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Grades 1-12 Religious Education

- Faith Formation

Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish
Religious Education Program

2023-2024 Religious Education Registration is Now Open!
(Click on the "Documents" tab for Registration Form and FA 23 Calendar)

Grades 1-4: Sundays 9:30am - 10:20am
Grades 5-12: Saturdays 3:30pm – 4:20pm

Parent/Guardian Collaboration: Thank you for your interest in, and commitment to, religious education. We believe that parents play an integral role in the moral and faith formation of our students and no one can replace the influence that a parent's example has on the spiritual life of a child. By taking time to pray, attend mass regularly, and participate in other aspects of parish life, parents can both reaffirm and enrich other forms of instruction. In completing a registration form and enrolling a child in the program, the parent understands and acknowledges the following:
- Official communication regarding religious education news/updates is disseminated primarily via email but the following other sources should be checked regularly: parish website, Facebook page and Flocknotes messaging.
- Important information regarding sacramental preparation (namely, First Penance, First Holy Communion and Confirmation), related eligibility criteria and requirements is provided below. Interested families are encouraged to review these details before submitting their registration form.
*Please contact Kevin O'Connell, Director of Religious Education, at [email protected] with any questions or concerns!*

1. Is there a Zoom/remote option offered this year?

There is no video-facilitated program offered at this time. All classes are scheduled to occur downstairs at the parish hall. Specifically, in partitioned classrooms, with spaces in the Church and rectory utilized as appropriate.

2. If my child is not available during the regularly scheduled meeting day/time, does this mean he/she cannot participate in the program?
No, of course not. It is widely accepted that family members serve as the primary catechists for their student. Some families opt to participate via home school learning exclusively and this is perfectly acceptable. We are available to provide as-needed guidance and support for students and parents who choose home school learning. That being noted, if your student is preparing to receive a sacrament while participating via home school learning exclusively, the parent is required to contact the Director of Religious Education, Kevin O’Connell, upon submitting their registration form. A mutually agreed upon plan of action will need to be created, with regular check-ins and assessments completed as appropriate. This is to ensure that the student is appropriately catechized, in accordance with established sacramental guidelines and standards.

3. What should parents know about the check-in/check-out process when classes are held?
There is no formal check-in process and class attendance is recorded. Students in Saturday classes (grades 5+) are released from the parish hall at the end of class and may meet their parent(s)/guardian(s) upstairs in the chapel or parking lot. If a parent/guardian would prefer that their Saturday student remain in the parish hall to be signed out, please email the Director. Students in Sunday classes (grades 1-4) must be picked up downstairs in the parish hall and signed out. These students will only be released to the parent(s)/guardian(s) specified on the registration form – unless previously arranged in writing with the Director.

4. What information is available for parents/guardians who want to learn more about their child preparing for the Sacraments of First Penance and First Communion (FP/FC)?
Most of our students receve these sacraments in 2nd or 3rd grade. Students are eligible for FP/FC sacramental preparation only after they have already completed one year of religious education, immediately prior to the preparation year. The preparation year may be as early as 2nd grade, with these sacraments being conferred in the spring of the child’s 2nd grade. Therefore, this usually means a full year of 1st-grade religious education is required before the student’s 2nd-grade preparation year. Students who only first join the program in 2nd grade without a prior year of catechesis would then consider their sacramental preparation year to be the 3rd grade. Students enrolled in one of the diocese’s Catholic schools may register and prepare for 2nd-grade sacramental preparation without any previous participation in the parish’s religious education program.

Parents of children preparing to receive First Penance and First Communion must attend a minimum of two meetings with parish staff throughout the preparation year (again, this is usually 2nd or 3rd grade), are expected to attend mass every weekend with their First Communicant and must respond to all correspondence in a timely manner. All second and third grade students are expected to participate in the liturgy on selected dates, as altar servers, or in presenting the gifts during mass.

5. What information is available for high school-aged students and parents who want to learn more about preparations for the Sacrament of Confirmation?
Confirmandi at Our Lady of Good Counsel typically receive this Sacrament in the late fall of their junior year of high school. Accordingly, the next Confirmation preparation program will begin in the late fall of 2023 and continue through the fall of 2024. Eligible students are at least high school sophomores by fall 2023 and must have completed a minimum of one year of religious education in the high school cohort during the year immediately prior to the preparation program or be enrolled in one of the diocese’s Catholic high schools.

Parents of students preparing to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation must attend a minimum of two meetings with parish staff throughout the preparation program, are expected to attend mass every weekend with their student, and must respond to all correspondence in a timely manner. Confirmandi are expected to participate in the liturgy on selected dates, as altar servers or lectors, and will complete service, coupled with selected coursework.