• January 2021 Religious Education Update

  Dear Parishioners: On behalf of the Office of Religious Education, I hope you enjoyed a blessed Christmas and a pleasant New Year. Our team of instructors and I wanted to take a moment to provide with an update on the progress of this year's Religious Education efforts. We are grateful for your continued prayers and support! I am pleased to share that we have approximately 70 students from 30+ families enrolled in the Religious Education program. While our Confirmation candidates gather in-person, the majority of this year's program is facilitated remotely via video conference. The curriculum for our K-8 cohorts is grounded in the renowned program, Be My Disciples by RCL Benzinger. Be My Disciples teaches Scripture, Doctrine, and Liturgical celebration through its balanced and spiral structure, while challenging students to integrate faith and life through activities and faith choices. Instruction for our 9th and 10th grade cohorts is more closely tailored to support the goals of Confirmation catechesis. This includes, but is not limited to, a comprehensive review of key teachings of the Catholic faith, reflections on how we encounter Christ in the sacraments and how to live according to the moral teachings of the Catholic faith. None of what has been accomplished so far would be possible without our dedicated team of volunteer instructors, most of whom have been teaching for several years in a number of capacities, and who are able to integrate diverse approaches and techniques into the curriculum. We are also grateful for the commitment of our Religious Education families who remain diligent about engaging this remote platform and for those who have opted to participate this year via home school learning exclusively. We pray that the Holy Spirit will continue to guide our efforts and reinforce resilience moving forward. Please do not hesitate to contact me at k.oconnell@goodcounselma.com with any questions or comments you may have. Thank you and God Bless. Very Best,   Kevin O'Connell Director of Religious Education OLGC Religious Education Team Jacqueline Leonardo Karen Hennessy Janet Vignaly Kim Fitzpatrick Kevin O'Connell The 2021 Religious Education Calendar is available in .pdf format by clicking here.