Formation of Children and Youth

It is from the tenderest age that the child must be helped to perceive and to develop the sense of God and the natural intuition of his existence. —Directory for Catechesis, 2020

One should never stop growing in love of Jesus Christ and His Church and in knowledge of the Catholic faith. For this reason, enrollment in religious education is the norm for children and youth.

Parents seeking to register a child in the religious education and sacramental preparation program at a parish should themselves be registered parishioners who actively practice their Catholic faith. When registering a child, parents should do so at the earliest possible date to ensure placement in the parish program. In the first year of enrollment, parents will need to bring a copy of the child’s baptismal certificate showing the church and city of the baptism.

Because children have reached an age of reason and maturity that enables them to understand the significance of the sacraments they are preparing to receive, the diocese requires two consecutive years of catechesis in preparation of receiving First Communion and Confirmation. When, out of necessity, families relocate to a new parish at the end of a first year of sacramental preparation, they will need to provide verification to the receiving program that a previous year of catechesis was completed.