KINDERGARTEN
Class is offered from 10:10am to 11:15am on designated Sunday mornings or 5:10pm to 6:15pm on designated Wednesdays. Registration is limited to sixteen children, and a waiting list will be established should there be additional interest. Children continue to explore God's world and God's special gift of Jesus. Children must be five by September 1st.
ELEMENTARY AND JUNIOR HIGH GRADES
Our catechetical program for children in public schools (grades one through eight) meets on designated Sunday mornings from 10:10am to 11:15am in the Grade School and Parish Administration Buildings or 5:10 to 6:15pm on designated Wednesdays. The Blest Are We series we use is the same text used at IC Grade School. The program emphasizes God's goodness and presence. It aims to bring students to a joyful awareness that Jesus is the Savior who, through the Spirit, leads them to the Father. It encourages an ever-deepening relationship with Jesus Christ and with the Church community, leading to commitment and to the fullness of Christian life.
SACRAMENTAL PREPARATION PROGRAMS
Children receive the Sacraments of Reconciliation and First Eucharist in the second grade, and Confirmation in the eighth grade. Parents must attend a sacramental preparation meeting at which a presentation is made on the theology of the sacrament, the preparation program, the involvement of the families, etc.
Special sessions will be arranged for students who have not been prepared for Reconciliation or Eucharist and are older than the second grade, or students who have not been confirmed and are older than eighth grade. Please notify the Religious Education Office in these cases. STUDENTS MUST BE CURRENTLY ENROLLED AND ACTIVE IN A SECOND CONSECUTIVE YEAR OF FORMAL RELIGION CLASSES TO BE ADMITTED TO THE SACRAMENTS.
IC RE CURRICULUM
The BLEST ARE WE series used in our program is a spiral curriculum built on the four pillars of the catechism and will be used in grades 1 through 8. For information and parent activities: www.blestarewe.com.
- The first pillar is “What Catholics believe” which includes our beliefs and our Catholic heritage.
- The second pillar is “How Catholics worship.” This covers liturgy and includes feasts and seasons of the Church.
- The third pillar is “How Catholics live.” This includes morality and Christian service.
- The fourth pillar is “How Catholics pray.” This covers prayer and prayer celebrations.
Grade Level Goals
Grade One: The children will come to know that God is present in their lives and in the community. They will become aware of Jesus Christ present in the Eucharist and learn to thank Him in prayer, song, and through creative expression.
Grade Two: The children will come to know and understand God’s love and forgiveness. They will enter into the community of the Church to celebrate God in Word and Sacrament, through the sacraments of Reconciliation and Eucharist.
Grade Three: The children will come to understand the way in which the Good News is spread to others; they will begin to recognize the mission of the Catholic Church and will have opportunities to serve others.
Grade Four:
Children will learn God’s law of love. The children will strive to imitate Christ in their actions toward others. They will begin to learn about the moral teachings of the church and how to live a Christian moral life through a life of prayer, lived in love and forgiveness, service towards others and guided by the Church and nourished by the grace of sacraments.
Grade Five: Children will learn about the Seven Sacraments and that they are able to see God in others and in themselves. They will be introduced to the concept of living a life of virtue, free from sin.
Grade Six: Students will become familiar with the Bible as the book that contains our “family story of faith.” They will come to understand the place of the Word of God in their lives, with special emphasis on the Hebrew Scriptures (the Old Testament).
Grade Seven: The students will have formal catechesis on the life of Jesus and His teachings, with focus on the Christian Scriptures (the New Testament). They will study their faith in relation to Jesus’ divinity.
Grade Eight: The students will study the history of the Catholic Church. They will prepare for the Sacrament of Confirmation.
PRAYERS AND PRACTICES
Catholic prayers and practices will be studied every year as part of the course of study. Parents are asked to work with the students each year so that they can memorize the prayers.
Catholic prayers are studied every year as part of the course material. Parents are asked to work with the students each year so that they can memorize the prayers.
Grade 1 Prayers: Sign of the Cross, Our Father, Glory Be, Hail Mary
Grade 2 Prayers: All prayers learned in grade 1 plus Act of Sorrow
Grade 3 Prayers: All prayers learned in grades 1-2 plus the Apostles Creed
Grade 4 Prayers: All prayers learned in grades 1-3, plus Hail Holy Queen
Grade 5 Prayers: All prayers in grades 1-4 plus Memorare
Grade 6 Prayers: All prayers in grades 1-5 and Ten Commandments
Grade 7 Prayers: All prayers in grades 1-5 and Beatitudes
Grade 8 Prayers: All prayers in grades 1-5 and Nicene Creed
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