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kristinannie
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John Paul went to Faith Formation at our parish last year and he really liked it. He called it church preschool. I am not all that thrilled with the program. It is similar to the CCD I had as a child were you get a lot of fluff and Jesus loves you, but not a lot of real catechism. I don't really mind that though because I am teaching him what he needs to know at home. I am just wondering if most of you send your kids to Faith Formation? I am especially curious about First Communion preparation. Can they get the Sacrament if you teach them at home? I am thinking about leaving him in the program for now because he loves it and his teacher is really nice. He also gets to meet other Catholic kids his age (although last year there were only 3 kids in the class). Sorry to ramble, I just was wondering what most people do! Thanks!
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John Paul 8.5
Meredith Rose 7
Dominic Michael 4.5
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guitarnan
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At our parish you have to attend sacramental prep at the church for First Penance, First Holy Communion and Confirmation. The only one of these that requires weekly class attendance is Confirmation. Homeschooling parents have to meet with the DRE and go over which books they are using (they need to be on the USCCB list, but Faith and Life and several other good choices are included). It's pretty straightforward.
I have not sent my children to CCD at church except for sacramental prep - I don't have extra time to do that, and my dd receives daily instruction at home...more than any CCD class has time to cover.
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jawgee
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Our Parish requires Faith Formation in order to receive the sacraments in that church. If a child misses a year, they must make it up.
Strict policy, so I just go with it.
It really depends on your Priest, Kristin. Some allow homeschooling instead of CCD, some require the children to come to CCD.
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Monica
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zookeeper9
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I am very lucky, our current priest is very pro-homeschooling and strongly believes that the children can and should be taught the faith first and foremost from the parents and family.
The only thing that he has mentioned is possible attending the sacramental prep classes for First Communion for my little ones, but I have a few years for before I have to consider that option.
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mamasue
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Make sure you check your diocese policy. Many have exclusions for homeschoolers. Many priests are not even aware of this
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folklaur
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Yes, but for the social aspects and because they have fun at it. They have gotten their actual "prep" at home.
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Aagot
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Nope, because there are too many kids who don't want to be there and their bad attitude affects the other kids. I have seen this happen so often, it is truely sad.
As far as sacramental prep, I just tell the DRE what books I am using and when we want to schedule the interview with Father.
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Maggie
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Aagot wrote:
Nope, because there are too many kids who don't want to be there and their bad attitude affects the other kids. I have seen this happen so often, it is truely sad.
As far as sacramental prep, I just tell the DRE what books I am using and when we want to schedule the interview with Father. |
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Aagot,
My dh and I feel the same way. We are also the ONLY home schoolers at the parish (sigh). We are having our priest over for dinner this Friday night 8/5. Please, dear friends, pray for us as we talk about what he will require of us for our dd's faith formation. We obviously have very strong opinions, but also need to be open to his.
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JodieLyn
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We have a small parish and most of the kids are from active families. They're taught well imo. I know many of the teachers personally, our kids play together, we get together for other things.
The only problem I have had is someone trying to "help" encourage my son in reading but ending up only making him decide that he could NOT read and wouldn't even try for a long time.  I can be more charitable about it now that he is reading (still struggling but..). 
So yes we do use it. And we do normal family stuff at home that supplements it of course. Who could possibly learn everything one hour a week anyway.  And for the vast majority of the time it's a positive thing.
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ShannonJ
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Our last diocese put out a statement that they recognized the right of the parents to teach their children at home. In order to "enroll" in parish education we had to use the same books as those that were being used by the parish. Also the parish required a separate, once a month, family oriented, class for sacramental preparation.
I saw no problem with her attending, but I can't say that we saw any real value from it. They spent more time lining up to arrive and leave than really learning anything. I do believe it was a safe and fun environment, and that was mainly the reason that we let her go. Her main religious education came from home though. Which really is where it should be coming from anyway. 
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SallyT
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Our priest is also very, very supportive of homeschoolers, but strongly encourages children to be in class during sacramental prep years. Our parish policy is that sacramental preparation covers two years -- so, both first and second grade CCD to receive First Holy Communion -- but homeschooled children only have to do the second year.
Outside of sacramental prep years, I have let my kids choose whether they wanted to do classes or not. My rising second grader chose to go to the first grade class and loved it; another child went to the third grade class and did not love it and won't be doing class this year. My older children were confirmed when our family entered the church, but my rising 8th-grader has been going to CCD with his friends, just because he wanted to, and will do the confirmation class this year because our priest is teaching it and he doesn't want to miss out.
We are very blessed to have a good CCD program, especially in the early years. The DRE's goal last year was to ensure really solid teaching from K-3 (7th-8th was already excellent). I think things get a little spottier in the upper-elementary grades, but not much -- we're a small parish, and people are generally very faithful. We use Faith and Life, though I tend to lean a lot more heavily on the Baltimore Catechism and Saint Patrick's Summer in the class I teach.
I am the First Communion catechist as well as a homeschooling mother; from my perspective the big frustration is that I can't homeschool all these little children! Last year I sent LOTS of stuff home with them . . . more and more I begin to see myself as trying to catechize whole families, not just their 2nd-graders. (and call I tell you all how happy I have been to see some of my children at Daily Mass this summer? Just a handful, but go, families, go!). Meanwhile, where my own children are concerned, I'm really grateful that we can live and learn about our faith daily, and I'm not trying to cram it all down them in one hour a week.
Sally
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Erin
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We don't have Faith Formation here in Australia 
However for Sacramental Prep children who attend state schools are to attend classes at the Catholic school. (5 classes only!!) As homeschooling is very small in Australia we often slip through the cracks in many parishes. Mostly priests are happy for you to do your own thing, I know of many children who make their Sacraments individually (or join in). Also many homeschooled children make their Sacraments at homeschool camps or travel to more Traditional parishes for the day (if they are not regular members) to make their Sacraments.
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motherheart
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We do Sacramental prep at home as well as faith formation. When my husband and I deem our child ready for Penance, we let them go. This is at a penance service to a priest we know and we ask if it is OK for the child to have his/her first confession. So far, so good.
For FHC, our Pastoral coordinator (we do not have a Pastor, but a priest minister, as they call him) told us to schedule an interview with the director of RE for they younger children. We did, dropping off the books we use ahead of time so she could look through them. When the kids passed the interview, she told us to let them know when we wanted our child to have his/her FHC.
For Confirmation, we'd like to do that at home, too, but the coordinator (a different one for the older kids) said they have to go to class. But then she told me that the parents tell her that thier kids are learning more than they (the parents) know, and she wants to start clases to catechise the parents so they can teach their kids. I don't get it; if we are already doing this, why should our children HAVE to go to class? Our oldest is two years away from the needed classes, so we have time. I need to call the Bishop's office to check the requirements, though.
We know families who are VERY disappointed in the RE classes at our church, some even pulling their kids out. From this and my own observation when I've been at church during classes, we aren't sending them.
I guess that is the point: it is such an individual decision, based on the parents, the child, the parish's program, and the leadership at the parish and in the diocese.
:) Mary
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ekbell
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Re -required confirmation classes
It may be because the CCC states that confirmation prep should "strive to awaken a sense of belonging to the Church of Jesus, the universal Church as well as the parish community. The latter bears special responsibility for the preparation of confirmands.". (CCC para 1309)
It's easy to draw the conclusion that the parish SHOULD be involved in every child's confirmation prep.
With my oldest she both went to the classes and we did further prep at home, the classes did a very good job of furthering a sense of community, responsibility and discussing what confirmation was about -among other things the confirmation class is the one to give the Church and grounds a good spring cleaning - but it was understood that the child should already know the basics of their faith before enrolling in the class.
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Carole N.
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My dc participated in faith formation at least through FHC in the States. I taught in the CCD classes and I wanted my dc to attend. Most of what was being taught, they already knew through our homeschooling. My oldest had just started high school when we moved to Wales.
We have nothing were we live for teenagers. There is no youth group, no classes. Religion is taught in the schools and Catholic schools are not necessarily considered private schools in this country. So there are no CCD classes except for sacramental preparation. I found the confirmation classes very lacking compared to what we did in the States. I think that they attended less than eight classes and it was a very superficial covering of confirmation.
I wish that we had a youth group. I have found it very difficult to be a mom of Catholic teenagers who have absolutely no reinforcement from the church. And it is tough on my dc to be Catholic teenagers in such a secular society. There are youth groups in some of the larger areas, but unfortunately, none where we live.
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Erin
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Carole N. wrote:
We have nothing were we live for teenagers. There is no youth group, no classes. Religion is taught in the schools and Catholic schools are not necessarily considered private schools in this country. So there are no CCD classes except for sacramental preparation. I found the confirmation classes very lacking compared to what we did in the States. I think that they attended less than eight classes and it was a very superficial covering of confirmation.
I wish that we had a youth group. I have found it very difficult to be a mom of Catholic teenagers who have absolutely no reinforcement from the church. And it is tough on my dc to be Catholic teenagers in such a secular society. There are youth groups in some of the larger areas, but unfortunately, none where we live. |
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I SO hear you Carole,  this is our life too. Our children are the only children who attend Mass in this town. I'm so sad for them particularly my teens.
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MNMommy
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My kids go to RE as a social outlet and to be a part of our parish community. I haven't seen that they have learned much, but some years have been fun and others not so much. Our parish has few children, so (I think) it is important for parish health that my little clan attend. Our RE classes average 2-3 kids/class.
I also sit on the Education Board, and my dh is on Parish Council. We do what we can.
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allegiance_mom
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No, never have and I don't plan on it in the future.
The RE materials are a pile of twaddle from "liberal" Catholic publishers. Most families with kids in RE do not attend Mass. Some aren't even registered in a parish.
Our pastor is very positive about my educating our children at home. He knows us very well. My older son is a regular altar server. We are all very involved in Parish activities. If there is something going on, we are usually involved in running it somehow. I am blessed that I won't have a problem with sacrament permission, so long as Father remains our pastor. I know how blessed I am!
Our Bishop allows Catholic homeschooling families in our Diocese to have the sacraments together. First Communion is at a Monastery. He does Confirmation himself at the Cathedral. This is out third bishop in a row to allow this. We have been truly fortunate.
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Michaela
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MNMommy wrote:
| My kids go to RE as a social outlet and to be a part of our parish community. I haven't seen that they have learned much, but some years have been fun and others not so much. Our parish has few children, so (I think) it is important for parish health that my little clan attend. Our RE classes average 2-3 kids/class. |
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This is our family, too. The classes start off with 10-15 children, all but the second grade class dwindle down to 3-4 children.
Our parish doesn't require children to attend for sacramental prep. They only need to come to a meeting to receive a "cheat sheet" of sorts. It has the 5 questions the DRE asks before they can receive Holy Communion.
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NMMountainMom
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MNMommy wrote:
My kids go to RE as a social outlet and to be a part of our parish community. I haven't seen that they have learned much, but some years have been fun and others not so much. Our parish has few children, so (I think) it is important for parish health that my little clan attend. Our RE classes average 2-3 kids/class.
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This is exactly our situation. I simply send my kids RE to be part of our (tiny) Catholic community.
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Danielle, making it work (some days better than others) with five boys, a family business and homeschooling.
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4Real Forums : Domestic Church
Topic: Do you send your kids to faith formation?
