Family Catechesis
Welcome to our Family Catechesis Program! We are so happy that we can be a part of your family’s journey in faith.
The catechism sessions are for students from 1st to 8th grade. Our sessions are held weekly on Wednesday’s from 5:30pm to 7:00pm at the parish. We have parent sessions at the same time in English and Spanish.
- Click for Family Catechesis Calendar 2024-2025
You MUST complete the following to register your children(s) to our Confirmation preparation classes:
Family Catechesis 2024-2025 registration open until August 31, 2024
- Email a scan to: mainoffice@stdidacuschurch.org
- Drop off a copy at the Parish office
- If you do not have a copy of your child’s Baptismal certificate, please request a copy at the church your child was baptized at.
- Online Payment through WeShare Portal: Make a Payment
- Payment can be made at the Parish Office: Cash or Check
- If you are not yet registered at St. Didacus, please click here to complete the registration form.
To ensure your child’s spot in our program, you MUST complete ALL the requirements above.
Frequently Asked Questions
Parent Classes – held at the same time as Catechism for children.
Are parents required to attend the parent sessions?
Yes, one of the most common reasons parents enroll their children in Faith Formation is because they want their child to continue practicing the faith into adulthood. Studies show, however, that if faith is not practiced at home regularly by the parents, the likelihood of children remaining Catholic into adulthood is minimal. Our parent sessions are designed to help you wrestle with, embrace, and thereby transmit the faith. Parent sessions for those with children enrolled in our 1st – 8th grade Children’s Faith Formation are required. We have some family events sessions (more information will be released in the upcoming months).
Do both parents need to attend the parent session?
No, only one parent is required to attend the parent sessions and both parents are more than welcome to attend.
Catechesis of the Good Shepherd at St. Didacus
Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (CGS) is a Montessori approach to faith formation with children that began in Rome over 60 years ago.
In 1954, Sofia Cavalletti, a Biblical scholar, and her co-worker, Gianna Gobbi, a trained Montessorian, began to develop this approach for the religious formation of children. It is rooted in the Bible, the liturgy of the Church, and the educational principles of Maria Montessori. Maria Montessori was a devout Catholic who believed faith formation has an essential role in the development of the child.
Session Times:
Level I on Wednesday’s from 5:30pm-7pm – during family catechesis.
- Click here for Catechesis of the Good Sheperd registration form 2024-2025
- Level I – for ages 3-6 years old (must be 3 and potty-trained by the first sessions)
- Note: We are limited to 10 children only (When we have 10 enrolled children then we will close the registration). We can add your child in our waiting list to see if we can accommodate your child in another session.
- Online Payment through WeShare Portal: Make a Payment
- Payment can be made at the Parish Office: Cash or Check
- If you are not yet registered at St. Didacus, please click here to complete the registration form.
- The Atrium contains age-appropriate materials that are simple and essential to the child’s development of a relationship with God.
- The Atrium items are carefully selected or created out of wood, glass, metal and fabric. Many of the materials will remind the child of what they see in church.
- Children are taught a sense of reverence for the Atrium and for the items it contains. The expected behavior in the Atrium is peaceful and respectful, similar to what is expected at Mass.
- In our busy, noisy world, many children take refuge in the quieter atmosphere of the Atrium.
A visit to an atrium session would be a good way to understand the experience of Catechesis of the Good Shepherd.
- Presentations include biblical geography, liturgy, the Nativity narratives, Lent and Easter, parables, and practical life lessons.
- The presentations are selected to coincide with the Church year. After the presentation, the children may choose to work with the materials during their work time. All materials remain in the Atrium the entire year so children may revisit past presentations during their work time. The children are given time for repetition and contemplation but may only choose to work with materials that have been presented to them.
- Communal prayer takes place during each atrium session. The children gather around the prayer table and are encouraged to be calm and silent. This habit helps develop an atmosphere to listen and talk to God.
Since many of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd lessons are linked to liturgy, children benefit greatly by also attending Mass regularly with their families.