The Family Faith Program uses a combination of five models of catechesis.

Parish-Based Catechesis

Strong encouragement to participate in parish-based catechesis ensures that children “participate fully in the life of the local church.” Children are exposed to diverse expressions and ways of living their faith, promoting inclusiveness. The catechists are parishioners and parents/guardians who feel the call to serve in this ministry and teach in classrooms.

Home-Based Catechesis

We have this model when children cannot attend on a specific Sunday or in exceptional circumstances when, for example, the child cannot attend our sessions. For the latter case, the family must discuss home teaching with the director of religious education, Luz Marina Diaz. When teaching catechesis at home, you have all the resources needed: textbooks, the digital portal, and the catechists’ lesson plans, which you can access here. Teaching in the classroom or at home is just one element of catechesis. The other three elements of catechesis are liturgy, community services, and parish social events.

Family Prayer Celebration: families participate in a Catholic devotion or another Catholic prayer service together. We offer two main opportunities for this model: All Souls Day and the Stations of the Cross. Family Mass, CLOW, and Mass Class are under this model.

Activity-Centered Family Catechesis: families participate in an arts & crafts activity together that offers a Catholic moral/theological teaching and/or practice. We offer this model of catechesis with the Advent Wreath Event.

Family Christian Service Project:  The Family Faith program offers opportunities to perform community services.

Opportunities to serve the community include volunteering at the 9 a.m. Mass on Sundays as lectors, hospitality ministers, Eucharistic Ministers, acolytes, and the Family Faith Choir.  Community services are now scheduled at the Welcome Table for each grade, and parents are welcome to participate in them. Information about services outside this time frame will be provided. Following up on community service with reflection at home and in the classroom is vital. A way to engage in community service-learning experience is by using the “What, So What, and Now What Model.”

We use Sadlier’s “Christ in US” for Grades K–7. This, as all the books used in religious education programs, is built on the four pillars of the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

Faith (God, Trinity, Incarnation, Church, Mary, Communion of Saints, Creed, Old Testament and New Testament, Jesus Teachings), how we express our faith (liturgy and sacraments,) how we live our faith (corporal and spiritual works of mercy, community services), and how we pray our faith (Christian prayer: Ignatian Contemplation, Lectio Divina, Centering Prayer, Meditation, Our Father, etc.) are the four pillars.

Christ In Us is based on three dimensions of evangelization and catechesis: encounter with Christ, accompaniment, and missionary discipleship. As stated in the Directory for Catechesis, to put it simply:
Come and See — Encounter
Follow Me — Accompany
Remain in Me — Community
Ministry — Send

The movements described above are closely related to Ignatian Spirituality. If you have undergone the Spiritual Exercises of Loyola in either the 19th or 20th annotation format, you may recognize these movements in the four weeks of Ignatius Loyola’s Spiritual Exercises.

Each lesson of Christ in Us leads children through a three-part movement that guides their faith formation: Encounter, Accompany, and Witness. A spiral curriculum leads children through a process of inquiry-posing an essential question of faith for each unit and lesson. As every year builds on faith concepts in developmentally appropriate ways, essential questions recur in all grades, deepening understanding and making our children discerners.

Confirmation candidates use “Christ in US” for Grade 7 and the YOUCAT Confirmation book. YOUCAT is a concise little book that covers everything from whether God exists to confession and what happens during the sacrament of confirmation. The situations that are used to explain faith concepts are interesting for the kids, and most meet them where they are in their lives. There are references to scripture in the margins; this is a wonderful way to get kids familiar with the Bible and teach them how to find things in it. This book is an immense help to reach kids where they are and help them to discern. The YOUCAT Foundation is a non-profit organization and subsidiary of the papal relief agency Aid to the Church in Need. It operates selflessly and pursues exclusively charitable purposes. It receives no government or church agencies grants and is financed by donations and book sales.

DYFF-Guidelines-Grades-Seven-Eight-Complete.pdf (archny.org)

Christ In Us™ – Scope & Sequence (School)

YOUCAT Confirmation Book Content