Dear Families,

Our school year will be pretty different from what you are used to. We are not going to have weekly in-person classes. Parents you will be the primary catechists to your children and the parish Faith Formation team and catechists will assist you. We will provide all the materials you need to successfully shepherd your children in their faith development. Here is how it will work:

• Four to five families will be grouped into Small Family Groups with a single catechist to facilitate your at-home catechesis through emails and phone calls and the monthly parent meeting.
• On the First Wednesday of the Month we will have a parent meeting at the parish. One parent should attend. (We will have the chairs spaced out for social distancing, and masks are recommended to be worn.) The meeting will last 1 hour and the agenda for each meeting will be:
  • Opening Prayer/Worship
  • Catechesis lesson
  • Small group learning/discussion
  • Closing Prayer/Worship
• The rest of the month, you will lead your family through the lessons that will be given out at the meeting and emailed to you. Your family catechist will contact you via email once a week and phone twice a month.

We value your connection with the parish and encourage you to continue to attend Mass on the weekends with our parish community. If you have any underlying conditions we need to take into consideration for the safety and health of your family, please let us know. We love you all and want to get through this time as safely and with maximum spiritual growth as possible! Come, Holy Spirit!

Click here for the Registration Form.

Please Email Beth at bcowles@saintanthonys.org if your child or children are in need of First Communion preparation this year.

Over to the left, you will see the document "Prayers to Know by Grade". This is a good starting point. You can look up the prayers that your children should be learning at their age. Use this as a basis for bedtime prayers. (Younger siblings will pick up on the older siblings' prayers very quickly!)

Prayer at mealtimes and bedtime should be non-negotiable, and it will develop habits in your children that will serve them for the rest of their lives! Other things to do to increase prayer in your home is to set up a "Sacred Space" and have daily family prayer time. Choose a format and follow it each time, it will help the family know what is happening, and the children will catch on and be able to lead parts of it themselves. Here's an option:

1. Open with Sign of the Cross
2. Dad or Mom starts and says their petitions, go around to each family member and let them say their petitions.
3. Dad or Mom finishes leading the Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be.
4. Close with the Sign of the Cross

This is a simple way to include everyone and it doesn't take much in the way of planning and there are no "props" needed. Of course you can also do any of the following:
1. Pray the Rosary together (or just one decade if you have little ones or are new to it)
2. Pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy (at 3:00PM!)
3. Celebrate a Liturgy of the Word with the daily readings.
4. Pray the Angelus together at 6:00AM, noon, and/or 6:00PM.
5. Pray a Litany of Saints for your family include all the patron saints of your family members and friends.

These are only a few ideas. More will be added in the coming days and weeks. (If you have favorite family prayers, pass them along and Mrs. Beth will add them!)

You can also sign up for the Teaching Catholic Kids newsletter - each week they send it with prayers, Gospel reflections, saint stories, and activies to do with your children.

The curriculum we use is Alive in Christ (1st - 6th grades) and Allelu! (PreK - Kinder) by OSV. There are links to the Alive in Christ website with fantastic resources for families to begin and continue the faith formation process at home. If you don't know the answer to a question, there are resources to help you learn so you can help your children learn.

Most of all, be present to your children as they journey in their faith life. Help them to become friends with Jesus Christ. Bring them to Mass, help them learn the Mass, help them to participate fully in their faith. We are your partners in the faith formation of your children.