Religious Education

Philosophy
Our parish program of Religious Education sees as its primary duty the task and privilege of teaching a basic Christian context for encounter with God. Primary in this is the place of prayer. Ideally, children are fist taught to pray by their parents: prayer is then reinforced by teachers, and deepened through experience in the greatest form of prayer… community worship at Mass.
In addition, the Religious Education Program as it reaches out to share the Good News with our young people will be striving to provide a curriculum of study aimed at producing a real spiritual growth in the life of our youth.

Policies:

Attendance
If any program of religious education hopes to give a course of study that is on-going and developmental, the attendance of children at each grade level must then be seen as an absolute necessity. Parents are asked to call the office of Religious Education if their Child cannot attend a class session. Parents will then be responsible for lessons missed in class due to absence.

Inclement Weather
When school is canceled all religious education classes are canceled. Otherwise, all cancellations are announced over local television news channels.

We ask all parents of those attending our program at Holy Angels to:
1. Be faithful to Sunday worship. This privilege of Sunday worship is the fundamental sign of our Catholic identity.
2. Be living examples of faith to inspire their children by faithful and consistent participation in the sacraments of the Church displaying their values in word and deed to their children.
3. Take an active role in the teaching of their children in the following ways:
a. Encourage and support each child to be faithful in attendance to the sessions.
b. Take an interest in what is being taught in the classroom
c. Contact director, teachers, or priest when the need arises or questions come up… good communication is essential to Christian community.
d. Make family prayer a regular activity.

Sacramental Catechesis
We have what are referred to as Non-Graded Sacramental Preparation Programs at Holy Angels for Confirmation and Eucharist (Communion). The programs are in addition to regular religious education classes. Two factors to be considered when planning to receive a sacrament for the first time are readiness and shared responsibility.

Readiness should be based on a child’s understanding of God; as well as, understanding the importance of a loving relationship with Jesus and with one another. Readiness is also based on a child’s desire to receive a particular sacrament.

Shared Responsibility means parents, preist, and catachists all share important roles and are actively involved in sacramental preparation programs.

Mass Attendance on a regular basis should be in place before presenting a child for any sacrament program.

Any High School Student presenting himself/herself for the confirmation program must realize that the sacrament preparation program exists "apart" from the regular education program and that Holy Angels has an eleven year education program. Confirmation is not a graduation from Religious Education!