Year of Prayer
September 2009 - August 2010

Rejoice in the Lord always. 
Present your needs to God in every form of
prayer and petitions full of gratitude.
Phillipians 4;4,6b

We support growth in faith leading to a full response to God's Word throughout a lifetime. Every grade level, preschool through grade six, includes prayer, attention to God's word in sacraments with experience of those being ministered to. Parental involvement is key and encouraged. Communications is fostered with parents of children in grades 1-6 in the following ways. Each week written updates are provided to relate class experiences. Progress reports are given twice during the year. An "Open House" experience is offered to provide parents an opportunity to observe actual classes in session. Family celebrations are offered as part of sacrament preparation. A special celebration is planned for Advent which also invites the parish family and gives recognitions to seniors in the parish.

Another special family celebration takes place at the close of the year when children, families, and the parish family gather for a May coronation. During this end of the year celebration seniors of the parish family are acknowledged once again for their prayerful support of the children. Videos are available for parents to view weekly during each of the Tuesday's religious education hours. Special videos are planned for advent and lent for parents and the parish family's spiritual enrichment.

Children experience added affirmation and encouragement throughout the year when birthdays and good attendance of the children are acknowledged monthly. In addition, the children are encouraged to explore their faith more fully through reflections on the seasons in the church year by being invited to participate in contests. These contests six times a year provide young people the opportunity to add even more dimensions to their faith experience while exploring their Catholic Christian heritage.