Our Children’s Religious Education Program uses the Faith and Life series from Ignatius Press as a guide for 1st through 5th grades.
The Faith and Life Series presents the fullness of the faith through the lens of salvation history. Students are able to step back and see God’s plan of love and mercy and that they are part of that plan.
Doctrinal and liturgical components of the faith flow out of the story of salvation history. In this way, students learn not only what the Church teaches, but why. Students are fully exposed to both scripture and the CCC.
Our catechists bring their unique presentation styles to help students engage with the program and with other young Catholics in a meaningful way.
Details of Grade Level Instruction
Kindergarten: Students are introduced to the loving goodness of the Blessed Trinity, they meet the members of the Holy Family, and they learn who the saints are and what they teach us. They begin to explore why virtue is good and sin is bad, and the importance of developing good habits. Students learn that they can speak to God in prayer.
1st grade: First graders are introduced to the Holy Trinity through studying the development of salvation history and presentations on God the Father, the life of Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. Students are also introduced to God’s plan and their participation in God’s family, which includes Mary, the angels, and the saints. The emphasis of the first grade curriculum is for students to grow to know, love, and trust God.
Students develop an understanding of the mystery of Christ through age appropriate teachings on Church doctrine and scriptural references as listed below and in the teacher’s manual.
Students learn that God shows his love and mercy by giving us the Church and the sacraments to restore our life of grace. Special emphasis is given to Baptism and the Eucharist.
Throughout the first grade, students develop their understanding of the dignity of the human person. Students learn to live out their faith and respond to what they learn by forming a moral conscience and by living out their call to justice and service through imitating the life of Jesus.
Throughout the first grade, students begin to develop a prayer life that informs their Christian living. They learn the basic traditional Catholic prayers and are introduced to spontaneous prayer. They also learn that giving praise and thanksgiving to God are forms of prayer and that prayer is talking with God.
2nd grade: The students are prepared for the sacraments of Penance and First Holy Communion through studying the development of salvation history. As students learn about God’s plan of love and mercy, they begin to understand that these sacraments are God’s gift to us and that they too are part of God’s loving plan. Special emphasis is given to preparation for and reception of these sacraments, as well as learning about the Mass.
Students develop an understanding of the mystery of Christ through age appropriate teachings on Church doctrine and scriptural references as listed below and in the teacher’s manual.
Students continue to learn that God shows his love and mercy by giving us the sacraments to restore the life of grace. The sacraments emphasized in second grade are the sacraments of Baptism, Penance, and Eucharist.
Throughout the second grade, students develop their understanding of the dignity of the human person. Students learn to live out their faith and respond to what they learn by forming a moral conscience and by living out their call to justice and service through imitating the life of Jesus.
Throughout the second grade, students continue their development of a prayer life that includes learning the basic traditional Catholic prayers and praying spontaneous prayers. They continue to learn that prayer is talking with God. Special emphasis is given to learning about the Mass as the perfect form of prayer.
3rd grade: Through studying the development of salvation history, students become immersed in the life of Jesus and develop a deeper understanding of God's loving plan and of how they are a part of his plan.
Students develop an understanding of the mystery of Christ through age-appropriate teachings on Church doctrine and scriptural references.
All of the sacraments are presented in the third-grade curriculum. The sacraments emphasized in the third grade are the Eucharist and the Sacrament of Penance. Students learn that through their full participation in the sacramental life of the Church they participate in the Paschal Mystery and receive grace that will help them in their pursuit to become holy and good Christians.
Throughout the third grade, students develop an understanding of the dignity of the human person. Students learn to live out their faith and respond to what they learn by forming a moral conscience and living out their call to justice and service by imitating the life of Jesus.
Students develop a prayer life that includes participation in the Mass as the greatest prayer, learning traditional Catholic prayers, and praying spontaneous prayers.
4th grade: Through studying the development of salvation history, students come to a better understanding of God, his plan for man, and our relationship with God. Students develop a better understanding of their purpose and goal in life and a deeper appreciation for the Church as the very means that God has given us on our pilgrimage to heaven.
Students develop an understanding of the mystery of Christ through age-appropriate teachings on Church doctrine and scriptural references as listed below and in the teacher’s manual.
All of the sacraments are presented in the fourth grade. The sacraments emphasized in fourth grade are the sacraments of initiation and the Sacrament of Penance.
Throughout the fourth grade, students develop their understanding of the dignity of the human person. Students learn to live out their faith and respond to what they learn by forming a moral conscience and by living out their call to justice and service by imitating the life of Jesus. Special emphasis is given to the Ten Commandments.
Throughout the fourth grade, students develop a prayer life that includes participation in the Mass, which is the greatest prayer, and praying traditional Catholic prayers. In the fourth grade, special emphasis is given to spontaneous prayer.
5th grade: Through studying the Creed and the development of salvation history, students are immersed in the Profession of Faith. They develop a deeper understanding of each component of the Creed as it is part of salvation history.
Students develop an understanding of the mystery of Christ and the Church through age appropriate teachings on Church doctrine and scriptural references as listed below and in the teacher’s manual.
All of the sacraments are presented in the fifth grade. The sacraments emphasized in fifth grade are the sacraments of initiation and the sacraments of healing.
Throughout the fifth grade, students develop their understanding of the dignity of the human person. Students learn to live out their faith and learn to respond to what they learn by forming a moral conscience and living out their call to justice and service by imitating the life of Jesus.
Throughout the fifth grade, students develop a prayer life that includes participation in the Mass, which is the greatest prayer, and praying traditional Catholic prayers as well as spontaneous prayers
If you have any questions about the Children’s Religious Education (CRE) program, please contact the Formation Office at 817-426-1101 or at [email protected].