St. Mary Parish, Manchester at 210 West Main Street, Manchester, MI 48158 US - Religious Education Classes Begin
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Religious Education Classes Begin |
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This week classes in the parish Religious Education begin. As this new school year begins, I would like to thank Mrs. Patrice Sommers, Director of the Religious Education Program, as well as the volunteer catechists who teach our children the Catholic Faith.
These individuals have a deep love of the Catholic faith, a love for our children, as well as a strong desire to pass on to them the truth and beauty that is our faith! I have complete confidence in them.
Over the past few years an important foundational part of the program has been to insure that our children have knowledge of the formal prayers of the Church. The reason for this is that the Catholic faith is built upon a relationship with God, who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Children need to be taught the importance of prayer as a way of communicating with God. Your child needs to know how to be able to pray to God and to be able to seek the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the saints in heaven for assistance in their earthly life. Without the foundation of a prayer life your child will not be able to grow spiritually.
THE IMPORTANCE OF PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT
While what we do in the Religious Education Program is important for your child’s faith development, it in no way is meant to replace what must be taught in the home by the parents of our children.
Some parents might be tempted to think that bringing their child to the Religious Education Program fulfills their obligation to teach their children the Catholic Faith. While as your pastor it is my responsibility to insure that St. Mary Church has an orthodox program for the faith formation of the children of this parish, the main responsibility for their spiritual and moral formation rests with parents. We only have your child in the Religious Education Program for 75 minutes each week, so what the parish provides in the area of faith formation must be seen as supplemental to what you should be doing in your home as a Catholic parent.
Catholic parents should be teaching their children how to pray long before they are brought to the Religious Education Program. Parents should also take an active role in making sure that their child has knowledge of the prayers in the manual that they are given in the Religious Education Program. The best way to teach your child these prayers is by making prayer a part of your daily family ritual.
THE IMPORTANCE OF SUNDAY MASS
Along with teaching your child how to pray, Catholic parents should be bringing their children to holy Mass each and every Sunday.
Catholics are sacramental people. Catholics believe that we encounter Jesus Christ in the sacraments in a mystical way. In the holy Mass and in the sacrament of the Most Holy Eucharist, we encounter the risen Christ in a substantial way.
For a Catholic the Sunday Mass must be the focal point of the week. Nothing should take precedence over attendance at Sunday Mass. Your child needs to be taught the importance of worshiping God and keeping holy the Lord’s Day. This can only happen with your family’s faithful attendance at holy Mass every Sunday and by your refraining from any unnecessary work or shopping. In the second grade our children are prepared for the reception of two sacraments: Penance and Holy Eucharist. Your child should have a familiarity with the holy Mass through their weekly attendance and participation.
Coming to Sunday Mass as a family is an important part of teaching your children the Catholic faith. Bringing your child monthly to the Sacrament of Penance helps to shape their conscience to be able to grow in holiness.
Remember that on the day of your child’s baptism you made a solemn promise to God that you would raise your child in the Catholic faith. A promise to God must be taken seriously. Failing to do so is something that one day you will have to answer to before God when your personal judgment day comes. Your child depends on you for everything; beyond your selfless love for them, nurturing these young souls in the Catholic faith must be your priority. Your child must see the Catholic faith being lived every day in their home otherwise they will have nothing to build their life upon but a foundation of sand.
May God’s blessing be upon our parish Religious Education Program. And may our children be nurtured in the Catholic faith, not only at St. Mary Church but in their home, which the Church calls the domestic church.
—Fr. Tim