly capable of receiving and enjoying the most essential elements of our faith—the announcement of God’s love especially experienced through Jesus, the Good Shepherd, who died and is risen. Materials on the life of Jesus Christ and his teachings help to make the mystery of God concrete for the child. The heart of the catechesis for children under six revolves around the Parable of the Good Shepherd. Jesus announces that he is the Good Shepherd who calls each one by name. The sheep listen to the voice of the Shepherd and follow him.
The elementary age child is captured by the image of the True Vine. “I am the vine, you are the branches, whoever remains in me, and I in him, will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing.” The proclamation responds to the deep need of these children to better know his or her relationship with God, family, friends, and the larger community. The elementary children see the parts of the Mass—the Liturgy of the Word, the Preparation of the Gifts, the Eucharistic Prayer, and Communion—as one unified prayer made of many smaller prayers. Children prepare for the celebration of First Communion through a series of communion meditations focusing on their relationship with Jesus.
Our 5th – 9th graders receive education in the Faith through stories from the Bible, be enriched with the tradition of our Catholic faith through an understanding of salvation history and deeper understanding of the sacraments. They delve into the particular ways to use the Bible as a resource to find the stories, prayers and lessons it teaches that make it a life resource. They move through the beginning prayers, moral teachings of the Catholic Church, Catholic Tradition and continually deepen their relationship with Jesus Christ, the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Saints, Angels and other Holy people. In their final preparation before Confirmation, they will:
- Get trained in Theology of the Body – an understanding of who they are and who they were created to be: relational human beings that were created to love and be loved, and how to develop virtue and truly discern our vocation as they move into young adulthood.
- Develop a deeper understanding of what prayer is, get exposed to many different ways to pray and develop their own prayer life.
- Get a full breakdown of the Mass and its meaning – why we do what we do and what it all means! They will never look at mass the same way again after going through this training.
High school Confirmation Program
Our 10th – 12th Confirmation students learn how to live as disciples of Christ and participate in the life, mission, sacred mysteries and work of the Catholic Church. With a firm understanding of the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit, students immerse themselves in the Catholic faith, and learn to live lives of purpose and love and witness of the faith. Our goal is to foster the total personal and spiritual growth of each young person through a variety of contemplative and active experiences. Through active reflection on Christian service and the lives of the saints, students learn how to live out their faith as they prepare to receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit at Confirmation. Classes are for a one year and students who complete all the requirements and preparation will receive the sacrament in the spring.
Summer Programs
We also offer special summer programs – Totus Tuus & Vacation Bible School!
Totus Tuus (“Totally Yours”) is for kids in grades 1-12. It is a Catholic summer youth program dedicated to sharing the Gospel and promoting the Catholic Faith through catechesis, evangelization, Christian witness and Eucharistic worship. The goal of Totus Tuus is to help young people grow in the understanding of, and strengthen their faith in Jesus Christ. It is only by establishing a real and personal relationship with Him that we can be led to love of the Father in the Spirit and so be made sharers in the life of the Holy Trinity.
VBS is for kids from age 3 (by Sept 1, 2021) to grade 6. Youth grade 7 and above are invited to join as group aides and guides. Kids participate in memorable Bible-learning activities, sing catchy songs, play teamwork-building games, make and devour yummy treats, experience one-of-a-kind Bible Adventures. Plus, kids will learn to look for evidence of God all around them through something called God Sightings. Each day concludes getting everyone involved in living what they’ve learned.