Elementary Faith Formation

Children’s Christian Formation Sessions
Children in first through fifth grades a time to experience the Gospel message through proclamation of the Word and faith sharing experiences in a supportive grade-level setting. We use Call to Faith by Harcourt Religion to provide a solid foundation of Scripture and Tradition, a rich diversity of prayer, and a sequence of activities that are developmentally appropriate.

The following catechetical principles shape our program:

•    Conversion is at the heart of all catechetical efforts, we strive to form disciples who want to follow in Jesus’ footsteps.
•   Belief in the importance of life-long catechesis is promoted through interesting and inspiring stories of faith and including information for parents
•    Recognition of the call to all the Baptized to hand on faith is reflected in the large number of volunteers and the efforts for education for parents.

To do this we multiple sources of Catholic wisdom and experience:

•    SCRIPTURE, which in integrated into the Call to Faith series and used for instruction, reflection, sharing and prayer.
•    DOCTRINE is used to help students, catechists and families appreciate the Church’s teachings as they are applied to our daily lives.
•   FEASTS and SEASONS of the Church are celebrated with music, prayer and ritual actions that draw children into the liturgical life of the Church.
•     CUSTOMS and CELEBRATIONS are included into the core curriculum to make the Call to Faith program our own.
•    CATHOLIC SOCIAL TEACHING is directly addressed in the “Faith in Action” section of each lesson. Age appropriate lessons correlate the scripture and doctrine with key Catholic Social Teaching themes.

 

Childrenpreparing for sacraments participate in a program of preparation which is family-centered. Recognizing that the parent is the primary catechist for their children, St. Gabriel Parish enables the parents to prepare their children by providing high quality resources, support, and weekly review of lessons during the preparation period. Additionally, the parish provides sacrament retreats for both parents and children.  For sacrament information click here. Sacraments preparation Information

Augmenting our formation program are:

• Children's Liturgy of the Word Sundays at the 8:30 A.m. Mass.
• Vacation Bible School  June 8-12—watch for updates
• Fun at Church Days—where children can spend a Saturday doing theme related activities on the Parish campus. These are held periodically, and announced in the bulletin and at the formation sessions. 

Volunteers are always needed and welcomed. If you are called to serve in this critical ministry, please contact the formation office to learn more.

For more information, call the office at 480-595-0883 or E-Mail Formation
Updated 2/6/9