Parents are the first and foremost catechists of their children.  They catechize informally, but powerfully by example and instruction.   (National Catechetical Directory, no. 212)

 Since “first” does not imply exclusive, St Joseph Parish is committed to creating a deeper partnership with families to insure that faith within families continues to grow. Children enrolled in the program experience Christ in each other and learn firsthand what it means to be part of our Catholic Church community. We also provide training opportunities that equip parents to be the primary faith formers. The elementary program has two components –  I. Grade Level Sessions and II. Family Events. The Elementary program is designed to support parents through two components - Grade Level Sessions and Family Events.

Grade Level Sessions

We provide small group, grade level sessions during the school year that reinforce the basic themes and teachings children are learning at home.  Catechists receive training, lessons plans, resources and numerous ideas and ways to make their small groups fun and exciting for the children (and the volunteers).  Students in grades 2 - 6 meet either Monday evenings from 5:30 to 6:30 or 7:00 to 8:00 or Wednesday evenings from 5:30 to 6:30.  The curriculum is designed to cover the basic tenets of our Catholic faith:  Grade 2 – Jesus, Grade 3 - The Creed, Grade 4 - Morality and Reconciliation, Grade 5 – Sacraments, Grade 6 - The Old Testament. Learning experiences include small and large group discussions, role play, games, prayer services in church or the Great Hall, music, art projects and prayer experiences throughout the year.  Supplemental resources to the curriculum can be found at the publisher's website:  We Believe

Formal sacrament preparation is done through special First Reconciliation and First Eucharist sessions for families with children in 4th and 2nd grades, respectively.

 We ask that parents:

• take on the primary role of reading and talking with your children about the lessons in the book before each session.  The elementary calendar is designed to utilize the We Believe spiraling curriculum to its fullest potential such that all elementary children will cover the same lesson number at home each week.  You will often find that, if you have children in multiple grades, you will be covering the same faith elements for your children in the same week.  We therefore ask that you set aside time each week deliberately passing on your faith to your children including taking time to share personal and biblical stories of faith, praying together, and creating traditions and rituals based on faith.
• attend the Family Events held at St. Joseph's.
• worship regularly with your children.

                               Monday                                   Wednesday

Family Events