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We consecrate this Faith Formation Program to The Blessed Mother – Our Mother Mary – Patron Saint of both parishes and we count on her intercession to guide us always to her Son Jesus and the mission of the Catholic Church.

Hail
Mary
full of grace
the Lord is with thee
blessed art thou among women
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb,
Jesus.

Holy Mary mother of God,
pray for us sinners, now, and at the hour of death. Amen.”

OUR MISSION

Baptism ceremonies include a prayer of blessing for parents which contains these words: “…they will be the first teachers of their children in the ways of faith. May they always be the best of teachers, bearing witness to the faith by what they say and do, in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Keeping in mind the above, Our Lady of Jasna Gora/Our Lady of the Rosary is committed to supporting parents as the primary educators of their children and takes seriously the obligation to assist them in the faith formation of their young children and teens. Our goal in faith formation is summed up very simply: To teach as Jesus taught. Jesus is at the heart of all faith formation.

OBJECTIVES AND CURRICULUM

To bring every participant closer to Jesus
To guide our participants in the formation of values and a moral code in harmony with our Catholic Christian heritage
To pass along the rich tradition of the Catholic faith

We are preparing participants for discipleship and citizenship. It is our hope that parents/family and parish share a common goal: our participants will become people who give witness to their Catholic Christian faith. Participation at weekly Mass, and prayer in the home are integral to the spiritual growth of participants. The information and formation they receive from our program supplements what they see and do within the family. Both dimensions of religious education – family life and parish program of instruction – will be with them forever. Faith will be the context in which they live their lives. It will be their consolation in bad times, their strength in difficult times, their source of praise and thanksgiving in joyful times. Their lives will model the virtues of faith, hope and love and their lives will be healthier and happier because of this.

PHILOSOPHY OF FAITH FORMATION

The context for our catechizing is one of appreciation for different learning styles and needs of the participants. Our volunteer teachers are ready and willing to work with parents/families to provide a learning environment that will be comfortable for participants who may need attention in a particular area. We view our ministry as a mandate to model Christian virtues of faith, hope, love, and respect in dealing with all members of the religious education community: faculty, support staff, and families.

This is our Mission and our Philosophy. May God be with us and help us, parents/families and parish, as we make this a reality.

Policies/Procedures

Attendance: Weekly attendance, with youth arriving on time is essential to the students’ religious education and spiritual growth. An entire year of religious education instruction amounts to only approximately 24 hours of class time. They are with us just one day or less out of 365! Every session is important. If your child has to miss a session for a serious reason, please call the Faith Formation Office at 978-365-2724 and leave the message on voicemail. Please assist your teens in structuring her/his after school activities and scheduling his/her part time job so that there is no conflict with our weekly faith formation commitment on Wednesday evening 7-8:15pm.

Participation: Because our time together is so brief, we depend on the cooperation of each participant and the cooperation of each family to assist in making the most of each session. Again, they are expected to come on time. It is disruptive to the flow of the session and disrespectful to the catechist and other participants if someone is habitually late. We all recognize the fact that circumstances beyond a participant/parent’s control occasionally may affect promptness. We hope that this is a rare occurrence.

Pick Up and Drop Off: There are no words strong enough to emphasize the caution drivers must exercise when dropping off or picking up for the sessions. Transportation of a participant to/from the faith formation sessions is the responsibility of the parent or guardian.

Sunday Mornings:

Our Lady of the Rosary K-5 – Arrive by 8:50 am to attend 9:00 am mass and then go to Faith Formation immediately following. Pick up is 11:00 am

Our Lady of Jasna Gora K-5 – Faith Formation begins at 9:15 am and then the children will go over to the church at 10:20 am for mass at 10:30am. Parents will come to the church to join their child for mass.

***This year our Faith Formation Program is dedicated to Our Lady. In honor of this, we will be praying one decade of the rosary once per month before mass in both parishes. Please join your children in doing so at the respective masses.

Sunday Evenings: Combined OLR/OLJG 6-7-8^th grade –– attend 5:30 mass (if you chose this mass) and then go directly to St. Mary’s Hall/OLJG to begin sessions at 6:45pm. If you are attending another mass please have your son/daughter at the hall at 6:45pm. Return for pickup at 8:00pm.

Wednesday Evenings: Combined OLR/OLJG 9-10^th grade – OLR: Lower Rectory, Enter Cross Street and follow One Way Sign directions. Drop off at the driveway to enter the door into the lower rectory room. Pick up follow the same procedure. Parents are to deliver their child to Our Lady of the Rosary Church by 7:00PM and return for pick up at 8:15PM.

Behavior Code: Mindful of our Mission to prepare our youth for discipleship and citizenship, we strive to foster behavior that will promote a more civilized society. Everything that goes on at the faith formation sessions before, during, and after the hour must be rooted in the basic principle of respect. All students must be respectful of Parish property, most notable the School buildings which we share with the children and teachers in the Parish School. We are committed to providing every participant who wants instruction with a place in our program. However, we must also weigh the needs and demands of one in a class against the needs of the class as a whole. If a participant, in any grade, is unwilling or unable to act respectfully toward others or is disrespectful of parish property, we will notify the parents. If unacceptable behavior continues, the participant will be admitted to the sessions only if accompanied by a parent for the hour, or the parent will be invited to instruct the child at home. The Religious Education Office will provide teaching materials and support the parent in this task.

Cancellation of Classes: The faith formation program follows the public school system’s decision in canceling due to stormy weather. If school is closed, there are no faith formation sessions for that day. In the event that a storm begins while they are in school, a decision will be made by 1 p.m. as to whether faith formation sessions will be held that day. Tune in to WBZ 1030 AM for cancellations as well as call your child’s catechist if you have any questions. PLEASE USE YOUR JUDGEMENT – IF YOU DEEM IT APPROPRIATE TO STAY HOME PLEASE DO SO. SAFETY IS OUR CONCERN FOR ALL OF YOU. Also check out the website for up to date news and check your email.