I am very excited to begin this new Faith Formation year with you and your family! This summer I was blessed to work with some of our children and young people in the Summer Intensive Faith Formation Program and Summer Bible School. The joy and prayerfulness I experienced was so beautiful. I look forward to meeting all of our families as our classes begin this month!
Our theme for this year is Marching with the Saints. Our catechists will be talking with the children/young people about the Saints, and the children will be renaming classrooms 3-10 with a Saint’s name by November 1st – All Saints Day!
Enclosed is the 2024-2025 Faith Formation Important Dates. Please mark your calendar and refer to it throughout the school year. The Class Schedules for Grades 1-10 are posted on the Class Schedules/Curriculum page of the Faith Formation website. They are not included in this mailing. Students are expected to attend all classes unless there is a serious reason for being absent.
Classes begin on the following dates: Sunday, September 15 Grade 10 9:30am-12:15pm Monday, September 16 Grade 8 6:00pm-7:30pm Tuesday, September 17 Grades 6 & 7 6:00pm-7:30pm Wednesday, September 18 Grade 9 6:00pm-7:15pm Saturday, September 21 Grades 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5 9:00am-10:30am Monday, September 23 Grades 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5 4:30pm-5:45pm Monday, September 23 Grades 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5 6:00pm-7:30pm
Confirmation Parent & Teen Information Meeting - Thursday, September 19 at 7:00pm
Parents and guardians are the primary catechists/teachers of the faith. Our Bishops and diocese are encouraging us to involve the entire family in Faith Formation as much as possible. Below are the additions which are included on the Important Dates sheet and Class Schedules.
Advent Wreath Making in November for grades 1-5 during their regular class time. At least one parent attends.
Faith Fest (family faith gathering) in March – families may attend 1 of 2 dates (for grades 1-5.) At least one parent attends.
Parent Student/Teen Workshops for grades 6-10, offered on 2 different dates to accommodate (hopefully!) busy family schedules.
Short 30-minute Parent Meeting for Grades 4 and 5 are also on the schedule for this year.
Please note all of the above dates on the Class Schedules.
As part of our mission to accompany families, this year’s high school schedule includes make-up class sessions. For our 9th Graders these are noted on the schedule for the Sunday morning sessions from January through April. For our 10th Graders these are noted for the Confirmation Preparation Sunday morning sessions from January through April.
Our Edge Program for Grades 6, 7 and 8 is moving to a Three-Year-Curriculum Cycle. So, both the Monday and Tuesday night Edge Nights will be covering the same topic this year. If your 6th, 7th or 8th grader cannot make their scheduled night, then they may attend the opposite night that week. While offering these options may seem confusing, the goal is to facilitate our young people’s participation in faith formation.
I am so grateful to you for sharing your family’s faith journey with our parish community. Your family’s presence and participation are a sign of hope for all of us at St. Gabriel’s. Please remember that as you bring your family to Mass each week, especially when your children/young people may not be overly excited to attend on a given weekend. That may not be the case with your family, but I do recall my own children, especially as they got older, rebelling a bit about going to Mass. Eucharist is the core of who we are as Catholics, which is why our weekly Mass participation is so critical.
Please reach out with questions/concerns - #668-2070. Flocknotes work great too. You may text GABES to 84576 to be added to our Flocknotes to receive both text messages and emails. We are here to be of service to all families.
In Christ’s Peace, Denise York, M.Th. Faith Formation Director