The Center for Family Discipleship
A Family-Based Religious Education
The Center for Family Discipleship: A Family-Based Education Model
Immaculate Conception offers a Family Based model for Religious Education.
Once a month, from October to May, on a Monday evening from 5:30pm to 7:30pm, parents and children gather together for 2 hours over pizza and salad to learn together about our Catholic Faith.
The first and last 30 minutes are intergenerational and the middle 60 minutes are spent in break out groups with Catechists teaching an age-appropriate lesson on the monthly topic.
4 Advantages of a
Family-Based Model
1
Parents are not picking up children whose response to “what did you learn today,” is “nothing.” Parents will be learning with them.
2
Families can incorporate foundations of Catholicism (kindness, love, forgiveness, sacrifice, non-judgement, etc.) into the family system to bring a greater sense of joy to the home.
3
Parents with multiple children are not dropping their children off once a week on different days to learn in a classroom and tax the busy schedules already in existence for today’s family.
4
When you live in NJ who doesn’t like pizza?
Receiving
Sacraments
Another advantage of a family-based model is that sacraments don’t have to be celebrated with a grade or class so no one feels they “missed” a Sacrament.
Sacraments are always about what God is doing in our lives so we should be open to “God’s time.”
Preparation for First Reconciliation (Confession), First Eucharist (Communion) and Confirmation are done within the household family and the parish family – in community. There is extra time that needs to be given in the immediate year of celebration, but that schedule is developed in synergy with the child’s parents not as a rigid hoop to be jumped through.
Especially now, post-pandemic, children might be ready for sacraments but be older than the norm. Immaculate Conception is not a one-size-fits-all community. We are small and very open to the Holy Spirt working in your family and will do our best to stay out of the way of the Holy Spirit and instead work with that Spirit.
First
Reconcilation
First
Communion
Confirmation
In order for a child to have context for their First Reconciliation and Eucharist and understand the beauty of the sacraments, several months (approximately 2 years) of preparation are required prior to receiving a sacrament.
In order for a child to have context for their First Reconciliation and Eucharist and understand the beauty of the sacraments, several months (approximately 2 years) of preparation are required prior to receiving a sacrament.
In order for a young lady or gentleman to have context for their Confirmation and understand what they are committing to, several months (approximately 2 years) of preparation are required prior to receiving the sacrament.
Confirmation preparation is offered to youth in grades 7 and 8, with the sacrament of Confirmation offered in the spring of their 8th grade year, or when the Pastor determines they are ready.
Program Documents
About the Family-Based Religious Education
This model of faith formation was featured in America Magazine on “Repairing Religious Education with Family Based Approach.”
Watch the interview by America Magazine.
About the 2024-2025 Program
The program will be facilitated by Jennifer (Edwards) Perito and a team of catechists in the spirit of the family-based approach initiated by Dennis Corcoran. View the 3 minute video to learn more about this year's program.
Fee Structure
$100 per child includes everything for the 8-month program, including meals and materials.
$50 sacramental fee for students receiving their 1st Reconciliation/1st Eucharist or Confirmation
Want to Learn More?
For more information
or to register for October 2024
please contact Jennifer Perito
or (845) 513-6525.