A Family of Faith (Kinder-7th)
Based on the Pillars of the Catechism of the Catholic Church
This Fall begins Volume IV of the Catechism: Christian Prayer
Online Registrations are now LIVE!
Scroll down to “How to Register Online”
First Class of the 2024-2025 Faith Formation Year is Oct 2, 2024
A significant goal learned from the pandemic is that we must implement a curriculum that first honors parents as the first and proper teachers to their children in matters of faith and morality. Second, we must retain the tradition of the gathered classroom that reinforces the need to witness and share their faith experience in the midst of community.
VOLUME IV: CHRISTIAN PRAYER
Your children will understand that in prayer, they are never alone. To pray is to be in relationship with the One who will never abandon us. Prayer is a gift from God; the One who initiates our response to His call.
“Whether we realize it or not, prayer is the encounter of God’s thirst with ours. God thirsts that we may thirst for him” (CCC 2560)
Over the course of this year we will discuss the Church’s prayer traditions, prayer in salvation history, the Our Father, praying to the Virgin Mary, praying with Scripture, the battle of prayer and praying with the Communion of Saints.
Parents will be formed in the Faith and be equipped to lead their children in prayer.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS
The school year begins with Textbook Pick-up and Parent Orientations.
Textbook Pick-Up Sat, Sep 7 || 10:00 am – Noon || Aquinas Rm, Ministry Center
Textbook Pick-Up Sun, Sep 8 || 10:00 pm – 12:30 pm || Aquinas Rm, Ministry Center
Textbook Pick-Up Mon, Sep 9 || 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm || Aquinas Rm, Ministry Center
September 16th || Mary Magdalene Rm
6:00 pm – 6:45 pm || New Parent Orientation
6:45 pm – 7:30 pm || Sacrament Prep YR 1 Orientation
September 17th || Mary Magdalene Rm
6:00 pm – 6:45 pm || New Parent Orientation
6:45 pm – 7:30 pm || Sacrament Prep YR 2 Orientation
First Class Gathering: October 2, 2024
Gathering Time: 6:00 PM-7:30 PM
See Campus Map (below) for class locations
Kindergarten: TBD
1st Grade: TBD
2nd Grade: TBD
3rd Grades: TBD
4th-5th Grades: TBD
6th-7th Grades: TBD
CHURCH CAMPUS MAP (Click Here)
A New Way to Think About Religious Education
One of the significant lessons learned from the pandemic is that there are certain ways in which children learn that is proper to the classroom from that which is proper to the home.
St. Dominic’s is excited to introduce A Family of Faith as that model of learning to help develop strong Catholic families in which children learn by experiencing the joys of following Jesus Christ and the truths of our Faith through the witness of Christian life given by their parents. A Family of Faith is a four-year cycle of family formation, where parents are given a detailed picture of authentic and vibrant Catholic family life, and given the tools to help them succeed at being the religious educators that they already are. Family Faith Formation will support parents in the religious formation and education of their children through instruction, prayer experiences, retreats, and community building events.
How it Works
A Family of Faith follows a four-year cycle: one pillar of the Catechism is covered per year from September through May. Parents are given a detailed picture of authentic and vibrant Catholic family life, the tools to implement this life in their home, and age-appropriate readings, games, crafts, and other activities to help them deepen among their children a love for Christ and His Church.
Each year is self-contained, and so families may join at any time in the cycle. After four years, families will have been guided through the entirety of the Catechism and will have developed a broad understanding of the Church’s teachings. Families then cycle through the program again in order to deepen their knowledge and develop the habits needed for life-long spiritual growth.
Structure: How We Meet
Families commit to bringing their children to St. Dominic’s School twice per month in the classroom setting with a parish catechist; once at the beginning of each month to orient learning goals and again at the end of each month to review learning outcomes and share home activities. This structural change is to benefit the building up of community, encouraging families to pray for one another and share faith.
Age vs Grade Levels?
Although you will register your child by grade level (Kinder-7th grades) the Parent’s Guide presents material by recommended age levels. Parents know their children’s learning ability best and can assess what the curriculum recommends versus what each child is able to comprehend. For convenience, parents will drop-off and pick-up their child in their grade level classroom, however during the instruction hour children may be grouped by age-range or by their chosen monthly project.
Sacrament Preparation
All students must be baptized and enrolled in our program for two years to properly prepare for First Reconciliation and First Holy Communion
The Diocese of Sacramento requires all children preparing for their First Reconciliation and First Holy Communion receive two years of religious formation. Children receive First Holy Communion (Holy Eucharist) and First Reconciliation (Confession) in their second year of religious instruction in our parish school or through the Parish Religious Education Program. These sacraments are generally received in the second grade as the majority of students begin their religious formation in 1st grade. Children entering religious formation for the first time at grade levels beyond 2nd grade may do so with the same two-year preparation requirement.
In the second year of sacrament preparation, parents will complete a series of digitally-based sacramental formation programs to further strengthen the family’s understanding of the sacramental life. These programs are streamed into home electronic devices (PC, Tablet, SmartPhone, SmartTV) using a free subscription service provided by the parish through Formed.org (Click Here).
Your child will also receive a copy of the Blessed Series from Dynamic Catholic, a wonderful story-based sacramental preparation program. Consistent with the Church’s belief that parents are the first and best teachers of the faith to their children, St. Dominic’s intend to use this series as the “home-based” text for preparing their children for the sacraments of Reconciliation and Holy Communion.
The 8th & 9th Grades are eligible to enroll into our 2-Year Confirmation Preparation Program. Information about the Confirmation program, its schedule and registration process can be found on our Confirmation webpage or by (clicking here).
Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA) Adapted for Children
Families who present to St. Dominic’s Church an unbaptized child (8 years of age and older) for the sacrament of baptism are, by virtue of their child’s age, their child’s desire, and without any law prohibiting, entitled to be fully initiated into the Church by conferral of the sacraments of Baptism, Holy Eucharist, and Confirmation, at the proper time.
The proper time consist of a two-year process of formation in St. Dominic’s Faith Formation program coincident with the proper observance of the rites celebrated in the RCIA Adapted For Children in the child second year of formation culminating in the conferral of all the sacraments of initiation at the Easter Vigil. Unbaptized children in the parish religious education program will receive supplemental “initiatory” formation alongside the mainstream religious education curriculum.
Fully initiated children continue their religious education along with their peers as part of their overall need for continuous learning that is required to cooperate with and perfect the sacraments received.
How to Register Online:
Online registration and tuition payment by PayPal is the most expedient way to register! You may also download, print and or drop-off completed forms at our Parish Office or mail (USPostal) to St. Dominic’s Church, Attention: Deacon Errol Kissinger, 475 East I Street, Benicia, CA 94510. You may register in person by picking-up a registration packet from our Parish Office.
New & Returning Student Online Registration (PayPal Enabled)
Click the following link to register online: (Click Here)
New & Returning Student Online Non-PayPal Enabled Registration (Check, Online Giving, or Cash). Click the following link to register online: (Click Here)
Registration not confirmed until payment has been verified.
TUITION (REGISTRATION IS NOT ACCEPTED WITHOUT PAYMENT):
General Tuition – $90/per child
2nd Year of Sacrament Tuition – $120/per child
General Tuition + $30 = $120
Tuition is $90 in the first year and $120 in the second year
Children who fall under this category are those who are in the second year of preparing for First Reconciliation & Holy Communion or RCIA Adapted for
Children
*Preparation for 1st Communion is a 2-year process. The sacrament tuition is payable in the 2nd year or the school year in which your child will received his or her 1st Communion.
Remember Religious Education is Continuous
The expectation at St. Dominic’s is that each student acquires a basic understanding of Catholicism through continuous participation in religious education without a break in enrollment. Any break in continuous education will diminish your child’s ability to mature in their understanding of the faith and will leave them frustrated as they prepare for subsequent sacraments.
Volunteers
In order to provide quality education and faith development for our young people, we depend upon the full participation of our families through volunteering time and talent to our program.
We are happy to reduce the regular fees for those who volunteer to teach or aide. Please read/complete the following volunteer documents:
- Thank You for Volunteering Instructions (Click Here)
- Diocese of Sacramento Guidelines for Adults Working with Children/Youth (Click Here)
- Diocese of Sacramento Code of Pastoral Conduct (Click Here)
- Request for Live Scan Service (Click Here)
- Safe Haven (Click Here)
Blessings for a faith-filled year,
Brianne Dela Cruz
Director of Religious Education
Pay Tuition (Click Here)
If you have an Online Giving account, please login or create a new account, then choose Give a New Gift, then select Religious Education K-7 Payment) for tuition or select First Eucharist Payment for a sacrament fee.
Faith Formation for the Whole Family
Enjoy a free subscription to formed.org – an incredible online gateway to the best Catholic content, all in one place! Register at stdombenicia.formed.org
