Children & Youth Ministry
-
- Catechesis of the Good Shepherd
- Grades 1-5
- Middle School, Grades 6-8
- High School Grades, 9 & 10
- Sacrament Prep
-
Overview
Catechesis of the Good Shepherd originated in Rome in the 1950's. CGS invites children into a loving relationship with Jesus the Good Shepherd. They learn about the beautiful Catholic liturgy and sacred scripture. The Montessori method allows children to work with beautiful hand made materials. The Holy Spirit is the teacher and trained catechists serve as guides.
Visit the following website to learn more about this method:
https://www.cgsusa.org/We currently offer CGS for Preschool through 2nd grade!Level 1: Preschool and kindergarten (ages 3-6) meets Sundays 8:45 - 10:15 or Fridays 8:15 - 9:45Level 2: 1st and 2nd grade (ages 6-9) meets Wednesdays 3:30 - 5:00Also, we welcome adults to participate in this ministry by serving as lead catechists or assistants.
Click to download our 2024-2025 CalendarCONTACT USContact Rachel Witthoft at [email protected] if you are interested in having your child participate in CGS or ways to support this ministry.
-
OverviewWelcome to out Elementary Faith Formation Program!We love partnering with parents to help raise children in the Catholic faith and grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ!Here is a basic overview of our program:
- Classes are on Sunday mornings from 9:00 - 10:15 am at St. Anne School.
- We begin with large group time in the gym from 9:00 - 9:15 am and then the children go to their individual classes from 9:15-10:15 am.
- Our catechists are volunteers who love children and have a desire to pass on the truths of our Catholic faith! Thank you for supporting them in this special role!
We use the following curriculum:Grades 1 & 2: Spirit of Truth by Sophia InstituteGrades 3, 4, & 5: A Family of Faith by Sophia InstituteWe like to celebrate important times of the liturgical year and often will invite families to join in the celebrations as well! A calendar will be distributed to each family at the family kick-off weekend.
We're excited to meet your family and welcome your child/ren to our program!
-
OverviewOur Middle School Faith Formation program utilizes “The Edge”, an exciting, non-classroom youth ministry model that seeks to lead students closer to Christ! This curriculum is designed by LifeTeen, a national leader in Catholic youth ministry. Say goodbye to desks, workbooks, and individual instructors. Say hello to interactive, relevant material that is led by a solid adult Core Team who unite to evangelize, catechize, and energize our youth.
Each night includes:Gather – The students are warmly greeted by our team from the moment they walk in the door. After some time of socializing or playing some ball in the gym, our night officially begins. During the Gather, students participate in a game or activity that introduces the theme of the night in an interactive, engaging way. We pray together, and get ready for a great night!
Proclaim – During the Proclaim, one of the Core Team members introduces the topic for the night and gives a 5-10 minute talk on this theme. We strive to proclaim the Truth of Catholic teachings while presenting the Gospel in a relevant, meaningful way. Short videos and pictures are used when possible to enhance the presentation.
Break – Next comes many students’ favorite part of the night: small group time! During small group, students meet in age- and gender-specific groups to take the theme of the night, break it open, and discuss how it relates to their lives. The small group leaders strive to build positive relationships with their students, and often students have the same leader all three years they are in middle school!
Send – At the end of the night, we gather again as a large group to send the students on their way. We end with a closing prayer utilizing popular Christian songs, quiet prayer, Adoration, or traditional Catholic prayers like the Rosary and other devotions. The students are encouraged to deepen their prayer lives and to fully enter into this time of prayer. The night ends with a weekly challenge to the youth for something they can do to live out the theme of the night in their lives.
-
OverviewOur high school students gather in gender-specific small groups each week where they are known, loved, and cared for. These small groups are designed to be a safe place for youth to ask questions, be challenged, grow as Catholics, and be inspired. We use YDisciple as our primary resource, which offers relevant, authentic videos to communicate the truths of our Catholic faith in an engaging way. These videos are meant to be a springboard into meaningful discussion and sharing, while encouraging the youth to incorporate practices into their lives so that they may be Jesus’ disciples here on earth.
High school small groups are led by loving, caring adults who are striving to live as Jesus’ disciples themselves. These adults have made a strong commitment to the youth in their small groups to walk with them on this journey.
Parents are invited to view the YDisciple videos, which are available on Formed.org using the following instructions:
- Go to www.formed.org
- Click “Sign Up”
- Click “Sign up as a parishioner”
- Find St. Anne’s – Somerset on the drop-down menu.
- Every time you sign in, click the “sign in” button on the top. They may send you an email to click on to get into the website.
- To get to YDisciple programs:
- On the home page, scroll down to “School at Home”
- Click on YDisciple.
- There is a grey drop-down menu in the middle of the page. Find the study you want, and click on it.
-
OverviewDear 1st and 2nd Grade Parents:
How exciting….your child will be preparing to grow in their faith and begin preparing for two very special sacraments: Sacrament of First Reconciliation (Confession) and First Eucharist (Communion). This letter is to help parents learn about the commitment and requirements necessary for your child to prepare to receive these sacraments.
Key elements of preparation for First Reconciliation and First Eucharist are:
- Regular worship at Sunday Mass
- Participation in Sunday Faith Formation classes (either in the parish or at a Catholic school)
- Participation in the two sacrament retreats
- Completion of sacrament books at home
- Two consecutive years of preparation prior to receiving First Eucharist (this is typically 1st and 2nd grade; however, we do work with children who are older as well)
What does the two-year preparation period look like?
Year One:
The first year, the child is enrolled in the appropriate class for their school grade. Although this is usually 1st grade, a student can be a ‘year one’ student in any grade. This first year concentrates on learning about the Faith at the appropriate grade level, beginning to understand and appreciate the Mass, the Commandments, and forgiveness.
Year Two:
The second year, the child enrolls in the appropriate grade. Although this is usually 2nd grade, a student can be a ‘year two’ student in any grade. In conjunction with attending appropriate grade level classes, the child is enrolled in the Sacrament Preparation Program. The sacramental preparation includes classroom instruction (to teach the basics of our faith), at home instruction from sacramental textbooks (to engage in family faith formation), and two retreats (to reinforce material in the sacramental textbooks).
Below is a general outline of the meetings/events you and/or your child will be required to attend for Year Two:
First Reconciliation
- Parent Meeting (Parents only)
- Retreat (one evening) (Parents/Child)
- First Reconciliation (Parents/Child)
(note this is a Saturday morning)
First Eucharist
- Parent Mtg (Parents only) – January (Date TBD)
- Retreat (one evening) (Parents/Child)– February or March (Date TBD)
- First Eucharist – (Parents/Child) - April (TBD)
The primary preparations for these sacraments will take place in your home. Each family will receive a set of books and access to on-line videos to use for these preparations. Class time will be used to teach the children about the basic concepts of these sacraments as well as other faith formation subjects.
The cost of materials for sacrament preparation this year is as follows:
First Reconciliation Book: $10.00
First Eucharist Book: $10.00
First Eucharist Banner: $15.00
________
$35.00
Parish Contribution - 10.00
Total Due Per Child $25.00
This amount may be paid in full now or you can make arrangements with Rachel. Checks should be made out to St. Anne’s Church. If you are concerned about payment for these materials, please talk to me or Deacon Larry. No one will be turned away due to a financial hardship.
We look forward to partnering with you during this most holy year,
Rachel McGurran
Contact: 651-329-3083 or [email protected]