I hope you had a wonderful summer vacation and made more memories with your family. Thank you for including St. Gabriel’s parish in your family’s faith journey and registering for our Faith Formation program.
Our theme for this year is Pilgrims of Hope. That is the theme of our Jubilee Year which ends on January 6, 2026. Our catechists will include teaching/activities about the Jubilee Year in their class sessions.
Enclosed is the 2025-2026 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.
Confirmation Parent & Teen Information Meeting - Wednesday, September 17 at 7:00pm
Once again, our Grade 6th, 7th & 8th graders may come to class on either Monday or Tuesday evenings. Our move to a Three-Year-Curriculum-Cycle last year allowed us to offer this option which has helped accommodate their busy schedules. The one change this year is that the Tuesday night session will take place at Queen of Heaven, 839 Mill Rd., West Seneca in the Church Hall. This change is part of our transition into Blessed Family 7.
Home Study Materials may be picked up on the following dates: Tue., Sept. 23rd 3:00pm-6:00pm Thur., Sept. 25th 3:00pm-8:00pm Parents may come at any time during those hours on the two dates to the Parish Center to pick up the materials. You may want to bring your spring calendar because singing up for a Home Study Material Return Appointment in May/June takes place at that time. It is a 30 minute appointment that both the parent and child/young person attends to go over the material that was covered during the year. 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 sessions that include at least one parent attending, and these are included on the Important Dates sheet (enclosed) and Class Schedules (online.)
Faith Fest (family faith gathering) in November and 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, our high school schedule includes make-up class sessions. For our 9th Grade/Journey to Confirmation 1 youth these are noted on the schedule for the Sunday morning sessions from January through April. For our 10th Grade/Journey to Confirmation 2 youth these are noted for the Confirmation Preparation Sunday morning sessions from January through April. If a 9th Grade/Journey to Confirmation 1 youth misses 3 or more of the fall Wednesday night sessions, a make-up session is offered on Sat., Jan. 10th from 11:30am-1:30pm. A second make-up opportunity will be offered during the February break week too.
In June our parish and Blessed Family 7 welcomed Sandy Schneider as our Faith Formation Administrative Assistant. She is a wonderful lady with years of office experience including working for the Buffalo Bills, and she’s a member of our parish. Her smile and good sense of humor help to make our parish a welcoming place. Please feel free to introduce yourself to her when you come to Faith Formation.
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.
May God continue to bless you and your family!
In Christ’s Peace, Denise York, M.Th. Faith Formation Director