Thank you for making the Christian Faith the core of your children's development. Our ministry aims to help families make the love of Jesus Christ the foundation of their lives.
If you are new to St. Mary's, welcome! Please register your family as new parishioners by calling the parish office. If desired, St. Mary families can register online by PICKING THIS LINK.
We look forward to welcoming you and your family to our parish community. Baptismal information is needed for any first-time registrant who was not baptized at St. Mary's or Good Shepherd. To complete this form, you need a digital copy of your child’s baptismal certificate. If you’re having trouble, please reach out to Donna Featherstone.
RELIGIOUS EDUCATION CLASSES:
Our Religious Education program is a weekly format using the Spirit of Truth curriculum published by Sophia Institute Press. Formal classes will be held Sunday mornings immediately following the 9 a.m. mass.
Spirit and Truth is a comprehensive parish program including sacramental preparation for Reconciliation and First Communion.
Spirit of Truth provides interactive, catechist-led session plans every week, including vivid sacred art reflections, stories of the saints, games, role-plays, and critical thinking questions, to help capture and keep student's attention.
Spirit of Truth covers the breadth of the Catechism in a rich and age-appropriate way, to connect with students of diverse backgrounds and differing familiarity with the Catholic Faith.
While it's important for your students to understand our Faith, Spirit of Truth is designed to help them internalize the Faith and apply it to their own lives, providing ample opportunity for them to reflect on how everything they are learning applies to their own personal experience.
As a part of the Spirit of Truth program, an incredible online component is provided for families that include parent newsletters and absent student hand-outs.
Each month, we will have three sessions of 'formal' classes and one Religious Education sponsored Mass (as well as class). New this year, Mrs. Hay will host a once a month Parent Session utilizing materials from the Sophia Institute's Family of Faith program. These sessions will assist families in developing a stronger connection to what their children are learning in class. More information will be available soon! Please refer to the parish calendar for Religious Ed. dates and events.
SACRAMENTS:
We celebrate First Reconciliation and First Holy Communion at Good Shepherd and St. Mary parishes in the 2nd grade. A 1-year preparation period is to be completed by any child planning to receive their First Holy Communion. Should you be registering your child for 2nd grade, and have just moved to the area, please submit prior Religious Education documentation with your registration. Additional sacrament fees will be collected before the retreats. If your child is new to Catholic Religious Education, please contact Marybeth Hay or Donna Featherstone in the Religious Education Office (508) 278-3777.
2022-2023 TUITION:
$ 75 one child
$ 140 two children
$ 180 three or more children
The Religious Education Registration deadline is September 11th.
Payment can be made with a credit/debit card or checking account ACH online, or you can drop off/mail in your tuition via check/cash in the Parish Office. Your registration will not be processed until payment has been received.
Our new registration form is a bit different than last year. Please be aware of the following changes:
- if you are registering more than one child for class, please be sure to click the correct number of children in the "How many children are you registering?" field. *This will automatically poplulate the rest of the registration with the correct fields for each child.
- In the comment section, please be sure to include any additional information we should know about your child.
*(Examples: allergies, IEP/Special Needs, etc.)
- Be sure to read and sign the Religious Education Handbook acknowledgement form as well as the permission slip for students in the 6th, 7th and 8th grade if you are allowing them to enter and exit Religious Education unescorted. *(Located on the front page of the Religious Education section of the parish website)
No child will be turned away due to financial hardship. Tuition assistance is available.
Please contact the Religious Education Office.
Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it.
Proverbs 22:6