Religious Education

Director of Religious Education

Denise Bartlett
(860) 643-9178, ext.104
Religious Education Email

Class Times

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday

8:45 AM - 10:00 AM 6:45 PM -   8:00 PM 3:20 PM -   4:45 PM 3:20 PM -   4:45 PM

Grades pre-K to 6     Grades 6-8     Grades K-5     Grades K-5

9th Grade and 10th Grade (Confirmation) classes meet on the 1st and 3rd Sunday evenings of each month, from 7:00 to 8:30 PM.

For cancellation information during bad weather, call 643-9178 or refer to our winter snow policy.

Our catechetical formation and Religious Education Program is a journey toward a deeper understanding of our Catholic beliefs and traditions. An awareness to accept the faith in which we have been baptized and the effective catechesis (teaching) of God's word. The gospel is passed on person to person, not book to book. The catechist who passes on the message of the gospel is OUR GIFT. The gospel tells the stories, but the catechist must make them real in the way they interact with their students.

Volunteer opportunities

1. Teach a class.
2. Help in a class with special projects or be paired with a teacher to share ideas.
3. Substitute for a catechist.
4. Help children with special needs.
5. Plan liturgies for children.
6. Join the Religious Education Committee of the Parish Ministry Team.
7. Plan programs and activities for adults.

Conduct

We ask that students conduct themselves during religious education just as they would at their elementary or junior or senior high schools by being attentive, involved and well-behaved. Hats, baseball caps, etc. are not to be worn in the building at any time. No gum or candy is allowed in the church or classrooms.

Attendance

Our goal is perfect attendance. If there is a genuine need to miss class, please call the office. Sports and social activities should not be allowed to interfere with your child's religious education.

Punctuality

Classes begin at the stated times. Plan to arrive 5 minutes early so that class may begin on time without the interruptions caused by late arrivals.

Parent Commitment

We ask the parents to talk to their children about what they are learning in Religious Education Classes. We are sharing the responsibility for your child's education and want to enrich and build upon what is being done in the home.

Registration

We ask that students re-register every year. Please do not assume that a place will be reserved for your child on a certain day. It is often necessary to close classes in order to balance class enrollment.

Activities

We ask for your assistance and support for the various functions planned throughout the year, including Children's Liturgies, speakers, Penance services, and special projects. Watch "Bart's Herald" and the weekly church bulletin for notices of upcoming activities.

Curriculum

Kindergarten The first year introduces God as Creator, with special emphasis placed on God as Love.
Grade One God is our Creator and loves us as our Father. Jesus came to tell us about God the Father and saves us through his life, death, and resurrection. The Holy Spirit shares the life of the risen Jesus Christ and forms the community of the Church. We know Jesus through personal prayer and by worshiping God together, especially in the celebration of the Eucharist. We can thank Jesus for the gift of himself and the Holy Spirit by obeying the Commandments, caring for one another, and caring for the world.
Grade Two God loves each of us and we are called to act on God's love for us by loving one another, by living as Jesus wants us to live. As we prepare for the Sacraments of Penance and Eucharist, we give special attention to examination of conscience, how to make a good confession and importance of preparation to receive Jesus Christ in Holy Communion.
Grade Three God creates us good and calls us to live in community. We emphasize the role of the Jesus calling us to a new way of life - what it means to be a faithful follower of Jesus and how close Jesus wants us to be with our Father. We learn how each of the sacraments deepens our relationship with God and how the theological virtues of faith, hope, and charity are the foundation for the moral choices we make as we grow to be like Jesus.
Grade Four God calls us to lead a moral life. He revealed the Ten Commandments to provide us with the parameters to live a life for God and others. Jesus taught us the Beatitudes and their relationship to living a Christian life. We give special attention to Sacraments of Healing and Sacraments at the Service of Communion as part of the moral dimension of our faith.
Grade Five Strengthened in sacramental life of the Church, we are better able to live like Jesus in making choices for God and others. We enter into a new way of life when we celebrate the Sacraments of Initiation. Through the sacraments we live more fully in the Holy Spirit as members of the Church, united in diversity under the magisterium. The fullness of our life in Jesus Christ will find completion at the Last Judgment when we face our Savior.
Grade Six We explore the history of salvation - from Creation, through the Old Testament, to its fulfillment in Jesus - as we share stories of our ancestors in faith: Abraham, Moses, David, and Solomon. We recognize the importance of the prophets as witnesses for God and their relevance to our own time. As followers of Jesus, we explore the meaning of the Psalms as the prayers of Jesus and the themes of Wisdom Literature that teach practical ways of living for God in everyday life. We find our connection to Christian worship from its roots in the Old Testament, and we learn of the special connection between the celebration of Passover and the celebration of the Eucharist. Important themes of Catholic Social Teaching call us to holiness, to care for the earth, and to act in the ways of justice.
Grade Seven Based on the film "Jesus of Nazareth," this series offers families and educators ample material for meaningful spiritual exercises. The program helps the students study the life of Jesus in detail using the resources of this powerful visualization as they examine the written texts on Christ's life, ministry, death and resurrection.
Grade Eight The young person is the starting point of adolescent catechesis. He or she has a story to tell, hopes and aspirations to be encouraged, and experiences to share. Therefore Living Our Faith meets young adolescents where they are, with materials that honor their experience and invite them to grow in their faith.

Confirmation

Grades Nine and Ten

High School begins a minicourse in exploring our Catholic faith. Each theme is solid doctrinal content with an interactive format. The teens will be helped to relate scripture to their lives and put their faith into practice.

The aim of this program is to help our young people bring their faith to the surface, to strengthen it, and to share it with others. This is well expressed in a poem:

1. Class Times

Confirmation Class is the first Sunday of every month from 6:00-8:30.

2. Attendance

Perfect attendance in the monthly Confirmation process is expected. This demonstrates that the candidate has the maturity required to participate in the program. Candidates must also attend parent/teen nights, retreats, two service events each year, and any special programs. If there is a family emergency and you are not able to attend class, please call the office. This is the procedure we will follow: Attend one youth group meeting and notify Vicky of attendance at this meeting.

3. Attendance at Liturgy

Since the family of God gathers together as a parish community at the weekly liturgy, candidates are expected to attend weekly liturgy. Frequent reception of Holy Eucharist and reception of the sacrament of Reconciliation are encouraged.

4. Stewardship and Service

Candidates are required to complete two service projects annually. Candidates have many opportunities to participate in parish service projects. The parish Confirmation preparation process attempts to provide opportunities of experiences which will help the candidates uncover and respond to basic human needs, while demonstrating Jesus' understanding of and response to humans in need.

5. Participation in days of prayer and retreat

Candidates will participate in a day retreat in the Spring of their freshman year and a retreat in the Fall of their sophomore year. The candidates may attend a weekend retreat. Retreats are sponsored by St. Bartholomew Youth Ministry Team in the winter.

6. Confirmation Name

As a candidate is initiated into the Church, he or she takes a saint name. It should be one which is in accord with the Christian spirit (a saint's name, other than a candidate's Baptismal name). A form with your reasons for choosing the saint is expected at the end of the preparation process.

7. Pastoral Guidelines for Parents (Archdiocesan Office)

The initiation of children into the sacramental life is for the most part the responsibility and concern of Christian parents. They are to form and gradually increase a spirit of faith in the children and, with the help of catechetical institutions, prepare them for the fruitful reception of the sacraments of Confirmation and the Eucharist. Where the faith of the parents is manifestly weak, the Confirmation of their children provides a teachable moment for spiritual renewal. However, the event should be viewed as an occasion for affirmation and hope, not challenge and confrontation.

8. Choosing a Sponsor

A sponsor should be chosen in the beginning of your freshman year so they can walk through your faith journey with you. A sponsor should be:

1. A practicing, faith-filled Roman Catholic adult who is confirmed.
2. Someone you feel free to talk with about a variety of topics, especially religion.
3. Willing to participate in the Confirmation process; willing to pray for the candidate.
4. A man or woman you respect and look up to.
5. Willing to share his or her experience of faith.

Consider especially:

• either of your godparents
• an aunt or uncle
• a neighbor
• a former religion teacher
• a teacher at school
• an active member of your parish
• an adult mentor

Parents may not be sponsors.