The Archdiocese asks that all Kindergarten - 10th grade children receive catechesis every year either from their Catholic School or Catholic Church Parish. In a family formation format (see below), we offer Parish School of Religion for all students in K-10th grade who do not attend Catholic Schools. All families in need of catechesis, please register for our Parish School of Religion (PSR) program for 2023-2024. 

Sacramental Prep

These sessions and parent meetings are for all children receiving their sacraments at St. Catherine of Siena Parish, regardless of the school they attend. These sacramental prep sessions are distinct from the PSR program and must be attended by both PSR and Sacrament Only participants.

If your child is completing their Sacraments at St. Catherine of Siena but is receiving catechesis from a Catholic School or other Church Parish, please register under "Sacraments Only". They will still be required to attend ten sacramental prep sessions listed on the "Sacramental Prep Calendar." Please be sure to check the dates below before registering.

If your child is in 11th grade and wants to make their Confirmation this year, please visit our Confirmation webpage.

This page includes:
- How it Works
- Why Family Led Formation?
- Prayer for Family Life

How it works:
 
Once a month families will come to the Church to learn about the lesson theme for that month. Kindergarten through 5th grade will complete activities in their Catechism classrooms that help introduce the month's teaching, the 6th and 7th grade teens will meet in the CYO Room, and High school teens are invited to join us for our "With Wednesdays" to join a larger group of high school faith community (we meet every Wednesday, and high schoolers in PSR can choose one Wednesday a month to attend). Parents will meet in the Melancon Center for a Parent Meeting to discuss the month's topic and receive support from SCS staff and volunteers for the home lessons. This will equip you, as parents, with the tools, ideas, and support to facilitate the lessons at home with your kids. This time will also allow for community and support between families to continue to grow. We cannot do this on our own. It takes a village to raise a family and teach the faith.

We meet once a month on Monday evenings from 6:00-7:30 pm. Dinner will be provided for all children. Free childcare will be available for any children younger than Kindergarten. We want this to be accesible to the entire family!

Families will receive new parent books and activity books every year that explore different areas of our faith.

Why Family Led Formation?

“Parents have the first responsibility for the education of their children. They bear witness to this responsibility first by creating a home where tenderness, forgiveness, respect, fidelity, and disinterested service are the rule. The home is well suited for education in the virtues.” (CCC, 2223) 

We have seen such a positive response and fruitfulness for our families who have participated in this program these past few years and are continuing to welcome families to participate and grow together in their faith.
 
We believe (and it has been proven in multiple studies) that parents have the single largest impact on their child continuing to live out their faith into adulthood. We want to equip our families with the knowledge and tools to teach the faith more intentionally in the home. This plan allows for families to grow closer to each other and to God with a good balance of classroom-setting lessons and by providing opportunities for the faith to continue within the home.
 
This is a shift from a weekly classroom model for children to a monthly session for parents and children at the church.  At the monthly sessions, parents receive catechesis and guidance based on the monthly theme for the home lessons.  This program’s unique format will draw your family together through the enthusiastic faith of your children.  Its creativity and simple concepts make learning fun, as each lesson is written at an elementary level but with adult level instruction to guide and enhance your teaching.  Parents do not have to be experts in the Faith, just willing to devote about an hour a week to quality family time in sharing the Faith. In the future we hope to be able to offer community building activities for children, social opportunities for families, and service opportunities in the community and at the parish. For now, however we want to focus on this time that we are being given to grow as a family. 

Understanding the busy schedules of today’s families, the weekly lessons at home can be adapted to your own family schedule.  The lessons will provide the backbone for your children’s spiritual formation in these formative years. This comprehensive program not only engages young children, it draws families together, and equips parents to do a first rate job in teaching the Catholic Faith to their children. 

Prayer for Family Life
 

Dear Lord, with Mary and Joseph, you have lived within a family; 
Teach me always to appreciate the precious gift of being part of a family. 
Show me ever new ways to protect and comfort those closest to me, and 
Let me, each day, do something that will say ‘I love you’ without speaking the words. 
But remind me also to frequently say those words. 
 
Let me never part from any member of my family in anger. 
Prompt me always to turn back without delay – to forgive, and be forgiven. 
And let me see your image within each person in my own family, and in my greater family, knowing that in your Kingdom, we will truly be one family, 
United by your sacrifice on the cross. 
Amen.