Home Study Faith formation

(PREK3 through 12th grade)

 

Here at St. Laurence we firmly believe that  parents are the first and best teachers of their children in the ways of faith by what they say and do. The parish seeks to encourage, support, and equip parents and other loving adults to teach, pray, and celebrate the sacraments with the children God entrusted to their care. In this way our Catholic identity is strengthened in the current generation and is passed on to the next generation.

Since the needs of families vary widely, we offer several different models of faith formation hoping one will support your family.   One such faith formation option is the St. Laurence Home Study Faith Formation program which supports each parent's vocation as the first and best teacher of their children in the ways of faith in a very intentional way.  Parents who register for the Home Study Faith Formation  program are provided with resources and support to assist them in facilitating lessons at home with their children.  Additionally, these families are provided with weekly Lesson Outlines which providing an easy to follow one-room schoolhouse approach means of teaching their K - 5th grade children simultaneously.  Children in our Elementary Home Study Faith Formation program use the same materials as the weekly (in-person) Elementary Faith Formation children and are always invited (as well as strongly encouraged) to participate in any grade-level group religious education activities when offered in person. 

Families who choose to teach religious education at home in an intentional and systematic way have greater opportunities to share the Catholic faith and to grow deeper in their relationship with God, through Jesus, together.  This is perhaps the greatest benefit of the Home Study Faith Formation program for families who are committed to its process.  Families facilitating Home Study Faith Formation have also found an additional benefit, which is the flexibility of exploring lessons at their own pace and in accordance with their particular (and sometimes challenging) schedules. It is also a perfect opportunity for Catholic families to join together with others to form Home Study Faith Formation communities or groups for similarly aged children within their neighborhoods.  The possibilities of Home Study Faith Formation are endless in terms of growth for not only your children, but also yourselves.  As faith formation and practicing the Catholic faith becomes more deeply integrated into your family’s daily life you will experience the graces of strengthening your domestic church at home.
 

 

Additional information and instructions for Middle and High School Home Study Faith Formation participants can be found on the  EDGE and LIFE TEEN webpages of the parish website.
 

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   The registration deadline for all participants entering Home Study is

November 1st of every year.   

After November 1st each year, families are invited to come in and obtain Home Study materials (which they pay for) if they'd like to begin faith formation at home.   However, these participants would not receive full credit for the current formation year for purposes of sacramental preparation eligibility due to the amount of content that would need to be covered before the Home Study Faith Formation program year end in April.   We have found over the years that it is not in the best interests of a child to attempt to cover a year's worth of content in this way as a means of satisfying the foundational year of faith formation required to begin sacramental preparation.
 

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Questions?   Contact Your Child's Grade-Level Coordinator at:

                                       
                                             PREK3 & PREK4                   Susan Mule at smule@stlaurence.org 
                                             Kinder-5th                              Joan Hastreiter at jhastreiter@stlaurence.org

                                             Middle School (6th-8th)      Cindy Martin at cindymartin@stlaurence.org
                                             High School (9th-12th)        Mike Cleary at mcleary@stlaurence.org