Religious Education
Religious Education classes for the year will begin in September for most classes. If you are not registered, please come to the Parish office on Sunday or any day of the week. Most classes will run on Sunday please see bulletin for more information.
Due to the small enrollment of St. Bernadette at this time some classes may be held at St. John the Apostle. At the present time 6th-7th and8th grade from St Bernadette's will be meeting in a hybrid system. Classroom instructor will make contact with all who are registered.
Sunday 845-1015: Kindergarten, 2nd Grade, Fourth Grade, 5th/6th grade and 7th/8th grade
1045-1215: PreK, 1st grade and 3rd grade
1230-200: First Year Confirmation
Monday 600-730: Second Year Confirmation
Religious Education registration form can be downloaded here
Prayers for students K-10 can be downloaded here.
We are in need of teachers and assistants. Please contact ccdstjohn@stjohnsmilford.com to share your time.
Our Parish Religious Education program provides a process of
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Faith Formation for Children
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Preparing Them to Receive the Sacraments
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Centered on Christ’s Message, Community, Worship and Service,
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The Program is dedicated to collaborating with and supporting parents, the primary educator of their children, in this faith formation process.Our Religious Education Program is a School of Discipleship. We strive to provide a solid foundation in our faith, age-appropriate to the students in our program. Students are encouraged to begin formal religion classes in Pre-K age 4.Faith formation, which leads to a greater discipleship, is an ongoing development of the whole person into the image and likeness of Jesus Christ. To use the image of St. Paul “we put on Christ” so that Christ is the very center of our lives.All Catholics are on the journey of faith formation. We begin this life-long journey in the waters of baptism. The end of this journey is eternal life with Jesus in heaven. Registration for classes can be obtained at the Parish Office or Religious Education office or you can find the forms online below.
PreK-8th grade
Registration for Relgious Education takes place during the summer until September. Our program goes from September to May. All children must register each year for classes.
Registration form can be download, filled out and returned by email or in person to St John the Apostle office.
First Communion
First Communion takes place during the second grade. Students are asked to attend First Grade prior to going into the First Communion Class. The class is a year long process and will finish with First Communion during the Easter Season.
An application form should be filled out for the First Communion class.
Confirmation
Our Confirmation program is a two year process. Confirmation is held in the 10th grade. You would take classes from 9th grade to 10th grade. The diocese asks that you attend religous education one year prior to taking a sacrament class. So it is recommended that you attend 8th grade thru 10th grace. If you are not in a regular track you must complete two years of instruction before receiving the sacrament. You need to be registered for regular RE and fill in an application.
OCIA
The OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation for Adults) process has several distinct stages. These Catholic OCIA stages are a good model of faith development itself, so this article will fit you whether or not you’re actually in the OCIA process.
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Inquiry: the initial period before you decide to enter the Catholic Church. You’re asking questions and checking it out, but aren’t yet ready to commit.
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Catechumenate: those who decide to enter the Church and are being trained for a life in Christ are called catechumens, an ancient name from the early Church. In this stage, you’re developing your faith and are being “catechized” – learning catechism, or the basic points about Catholic faith and life.
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Purification and preparation: The Church will help you focus and intensify your faith as you prepare you to commit your life to Christ and be received into the Church at Easter. If you’re following the OCIA process, you’ll go through a beautiful series of Gospel-based meditations during Lent, which is the time frame of this period.
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Initiation itself, the culmination of the whole process! You’re received into the Church during the Easter Vigil Mass, where you’ll receive the sacraments of initiation: baptism, confirmation, and Eucharist. (If you’ve already been baptized, you won’t be baptized again.)
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Mystagogy: after reception into the Church at Easter, this period lets you reflect and learn more about the mysteries of the Mass and the Sacraments that you now participate in fully.
Catch Up
This is CAtch up program is designed to help those who are still in grades 3 thru 12th grade who missed receiving First Communion/Reconciliation at the regular time of second grade. The classes will take place during the school year. All students must be registered in our regular program and attending their regular classes before being able to register for the Catch up program.
Catch up application needs to be filled out after registering for regular classes.
Christian Formation
Chrisian formation is a program designed to provide adult workshops in our faith. Classes will be done during the year on different subjects which may include Bible Studies, workshops, field trips. Some of the classes are in person and some of the classes have been on line. If you are interested in any of these classes watch the bulletin for more information,