Office of Religious Education - St. Peter
CCD -Confraternity of Christian Doctrine
Coordinator of Religious Education - Amy Handlon
Assoc. Coordinator of Religious Education - Maryann Foster
Phone: 856-663-4490
Email: stpeterparish.religious.ed@gmail.com
Our office is located in the gym building. Go to the double doors and hit the buzzer.
Family of Faith (CCD) Registration Packets are available at the rectory, in the church, our office or by clicking here!
Family of Faith Religious Education Registration - The Time is Here!
April 21, 2024
Dear St. Peter Parents,
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Greetings to you all! It has been a privilege to serve your families this past year. It has also been a blessing to have an amazing team of devoted and dedicated Catechists and Volunteers supporting our Religious Education program at St. Peter. We are grateful to our parents for your commitment to your child’s religious formation and are so thankful to God for a successful 2023-2024 school year.
We are looking forward to the upcoming 2024-2025 Religious Education school year. A Family of Faith is a whole family catechesis program with a goal to encourage and equip parents to teach and live the Faith at home. Our plan is to give families the knowledge and the tools needed to bring their children up in our Faith. There’s a lot more flexibility in A Family of Faith than in a traditional religious education program. Parents determine when to do the lessons at home, on your family’s schedule, and at your child’s level. There are also activities to help make the Catholic faith a part of your family’s daily life. Sacrament preparation is included in this program. This program runs from September to May.
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Parents (and/or guardians) and children in Grades K to 6th meet two Sunday mornings a month, offering hospitality at 8:45am. Class will be from 9:00am to 10:15am. Families are invited to attend the 10:30am Mass. Parents or guardians will attend catechism in Pastor's Hall while the children will be with their grade level catechists at our school. There will be some community classes where the whole family will be in Pastor's Hall.
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For Confirmation preparation, 7th and 8th grade students meet weekly on Sundays from 9:30-10:30am and are asked to attend the 10:30am Mass. Parents are welcome to meet them at 10:30am Mass.
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A calendar for the year will be provided to our registered families prior to the first class.
Registration Forms – due July 31st
Options to submit your registration forms are as follows:
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Mail in hard copy forms and payment in the envelope provided
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Drop off hard copy forms to the rectory at any time using the mail slot by the door
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Scan your forms and email to stpeterparish.religious.ed@gmail.com
Tuition fees are shown at the top of the registration forms. If you should require it, please do not hesitate to request a tuition waiver form.
Blessings!
Amy Handlon, Coordinator Religious Education, St. Peter
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IMPORTANT: All families with 1st – 8th grade children are required to register with our program unless they attend St. Peter School or another Catholic school.
Reception of First Holy Communion and Confirmation require 2 years of Sacramental Preparation
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For First Holy Communion, children normally prepare for this Sacrament during 1st and 2nd grade years of faith formation
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For Confirmation, children normally prepare for this Sacrament during 7th & 8th grade years of faith formation
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Missing the 3rd – 6th years of faith formation will require makeup work before proceeding onto Confirmation preparation
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Volunteers needed to join this important ministry:
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Catechists
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Hospitality for Family of Faith program
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Adult Babysitters for Family of Faith program
Volunteers enjoy a partial waiver on their children’s tuition.
Hard copy packets are available in the R.E. office, the rectory, in church and are also accessible on www.saintpetermerchantville.com/religious-education
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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION TUITION
One Child - $150
Two or more Children - $200
ADDITIONAL FEES:
• For Grade 2 please add Sacramental Prep fee of $75
• For Grade 8 please add Sacramental Prep fee of $75
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• Returning families registering after July 31st should include a $25 registration late fee
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• If you would like to request a partial or full tuition waiver, please request a form as soon as possible.
For students entering 1st grade and transfer students, please provide a copy of his/her baptismal certificate if not baptized at St. Peter
OVERVIEW
The Religious Education Program, through its staff and volunteers, fosters the faith formation of children from age 4 through 14, typically in grades K through 8. Sacramental preparation is an important focus of the Grade 2 Program (First Reconciliation & First Communion) and Grade 8 Program (Confirmation).
WHAT IS CATECHESIS?
The Catechism of the Catholic Church reflects the insights of Pope John Paul II's encyclical Catechesi Tradendae when it states that catechesis is "the totality of the Church's efforts to make disciples, to help men 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, thus building up the body of Christ" (#4).
More specifically, the Catechism goes on to say that catechesis "is an education in the faith of children, young people, and adults which includes especially the teaching of Christian doctrine imparted, generally speaking, in an organic and systematic way, with a view to initiating the hearers into the fullness of Christian life" (#5).
WHAT IS A CATECHIST?
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The Catechist is a person of faith who leads others in understanding the faith teachings according to the official teachings of the Church, the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The role of the catechist is a vital ministry to the Church. It is a gift that has tremendous value to the world community at large because through the catechist’s word and action, the message of Christ continues to have a place in all human affairs.
INTERESTED in learning more about being a catechist?
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If you are interested in becoming a Catechist or participating in the Religious Education Program, please email stpeterparish.religious.ed@gmail.com or call Amy or Maryann at (856) 663-4490