Faith Formation for Children and Adults
REGISTER NOW FOR FAITH FORMATION AND SACRAMENTS (2019-2020)
The registration form (for students not attending COS) is here: st-matts.org/ff
You may register using the online form, or download a print version (your choice of PDF file or Word file). You can print out the form, fill it in, and hand it in when you come to your first Wednesday evening class.
The above registration form is only for students who do not attend Community of Saints Regional Catholic School. A separate Sacraments registration form is available from Community of Saints Regional Catholic School.
Children’s Liturgy of the Word
Children ages 3 to 6 are invited to attend Children’s Liturgy of the Word during the 10:15 AM Sunday Mass at St Matthew. This school-year program is held most Sundays from September through May. Children are invited after opening prayers to come forward for a blessing and to join the children’s liturgist in walking to the chapel. For about 20 minutes in the chapel, the kids will learn about the day’s Gospel and do crafts. After the offertory and around the time of Eucharistic prayers, the children are walked back in to the main church to rejoin their families for the rest of the Sunday Mass. Instructors in this program will vary each week. We use the Pflaum Gospel Weeklies Seeds curriculum (www.pflaumweeklies.com/seeds/). Parents are welcome to attend with their children or to have the children participate on their own.
Program information: Faith Formation and Sacraments
Opportunities for worship and religious education are an integral part of parish life at St. Matthew’s.
Classes for Faith Formation/Religious Education are available to public school students in grades 1-10. They are held every Wednesday evening, 6:30 – 7:45 p.m. from September through April. Register your children by stopping by the registration table in church after Saturday or Sunday Masses in August and September. You may also register during the first and second evenings of class.
First Communion: Families with children in 2nd grade and up may register their child to be prepared for this sacrament. First Communion preparation occurs during the Wednesday evening Faith Formation classes. Families may schedule their child to make his or her First Holy Communion during select weekend Masses following Easter Sunday.
First Penance/Reconciliation: Before children receive First Holy Communion, they receive First Reconciliation. Families with children in 2nd grade and up may register to prepare for this sacrament. Preparation occurs during the Wednesday evening Faith Formation classes. Students will receive this sacrament in a ceremony that includes the family and takes place during Lent.
Confirmation: Students in grades 8, 9, 10, and 11 who would like to be confirmed must be registered for Faith Formation. Weekly Wednesday evening Faith Formation classes start at 6:30 PM in church and end at 7:45 in the Parish Center from September through April. They then participate in the Confirmation ceremony held at the Cathedral of Saint Paul. To register for Confirmation, complete a Faith Formation registration form and indicate that your student would like to be confirmed. Parents of Community of Saints students can complete registration at the COS school office. Parents of public school students and students at other schools can register student candidates by visiting St. Matthew’s Parish Center.
Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults & Children (RCIA and RCIC): This is the process of formation and initiation for children 7 years of age and older who have not been baptized, and for adults who have not been baptized who wish to enter full communion with the Catholic Church. Those interested in learning more and seeking a class schedule are invited to contact the pastor or deacon.
