Family Faith Formation

walking together with Jesus striving for Holiness

Welcome to Faith Formation for Elementary Families

Our Mission:

To walk with Jesus and us as a family striving for holiness

Our Vision:

Building disciple families for the ages

Our Promises:

Feel Welcomed

Feel Loved

Receive Jesus

You are part of the Family

Our Core Values:

Humble Service

Joyful Faith

Generous Hospitality

Spiritual Innovation

"Hear, O Isreal: The LORD our God the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

(Deuteronomy 6:4-7)

God is calling each of us into a closer relationship with Him. He created us for a special purpose - to love Him and to love others. The catechism says we were created to "know Him. To love Him. To serve Him in this lifetime and in heaven."


He created us with a hole in our heart that only He can fill. All the other things that we enjoy doing, like sports, music, dance, games, etc. are all things that we use to try to fill that hole. They will always fall short, because only God can bring us true happiness and peace.


Our goal for St. Patrick Family Faith Formation is for you to recognize the call of God in your life. Your Vocation, whether it is as a spouse, parent, single, ordained Priest or Brother or Sister, is valuable and a gift from God.


As a parent, your call is to create Disciples. How can you create disciples, if you are not one yourself? It starts with you! You are the role model for your children. How you live or do not live out your faith in the home is what your children will learn.

DISCIPLES CREATE DISCIPLES

What We Offer:

RCIA adapted for children- If you have a child or children 7 years or older who need to be baptized, they will be fully initiated into the Church and receive Baptism, First Eucharist, and Confirmation. Parents and children complete sacrament preparation together.


Reconciliation (Confession) and Eucharist (First Communion)- As you register your child for Faith Formation, you'll notice the questions: "Is your child ready to prepare for the sacraments of Reconciliation and Eucharist?" View the chart above to see if you think your child is ready for these sacraments.


Teen Confirmation - Teens are part of the St. Patrick Youth (SPY) ministry. Parents/Sponsors and Teens complete Confirmation Readiness together.


Lifelong Faith Formation opportunities - If you and your family have already received these sacraments and want to grow as disciples - we offer Discipleship small groups.


If you have any questions, please contact Nancy Longo, Director of Faith Formation at ff@stpatrickhutto.org or Luisa Lerma (Spanish) ffadmin@stpatrickhutto.org.

The Pathway to get started:

  • Pre-Sacrament Preparation - typically 1st or 2nd graders
  • Immediate Sacrament Preparation - have completed step 1
  • Post-Sacrament Preparation - 3-5th graders who have completed the first two steps.

The beginning of this process starts with a Kerygma Retreat for Parents:

To Kick off the process, we need to understand the Good News and the invitation that God is giving us to grow closer to Him, to change our lives and follow Him. Therefore, the parents need to attend a Kerygma Konnection retreat. It is a one-day retreat designed to share the Good News of Jesus in a way that is invitational for you to say yes to a deeper relationship with God through Jesus and the Holy Spirit.

After you attend the Kerygma Retreat, you will be given a registration link to register your family for our Faith Formation Process which includes the whole family.


Kerygma Konnection Retreat for Parents

What does the process look like?

Children attend small groups with other children their own age and a catechist who will share the Good News of Jesus through scripture, catechism, prayer and liturgy. Each child will have their own Bible that they will learn to navigate and use to prepare them to be a true disciple of Jesus. The goal is for each child to have a relationship with God. To love God and to love others. We do that by reading Scripture, understanding what the Catechism teaches us, as well as learning different ways to pray and how to live out each lesson at home and at school.


At the same time the children are in small groups, the parents attend small groups with other parents who are in the same process of faith. Each week the goal is to grow more in love with God and each other. We do that by praying with scripture (bring your Bibles), the catechism, prayer and meaningful discussions about how to live this particular lesson out in your daily lives.


Family Faith Interview:

This is a check-in  with each family through a 20-30 minute visit to discover where you are along the path and to help you discern the best pathway for your family.

Registration:

You will need to register into the pathway that best fits your family's situation. This will occur after the first two steps are taken and the retreat has been attended. We will be registering for the new school year in July.



The Pathway Begins!


We will begin in October, 2024 with small group sessions. Dates will be announced when registration opens in early July.

FAITH SHARING EVENTS AROUND THE PARISH

Highlights and Upcoming Events:

  • Kerygma Retreat (required for new families, suggested for current families) dates listed below
  • Core Discipleship Retreat (open to all parishioners, encouraged for current families) dates listed below
  • Vacation Bible School - July 8 - 12th 9:30am - 12:30pm
  • The P.U.B. (Prayer Unites Brothers) second Tuesday of the month from 7:30-9:00pm. Open to all men
  • The W.E.L.L. (Women Eucharistically Living Life) - meets the fourth Tuesday of the month from 7-9pm. All women ages 5th grade and up are welcome!

WE NEED YOUR HELP!

Jesus Called the Original 12 to follow Him. They did not know what that would mean, but they said "Yes". When Jesus was ascended into heaven, he left us a continued mission:


"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you." (Matthew 28:19-20)


This call continues from Jesus to us! Who disciples you? Who are you discipling? Parents disciple their children. This is our mission.

How can YOU help?

Here are our current needs - prayerfully consider if God is asking you to help us:

  • Parent Small Group Catechists- Lead a small group, connecting with them by calling and/or emailing if they miss a week, or if someone is going through trials and needs prayers. Each group should have 4-6 parents.
  • Child Small Group Catechists- Work with children by age groups. The groups will be between 5-8 children. Weekly communications with parents to check in and connect with them in a faith-filled, intentional manner.
  • Spanish Coordinators - Help with Spanish Lessons, communication with catechists and parents. Help with all aspects of Faith Formation formation for Spanish community.
  • RCIC Team Wednesdays, grade 3-5th - We will work together praying, and planning a curriculum and plan to  help our children and parents be properly disposed to receive the sacraments of Initiation.
  • RCIC Team for Middle School and High School - If you like working with older children and want to be involved, please contact Nancy at ff@stpatrickhutto.org.
  • Children's Activity Team - this team will take the lesson theme for the week and help provide various hands-on activities for our Kindergarten and 1st grade children to help make the lesson fun and spiritual.
  • Sacramental Prep - Year 2 team - Help coordinate the special activities for our Year 2 children and families (retreats, interviews, etc)
  • Post Sacrament Team - Grades 3-5 - This team will take the lesson theme for the week and help provide various hands-on activities and prayer activities for our third, fourth and fifth grade children to help make the lesson more relevant and spiritual as they grown into their pre-teen years.
  • Hospitality Team - this team will plan, coordinate and execute the food for the Wednesday Faith Formation Nights. They are responsible for set up, tear down, and clean up.
  • Childcare Team - This team will be responsible for the care of younger children not old enough for the program.
  • Admin Team - This team helps with attendance, registration, newsletters, etc. This is background work and can be done mostly at home.
  • Coordinating Home Group Team - Help coordinating the follow-up and outreach for these home group parents connecting them back to the church community.
  • Interviewing Team -  Interviewing Sacrament Families at the beginning of the year and for each Sacrament (usually after the retreat)


Has the Lord been speaking to you through these opportunities? Please reach out the Nancy at ff@stpatrickhutto.org if God is calling you to help with our Faith Formation Team or sign up here: https://www.cognitoforms.com/StPatrickHutto1/FaithFormationElementaryTeamSignUps

The Sacraments:

Gifts of Faith

Through the sacraments, Heaven comes, not just to visit, but to live with us and in us. In the sacraments we are graced.


Living a sacramental life is the great gift and calling of every Catholic. In a busy and demanding world, sometimes we forget how powerful and healing they can be and how much we really need them.


Even if you and your family have received sacraments, come and explore in greater depth the goodness of the Lord.

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