At St. Teresa of Avila, we offer a variety of Children’s Catechesis Opportunities to meet a variety of needs and schedules.
Catechesis of the Good Shepherd
Catechesis of the Good Shepherd is a Montessori approach to Religious Education. The program is rich in education around Liturgy and Bible. Good Shepherd has 3 multi-age levels for children beginning at age 3 through 6th grade. Each level builds progressively on the next. For more information, please visit the Good Shepherd website www.cgsusa.org or read our newsletter archives.
Sacrament Prep
1st Reconciliation – This sacrament is usually received in the second grade. Children and parents go through a formation process as a group prior to sacrament reception. Parental involvement is a very important part of the preparation process.
1st Communion – This sacrament is also generally received in the second grade, after receiving 1st Reconciliation. There is a two year catechesis requirement prior to receiving the sacrament. Children and Parents go through a formation process prior to receiving the sacrament.
Confirmation – Confirmation is only to be received after the child makes the decision to be confirmed. This can happen any time in 8th grade or high school. After High School, anyone seeking Confirmation would go through the Adult Confirmation process. Confirmands and their sponsors will meet with the formation team for several months prior to receiving the sacrament.
SPRED
SPRED is a spiritual ministry that assists people in parishes to integrate those with special needs (developmental or learning disabilities) into parish assemblies of worship through the process of religious development. SPRED communities are based on age group (6-10, 11-16, 17-21, and 22+). At St. Teresa of Avila, we have a SPRED community for 11-16 year olds with eight catechists and six friends. Together, as a small faith community we learn about what Jesus means to us and what it means to be holy. Our evenings together are very sacred and begin with simple activities that we work on individually to calm our senses. After our quiet activity time, we move into the celebration room where we hear the Word of God and listen to our special message for the evening. Our SPRED night concludes with a shared meal, Agape. We are all very thankful to spend this special time with one another on Tuesday nights at St. Teresa!
Children’s Liturgy of the Word
During our 9:00 am mass, children are dismissed to celebrate the Liturgy of the Word in a more child-friendly atmosphere. The children, with the assistance of adult leaders, read the scriptures for the day and have a reflection or activity that is on a level that they can understand and carry in their hearts.
