Family Faith Formation Registration
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Living our Catholic Christian faith is a lifelong journey. Our Family Faith Formation is designed to engage and equip the whole family, from parents to children, in knowing and living the Cathoilc faith, which is the fullness of the Christian life.
Please read the information on the Family Faith Formation program below, and complete the online registration form below to register.
Please submit your registration by Friday, September 22nd, 2023.
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Family Faith Formation and Sacramental Preparation 2023/2024
At Immaculate Conception Parish we are committed to helping our parents lead their families in the domestic church of the home. Our goal as a parish community is to increase our love and obedience to our Lord Jesus Christ, and love and devotion to our Blessed Mother, and to glorify our heavenly Father in all that we do.
For catechesis we use a home-based family formation program by Sophia Institute Press called “A Family of Faith” designed to help the whole family grow together in the wisdom and knowledge of our Lord and His Church. In this program parents meet once per month for adult catechesis with our parish catechists who teach and equip parents to better fulfill the job of leading the family and living out our Catholic faith in the home.
While acknowledging that the primary and most important catechesis of our parish children takes place in the home with their parents, we do provide in-person classes for children. These classes meet at the same time as the parent class. This allows the family to come to the parish together once a month for catechesis and fellowship, and allows for friendships to form within our Parish community.Children’s Catechetical Classes:
Sacrament Preparation Class: This is our primary sacrament preparation class in which we teach our children the doctrines of our Catholic Faith using the Baltimore Catechism as well as the “Faith and Life” series by Ignatius Press. The children in this class are in the 2nd and 3rd grades and are preparing to receive the sacraments of First Reconciliation (Spring of Second Grade), Confirmation and First Holy Eucharist (Spring of Third Grade). In the Diocese of Manchester, we follow the ancient and traditional order of the sacraments of initiation – Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist.
RCIA for Older Children Class: Children who missed receiving the sacraments in the third grade will receive sacrament preparation in this class with the goal of receiving the sacraments in the Spring.
Continuing Formation Class: This class is for children in Grades 4-7 who have already received all sacraments (Baptism, First Reconciliation, Confirmation, First Holy Eucharist) but would still like to be in religious education at the parish. Children in this class will continue learning the doctrines of our Catholic Faith using the Baltimore Catechism, supplemented by other materials.
Schedule for 2023-2024 Academic YearAll Families of Faith classes meet one Wednesday evening per month. Please make every effort to set aside these dates. If your child is preparing to receive sacraments, the Wednesday evening parent catechetical classes are a critical part of your child’s preparation, and it is required that at least one parent will be present at these classes each month. For sacramental preparation, we will be studying Volume 2 of “A Family of Faith” by Sophia Institute Press, which covers an in depth look at the Catholic Church’s Sacraments.
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Sacrament Preparation Agreement
(Applies to all parents of children in Grades 1-8 who are in sacrament preparation classes)
Dear Parents,
At your child’s baptism the priest (or deacon) asked you this question:“Parents and godparents, you have asked to have your child baptized, in doing so you are accepting the responsibility of bringing him/her up in the practice of the faith. It will be your duty to teach him/ her to keep God’s commandments as Christ taught us, by loving God and our neighbor. Do you clearly understand what you are undertaking?”
To which you responded with a solemn promise to God in the presence of His priest (or deacon), “I do.”
We at Immaculate Conception Parish are committed to helping you fulfill this solemn promise you made to God. There are few more important commitments you make as a Catholic parent than to hand on the Catholic Faith to your children, teaching them to have a deep and abiding love for our Lord Jesus Christ, our Blessed Mother Mary and all the saints, and our Lord’s holy Catholic Church. Our home-based faith formation program and catechesis will help you live the faith at home, and prepare your children to receive the Sacraments of Initiation (Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Eucharist) in the Catholic Church.
Preparation for the sacraments, however, begins with the regular practice of the Catholic Faith in the home by the family. As a prerequisite and a minimum, you as parents must commit that your family will follow the Precepts of the Catholic Church. These are the bare minimum requirements for a Catholic to be in good standing with the Church.The Precepts of the Catholic Church are:
1. You shall attend Mass on Sundays and on holy days of obligation and rest from servile labor on those days.
2. You shall confess your sins at least once a year.
3. You shall receive the sacrament of the Eucharist at least during the Easter season.
4. You shall observe the days of fasting and abstinence established by the Church.
5. You shall help to provide for the needs of the Church.At our parish, Sacrament Preparation (for baptized children) is normally a three-year process culminating with the reception of the sacraments of Confirmation and First Holy Eucharist in the Spring of the third year.
Year 1- (Grade 1 and/or 6 years or older): Home preparation
1. Register online for Families of Faith below
2. OPTION 1 - Home Preparation only - Complete the 1st book in the “Our Holy Faith” Series (St Augustine Academy Press) at home with your child. In-person classes are not required for this option (the Registration fee helps cover the cost of the books)
3. OPTION 2 - Home Preparation with in-person classes - Your child attends class once a month while parents go to the parent Class, and the family works though the “A Family of Faith” books together at home (the Registration fee helps cover the cost of the books)
* Please select the appropriate option on the online registration form for the option you want so that the correct books can be ordered for your family.
Formal preparation for the Sacraments generally begins at age 7 or Grade 2 in our diocese, but of course the hope is that your child’s heart and mind are being prepared in the home even from birth with the faithful and gentle teaching and example of the parents. When this is the case, the child comes to formal sacrament preparation with a fertile and receptive heart, ready to learn more about what the Church teaches and what we believe.Year 2- (typically Grade 2): Preparation for First Penance
1. Register online for Families of Faith below
2. Registration fees include the purchase of the Baltimore Catechism and “A Family of Faith” books (Sophia Institute Press)
3. At least one parent and the child must attend monthly classes at the parish.
Year 3- (typically Grade 3): Preparation for Confirmation and First Holy Eucharist1. Register online for Families of Faith below
2. Registration fees include the purchase of the Baltimore Catechism and “A Family of Faith” books (Sophia Institute Press)
3. At least one parent and the child must attend monthly classes at the parish.
4. The child must attend the Confirmation / First Holy Eucharist mini retreat in the Spring to help ensure that the child is sufficiently prepared for the reception of both Confirmation and First Holy Eucharist in late Spring.Once your child has received all sacraments of initiation, it is no longer required for the child and parent to attend monthly catechesis classes, although it is highly encouraged that the family continue to come to monthly classes. This helps the family remain active in the parish community and it helps with continuing growth and knowledge in our beautiful Catholic Faith through on-going catechesis for the whole family. Parents are welcome and encouraged to come to the parent classes even if they do not have a child in a class.
RCIA for Older Children
Children in Grades 4-8 who have not yet received all the sacraments of initiation are technically in “RCIA”, having not received those sacraments at the normal age in our diocese (third grade). The attend class monthly while their parents attend the parent class. If your child is in “RCIA”, and is preparing for one or more sacraments, the requirements are:
1. Register online for Families of Faith below
2. Registration fees include the purchase of the Baltimore Catechism and “A Family of Faith” (Sophia Institute Press)
3. At least one parent and the child must attend monthly classes at the parish.
4. The child must attend the mini retreat in the Spring to help ensure your child will be sufficiently prepared for the reception of all sacraments.
*Unbaptized children in grades 4+ will receive sacrament preparation in one year with the goal of receiving all of the sacraments of initiation at the Easter Vigil in April.
Baptized children in grades 4+ will prepare for one year with the goal of receiving sacraments with the younger children in late Spring.Faith Formation Registration Fees for 2023-2024 Academic Year
The registration fees below help offset the cost to the Parish for purchasing the necessary books.
- For families with one child in Faith Formation $25
- For families with two children in Faith Formation $50
- For families with three or more children in Faith Formation $75
The Registration Fee may be mailed in or brought with you to the first in-person class.
* Please Note: no family will be denied participation due to financial hardship and inability to cover the Registration Fee; scholarships are available. Please contact us if you are unable to pay the fee.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read through the above information. Please complete the online registration form and acknowledgement below: