St Elizabeth Ann Seton Religious Education

 Open Registration will begin at 7:00 am on Wednesday, June 10^th. 

With gathering restrictions still in place for an undetermined time, we have had to make some adjustments to our Summer Religious Education program.  Summer RE classes for all grades this year will meet online over the course of two weeks in July. 

For elememtary and middle school students, in addition to Summer and Wednesday nights, we have added a Family RE option.  We are still anticipating  to hold our fall classes in person on Wednesday nights and will make adjustments if needed as we move toward the fall.  High Schoolers will once again have three options: the two week summer program, Sunday mornings in the fall, or our traditional fall Wednesday night classes. 

Registration will again be done online and links will be up on the website on Wednesday, June 10th.  Please read the information below for details on each of theses options and contact Angie Bulman at abulman@seasp.org  if you have any questions.

 RE OPTION 1  - Family RE

The first summer option would be family led/ family small group instruction.  We will provide your family with 5 lessons that will include different readings, activities, videos and discussion questions that you can do as a family.  The materials are geared towards students in K-8^th grade.  Families would also be placed in small groups in order to discuss the lesson and grow in community with other families in the parish.  This would be at a slower pace giving families the opportunity to finish activities when all are gathered.  All lessons and materials would be provided.

RE OPTION 2 - Online Summer RE

The second summer option will be structured more like traditional Summer RE though it would take place the full two weeks instead of just the one, (July 13-17 and July 20-24)  and will meet totally online.  This option would be grade specific.  Families would pick up materials and lessons prior to the start.  Lessons would be divided into five parts.  They would work on the first part for a day and a half and then Zoom with other kids and teacher the afternoon or evening of the second day.  Then work on the second part the next day and a half and Zoom again and so on.  While this sounds like a lot we would be sure that the lessons were concise and the activities were easy to do at home, all materials would be provided.

RE OPTION 3 - Fall Classes

The third option would be to wait until fall and do a more traditional on-site Religious Ed experience.  We plan to hold fall classes similar to our past traditional program with adjustments to meet all the guidelines given by the CDC and local governments - so smaller classes, much more sanitation and so forth.  We would take cues from the schools and how they will be conducting classes, this will be developed in more detail as we understand better what the fall will look like.  High schoolers will also have the option to enroll in our Sunday Morning class that runs from September through November meeting between the Masses. 

If meeting in the Fall sounds more appealing but not sure on-site does, please pick the traditional Wednesday and then reach out to me.

2020-2021 RE PROGRAM FEES

Family RE      $120/family
1 Grade specific class    $120
2 Grade specific classes OR Family RE + 1 grade specific class      $160
3+ Grade specific classes OR Family RE + 2 or more Grade specific classes     $200
 

Additional Formation Expectations:

In addition to religious education classes, we ask that our families participate in additional activities to help grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ.  This year we are focusing on what it means to be a disciple of Jesus through the four characteristics of discipleship;
Pray, Learn, Share & Witness.

2019-20 RE Expectations Sheet  

See the information below for more details on each of the characteristics

PRAY

Growing disciples have a daily commitment to prayer and “in the Liturgy, all Christian prayer finds its source and goal.” (CCC, no. 1073) Sunday Liturgy is the cornerstone of our faith and we want to encourage you to dive deeper into the Mass by reflecting on the Gospel and homily during one of our three message series.  These will take place in the fall, as well as during Advent and Lent.  After your family attends Mass, you should take some time to discuss what you heard and experienced and then share your thoughts on our Mass Reflection form on the parish website.  

LEARN

Growing disciples are continuous learners. Our faith is rich with information and tradition that spans centuries, there is always something new to learn about our faith and about ourselves.  We provide opportunities for you to do this learning as a family in hopes of enriching what your child learns in the classroom.  We offer a number of options for you to attend and ask that you plan ahead and make it a priority.  This year our Super Family Sundays are geared more to families with younger students, and our Sing Worship and Pray (SWP) are geared towards families with older students.

SHARE

Growing disciples are generous with their time.  As our newly canonized Saint Teresa of Calcutta said “faith in action is love and love in action is service”.  We are encouraging you to take these words to heart.  As a family we would like you to find a way to put your time and talents to use in our parish and local community.  Once you have done so, you will reflect on the experience together and share with us by filling out our Service Reflection form on the website.
 

 WITNESS

Growing disciples invite others to grow spiritually through example.  You are an example of discipleship to your family and are the primary teachers of the faith; but you cannot share what you do not have. We encourage you to take time in your life to nurture your faith and in so doing be a witness to your family. We have a number of ways in which you can do that, and if you are already doing something to nurture your faith, let us know what it is.

Possible Adult Formation Opportunities- Parents should attend one:

Possible Family Formation Opportunities- Families should attend one:

• Super Family Sunday Events - November 2019 
• Parish Renewal - April 5, 2020

Although we are unable to gather as a large parish community in the upcoming weeks, it is still important to stay connected to the practice of our faith.  To do this, we strongly encourage you to gather with your family to share and reflect on the Sunday Readings.  The link below provides the Sunday Scripture Readings with background and age leveled reflection materials. 

Loyola Press Sunday Connection

Although we can't worship together in person, we can connect virtually through the many resources we have available. 

One of the resources is the Life Teen website. They have podcasts and worship playlists so you can continue receiving God's Word in virtual ways.
 
Also, don't miss out journeying with us virtually by following us on Facebook and Instagram, and subscribing to our channel on Youtube. 

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton’s Religious Education program is always looking for catechists, assistant catechists and substitutes who are interested in sharing their love of God and learning more about their faith with our students.  We offer a variety of opportunities both during the school year (Wednesday evening and Sunday morning) and in the summer.  If you are interested in learning more please contact Angie Bulman at abulman@seasp.org or 393-3778.