•                         2021-2022 Religious Education 

  Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish Grades 1, 3 and 4: Sundays 9:30am - 10:20am Grade 2: Sundays 11:30am - 12:20pm Grade 5: Saturdays 3:30pm – 4:20pm Middle School Cohort (Grades 6, 7 and 8): Saturdays 3:30pm – 4:20pm High School Cohort (Grades 9-12): Saturdays 3:30pm – 4:20pm   Thank you for your interest in religious education at Our Lady of Good Counsel. 2021-2022 registration is now closed. Please contact the Director of Religious Education, Kevin O'Connell, with any questions or comments you may have: k.oconnell@goodcounselma.com. Please also review the information below for important details on program tenets, expectations and frequently asked questions. Thank you and God Bless.   Parent/Guardian Collaboration: We believe that parents play an integral role in the moral and faith formation of their students. The example a parent sets is most influential on the spiritual life of their child. A parent's commitment to prayer in the home, regular mass attendance and participation in other aspects of parish life both reaffirms and enriches the instruction offered in the religious education program. Participants should also be aware of the following other program expectations: Communication from the parish and/or the Director regarding religious education news/updates will be primarily disseminated via email but the following other sources should be checked regularly: parish website, parish Facebook page and/or Flocknotes messaging. We take steps to ensure that our COVID-19 related requirements and practices mirror those of West Boylston School District as closely as possible. We have also purchased multiple air purifiers to assist in the reduction of dust, allergens, common odors, airborne bacteria, viruses, and mold spores. High-touch areas are also disinfected regularly and hand sanitizer is available. We urge participants to stay home if they or another household member is ill and/or is a suspected, or actual, COVID-19 close contact.  As it relates to students preparing to receive the Sacraments of First Penance and First Communion, students are eligible only after they have completed at least one full year of religious education, immediately prior to their year of eligibility, unless otherwise specified. For example, students who are eligible to receive the Sacraments of First Penance and First Communion during their 2nd grade will have completed a full year religious education when they were in 1st grade. Students who only just begin religious education during their 2nd grade without the prior year of catechesis are then eligible to receive the sacraments when they are in 3rd grade. Note: Students enrolled in one of the diocese’s Catholic schools may register for 2nd grade sacramental preparation without any previous participation in the parish’s religious education program.  Parents of students preparing to receive the Sacraments of First Penance and First Communion must attend a minimum of two meetings with parish staff throughout the eligibility year and are expected to attend mass every weekend with their First Communicant. As it relates to students preparing to receive the Sacrament Confirmation, candidates from Our Lady of Good Counsel typically receive Confirmation in the fall of their junior year of high school. The next Confirmation preparation program is scheduled to begin in late spring/early summer of 2022 and continue through fall 2022. Eligible students are required to apply for acceptance into the preparation program after completing their sophomore year of high school. Eligible students must have also completed a minimum of one year of parish religious education during the year immediately prior to their entry into the Confirmation preparation program. Note: Students enrolled in one of the diocese’s Catholic high schools are exempt from the prior parish religious education requirement, though they must still apply for entrance into the Confirmation preparation program. Parents of children students to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation must attend a minimum of two meetings with parish staff and are expected to attend mass every weekend with their student candidate.     Kevin O'Connell Director of Religious Education

• 2021-22 Religious Ed Registration Spring Calendar