Far more than just another “program,” the St. John Eudes Children’s Ministry Parish Religious Education Program is an essential part of parish life. In its broadest terms, religious education (or catechesis) can be defined as the ministry of the Church to make disciples, to help people to believe that Jesus is the Son of God, so that believing they might have life in his name, and to educate and instruct them in this life and thus build up the Body of Christ.

At St. John Eudes, our catechetical programs for children presume and build on regular, active participation in the liturgical life of the parish. Worship, in particular the Sunday Eucharist, has from the beginning been the fundamental context in which the faith of the Church is nurtured, stimulated and deepened.

To be catechized means first and foremost to "hear the Word" in the liturgical assembly and to reflect on that word in ways appropriate to one's age and experience. As a parish we are committed to providing lifelong learning in religious education with programs from preschoolers through adults. Our goal is to provide a unified program which connects life with faith while integrating spiritual, intellectual, personal and social experiences.

With regard to children we view the family as the primary educator and, therefore, parental involvement is integral to all levels of children's religious education and sacramental preparation. We see education as a lifelong vocation and, therefore, strive to provide opportunities for adult learning which are interesting, interactive and respectful of the different pedagogy required when dealing with adults.

The following links will direct you to additional information on our programs:

V      Early Childhood Catechesis/Preschool

V      Kindergarten

V      Elementary Catechesis

V      Sacramental PREP

V      Summer PREP

V      Club 345 (Post Sacrament, Grades 3, 4 & 5)

V      Sacred Heart Club (Post Sacrament, Grades 6, 7 & 8)

 

Early Childhood Catechesis/Preschool

The Los Angeles Archdiocese philosophy of Early Childhood Faith Development is the foundation upon which our program is built.  From the website:

Early Childhood Faith Formation is the process by which young children come to know God. Early Childhood Faith Formation is based on developing the child's awareness of God using life experiences relevant to the developmental level of the young child (age 3-5). The child at this young age is able to relate to the care and love of God through self identity, nature and the love of others.

Early childhood is a time of allowing children to experience God in concrete ways through what they can see, touch, taste, hear and smell. The themes that are used to teach these concepts include: self-esteem, family, friends, community, senses, animate objects (animals, plants, fish, birds), inanimate objects (wind, air, light, earth), new life and various celebrations.

These themes provide the opportunity for the children to experience God's wonderful world. The experiences lay the foundations upon which faith can grow. Our purpose then, in early childhood, is to awaken the child's faith, provide a strong foundation on which children can grow in the love of God, help children learn how God's love is reflected in their everyday experiences, and through reflection on experiences in God's world, initiate a spontaneous prayer life.

Your child will experience God every Sunday and will come to know His love through gentle guidance and loving prayer.  Kids will see, hear, taste, touch, and smell their way through the beauty of God’s creation.  In doing so, they will begin their lifelong journey of faith immersed in the loving gifts of the Holy Spirit.  Each class session is entirely experiential and includes stories, crafts, music and movement, and, of course, prayer!

Our classes meet Sundays from 9:00 am to 10:00 am in the St. John Eudes School classrooms.  Please stop by the Children’s Ministry Office to tour our classes, meet our catechists, and witness the seeds of faith being planted in the children of our parish.

Our textbook series:  Christ Our Life by Loyola Press.

 

Kindergarten

The newest addition to our program, the Kindergarten classes provides children who are ready to move beyond the Preschool setting.  For many children, this will be the first year of “serious” catechetical instruction as they prepare to enter the Sacramental Preparation Program.

While this year is not required for enrollment in our Sacramental Preparation Program, we highly recommend enrolling your child if he or she has not attended at least two years of our Early Childhood/Preschool Program.  Our goal in adding this to our program is twofold.  First of all, it is our prayer that this year will provide a place for children whose families have witnessed signs of conversion in them an age-appropriate introduction to the very basics of our faith.  Secondly, there are children who have graduated from our Early Childhood program who are not quite ready to enter our Sacramental Preparation Program.

Whatever your reason, we do hope you will seek the Lord’s guidance in determining if this class fulfills a need for your family.  Our Kindergarten classes start in September of this year and will take place on Sundays from 9:00 am to 10:00 am in the St. John Eudes School classrooms.

Our textbook series:  Call to Faith by Harcourt Religion Publishers.

Elementary Catechesis

Catechesis during childhood (ages 6-11) depends largely on the child's experience in his or her relationship with others. The child's immediate environment, normally the home, remains the child's main experience of this lived relationship to God. But also, the support of a larger community becomes highly important to formation in faith and its absence becomes a serious matter. Catechesis seeks to help children make an increasingly personal response to God's word and gifts. Catechesis approaches young persons with reverence and aids them in discovering and developing their unique, God-given gifts with the help of the Gospel. (NCD #178)

Our primary textbook series for Grades 1-5 including Sacramental Preparation:  Finding God by Loyola Press.

Sacramental PREP

As children move through the faith formation process in the Parish Religious Education Program, they are prepared to receive the sacraments of Baptism (if they were not baptized as infants), Reconciliation (Penance or Confession), and Eucharist (Communion).  Per Archdiocesan Guidelines, children may begin their first year in the two year process when they are in the 1^st grade.

Readiness to receive these Sacraments of Initiation is determined by a discernment process during the required two year process, based on standards set by the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.  This discernment process involves active participation by parents/guardian, the catechists (teachers of our faith), the Director of Children’s Ministry, and our Pastor.  Together we help to prepare the children in making the choice of committing themselves to become followers of Christ.

Every effort is made in our program to involve parents/guardians in the preparation and activity of their child/ren while preparing to receive these most important Sacraments.  The Sacraments of First Reconciliation and First Eucharist are means by which the Faith of these children can grow and develop.  Parents play a vital and essential role in the educational as well as the formational aspects of these sacraments.  Parents are asked and expected to become involved with the catechetical program by attending all mandatory meetings, programs, and retreats.  So too, parents are especially encouraged to attend mass with their child/ren each and every week.   The student and families are asked to participate in at least one Whole Community Assembly during both years.

To learn more about the preparation for children to receive the Sacraments of Reconciliation or Eucharist, click on the appropriate link – Reconciliation or Eucharist.

  First Reconciliation

The initiation of children into the sacramental life of the Church is primarily the responsibility and concern of parents (CIC 890, RC 3). Although the child has reached the age of reason at the time of preparation for First Reconciliation, they have not yet been fully initiated. They lack the strength to be an official witness and disciple of Jesus Christ. Parents must assist their child in the life of holiness.

For an individual to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation, the following requirements are to be observed:

V      must be baptized

V      must be Catholic (except as noted in Can. 844§ 2, 3 and 4) (children baptized in another church should be in the RCIA process for children)

V      must be properly instructed to receive the sacrament

V      must be in 2^nd grade or higher

V      must have the intention of receiving the sacrament

 

First Eucharist

For a child to receive the Sacrament of First Eucharist in the Diocese of Los Angeles, the following requirements are to be observed:

V      must be baptized

V      must be Catholic (except as noted in Can. 844℘2, 3 and 4) (children baptized in another church should be in the RCIA process for children)

V      must have made their First Reconciliation and be in the second grade or higher

V      must have sufficient knowledge and be accurately prepared to receive the sacrament

V      must have the intention of receiving the sacrament

V      must be free from grave sin

V      must have abstained for at least one hour

 

Summer PREP

For some families, the traditional weekly PREP is simply not an option.  Whether because of distance, lack of transportation, work schedules, or other family commitments, they are not able to bring their children to class.

Summer PREP, started in 2005, is the answer to that problem for many families.  For two, intensive weeks during the summer, children fulfill the instructional requirement of our program.  Of course, there are other requirements that must be met over the course of the year (i.e., parent meetings, retreats, Whole Community Assemblies) in order to satisfactorily complete either the first or second year requirements.

We use Call to Faith by Harcourt Religion Publishers.  Our schedule is slightly based on a Vacation Bible School model.  A sample schedule follows:

9:00 - 9:20	MORNING ASSEMBLY
9:25 - 10:10	Class Time A
10:15 - 10:30	SNACK
10:35 – 11:20	Class Time B
11:25 - 11:40	CRAFTS
11:45- 12:30	LUNCH & FREE PLAY
12:35- 1:20	Class Time C
1:25 - 1:45	AFTERNOON ASSEMBLY
1:50 - 2:00	WRAP-UP & CLEAN-UP

For more information on this program, download a Registration Packet from the Forms section.

Post Sacramental Faith Formation

What does faith formation look like post-sacraments?  You are not done (until it’s time for Confirmation) after you receive the Sacraments of Reconciliation and Eucharist.  That’s just the beginning!

We’ve thrown out the traditional “classroom model” and have adopted a casual, kid-friendly approach to continuing faith formation.  Not only will their faith continue to mature, they will experience fellowship and discipleship in ways that are fun, engaging, and catechetically sound.

Drop by Club 345 (Sundays after Mass in the Grill Hall) or MidPoint (Wednesday nights at 7pm in the Old Parish Hall) and take a look at the exciting things we are doing to keep faith alive in our older children.  You’ll be pleasantly surprised and may want to join in the discussion yourself.