Our Lady of Lourdes
300 Central Avenue
Mountainside, NJ 07092
Faith Formation
Family Handbook
2015-2016
Rev. Richard Carrington, Pastor
Rev. William Benedetto, Parochial Vicar
Deacon Michael DeRoberts
Mrs. Fran Michetti, Coordinator, Faith Formation
Mr. Kevin Donahue, Youth Minister
Mrs. Cynthia DiPietro, Assistant Coordinator
Important Phone Numbers and Email Addresses
Faith Formation Office.......908-233-1777, reled@ollmountainside.org
Rectory......................................908-232-1162
Fax Number..............................908-232-0776
Fran Michetti.............................fmichetti@ollmountainside.org
Cindy DiPietro..........................cindy@ollmountainside.org
Kevin Donahue.........................youthmin@ollmountainside.org
Deacon Mike.............................deaconmike@ollmountainside.org
Fr. Bill....................................frbill@ollmountainside.org
Program Philosophy
The Catechetical Programs of Our Lady of Lourdes are based on the belief
that religious education and formation is a life long process which begins
with the loving touch of the parents and continues to grow and is nurtured
by the many relationships in an individual's life. Therefore, we strive to
support and assist parents in their role as primary Catechists, that is, as
the first and most important teachers of their children in the ways of our
faith.
As our children live and worship in the faith community of Our Lady of
Lourdes parish, they are being catechized by the praying, believing and
serving members of our parish community. Our catechists share their faith
experience in our Roman Catholic tradition and plan and lead activities so
that our children may understand the Christian message; experience
personal prayer and public worship; and participate in the Church
community.
We believe that together, Catechists, community members and family,
journey with the children as they begin their life-long process of building a
relationship with God and the Church. We believe that learning about God
and sharing His love should be a wonderful experience and we treat that
faith as the sacred gift it is.
TRADITIONAL CLASSROOM MODEL GRADES 1-6
2015-2016 DATES
September 29, 30
February 2, 3
October 6, 7
October 13, 14
October 20, 21
October 27, 28
November 10, 11
November 17, 18
December 1, 2
December 8, 9
December 15, 16
January 5, 6
January 12, 13
January 19, 20
January 26, 27
February 9, 10
February 16, 17
February 23, 24
March 1, 2
March 8, 9
March 15, 16
March 22, 23
March 29, 30
April 4, 5
April 19, 20
April 26, 27
May 3, 4
May 10, 11
FAMILY FAITH FORMATION Grades 1-6
2015-2016 Dates
September 27
February 21
October 18
February 28 snow makeup
November 15
March 13
December 13
March 20 snow makeup
December 20 snow makeup April 3
January 10
May 1
January 24 snow makeup
FAITH FORMATION GRADES 7-8 2015-2016 DATES
September 27, 29
October 11, 13
October 25, 27
November 15, 17
Nov 22, Dec 1
December 6, 8
January 3, 5 snow makeup
February 21, 23
Feb 28, Mar1 snow makeup
March 6, 8
March 20, 22
April 3, 5
April 24, 26
May 1, 3
January 10,12
January 24, 26
February 7, 9
May 10, 15
April 17, 19 snow makeup
GRADE 9 CONFIRMATION PREPARATION DATES 20152016
October 4
November 1
December 6
January 3
February 7
March 13
April 3
11:30 Mass
After Mass-2PM
11:30AM-2PM
11:30AM-2PM
11:30AM-2PM
11:30AM-2PM
11:30AM-2PM
11:30AM-2PM
Rite of Enrollment
Confirmation Session
Confirmation Session
Confirmation Session
Confirmation Session
Confirmation Session
Confirmation Session
Confirmation Session
Saturday, May 7 9:30AM-6PM Confirmation Retreat
FIRST RECONCILIATION/FIRST EUCHARIST DATES 20152016
October 11, 2015, 7PM Parent Meeting
October 18, 2015, 5PM Rite of Enrollment Mass for First
Reconciliation
October 23, 2015, 7PM Potter Family Retreat
January 9, 2016, 10AM First Reconciliation Family Prayer
Service followed by individual
confessions by the children
January 23, 2016, 10AM First Reconciliation Family Prayer
[snow makeup]
Service followed by individual
confessions by the children
March 5, 2016, 3PM-6PM First Holy Eucharist Family
Retreat & Rite of Enrollment
Mass for First Holy Eucharist
Each child will be assigned one of these
First Holy Eucharist dates:
May 7, 2016, 10:30AM First Holy Eucharist Mass
(Rehearsal Wed 5/4 @ 7PM)
May 14, 2016, 10:30AM First Holy Eucharist Mass
(Rehearsal Wed 5/11 @ 7PM)
Possible Alternate Date:
May 21, 2016 10:30AM First Holy Eucharist
(Rehearsal Wed 5/18 @ 7PM)
Family Spiritual Life
In order to blend learning about faith at home as well as in the
classroom, we encourage our faith formation families to follow these
guidelines:
1. Ask your child what he or she learned in faith formation class,
review their work, and emphasize the importance of learning about
our faith.
2. Attend Mass together every Sunday and on Holy Days.
3. Read the parish bulletin to keep updated.
4. Pray together daily.
5. Establish family Advent and Lenten traditions.
6. Attend special parish events together such as parish picnics,
Stations of the Cross, the Living Rosary, and Sunday bagels.
7. Reinforce the Corporal Works of Mercy by donating to food drives,
special collections, and parish fundraisers.
8. Once your child has received the Sacrament of Reconciliation, take
your child to confession on a regular basis.
9. Consider volunteering in a parish ministry such as Tend My Sheep
Ministry, the men's group, becoming a lector, or joining the choir.
Code of Behavior
Jesus taught us the Great Commandment which is to love God and
our neighbors as ourselves. The children are expected to follow
Jesus' teaching and show respect to the adults who volunteer in this
program, as well as all the other students and their property. In
addition, children need to have respect for Our Lady of Lourdes
Church and school property.
*If a child misbehaves in the classroom, a warning will be given by the
the Catechist or classroom aid.
*If the child continues with the inappropriate behavior, he or she will
be sent to the Faith Formation Office.
*If an understanding about the behavior is reached, he or she will be
returned to the classroom.
*If the behavior continues, the Coordinator will call the parents.
*If a child continues to disrupt the learning environment after all of
these measures, it would be necessary to seek an alternative method
of instruction. The Pastor, Coordinator, Catechist, and parent would
make this decision jointly.
General Behavior Guidelines:
-No student is to enter a classroom without a teacher present.
-Hats and bandannas may not be worn in the building.
-Students may not use cell phones or other electronic devises during
class (Catechists may collect devices and return after class).
-Inappropriate clothing may not be worn.
-Bullying of any kind will not be tolerated.
-No food or drink is allowed in the classrooms.
Attendance/Absenteeism:
For safety reasons, if your child is unable to attend a faith formation
class, we will require that you call the Faith Formation Office at 908233-1777, and leave a message on the answering machine or send
an email to reled@ollmountainside.org. Please include your child's
name, grade level, Catechist's name, date of absence, and reason
for the absence.
Traditional Classroom Model – 5 absences allowed
Family Faith – 1 absence allowed
7th and 8th Grade – 3 absences allowed
9th Grade – 1 absence allowed
**Please note that for all programs, if your child arrives late or
leaves early 3 times, that will equal 1 absence.
Arrival and Dismissal:
For the traditional classroom model and Tuesday evening 7th and 8th
grade, students are to enter through the double glass doors of Pollard
Hall. All other doors of the building will remain locked. Students will
remain in Pollard Hall until after opening prayer when Catechists will
walk children to their classrooms. At the end of class, students will be
walked back to Pollard Hall for pick up.
**If you need to pick up your child early, a parent must come into
the building and see the hall monitor outside the Faith Formation
Office and sign the child out. The hall monitor will then find your
child and bring him/her out.
Family Faith Formation – Families need to arrive for Mass at 5PM.
Please drop off homework folder in the bin at the back of the Church
before Mass begins for attendance purposes.
Emergency Closings:
When Mountainside Public Schools are closed or have an early
dismissal due to inclement weather, faith formation classes, parent
meetings, etc. will also be canceled. Sunday classes and meetings
will be canceled due to the discretion of the Coordinator and the
Pastor. All emergency closings will be posted on our website
ollfaithformation.org and via email.
Homework:
Students in all grades will be expected to learn and memorize prayers
and doctrine based on grade level. The material will be sent home for
parents to work on with their children. There will be testing in class to
be sure children are learning the material. If your child is having
trouble learning/memorizing the prayers and doctrine, please contact
the Coordinator to discuss an alternate plan. In addition to the
required curriculum, family faith formation and 7th and 8th graders will
have additional homework outlined below.
Family Faith Formation – Each month families will be given a folder
containing Gospel Weeklies. All Gospel Weeklies will need to be
completed and returned in the folder at the next class. There will be a
bin in the back of the Church to turn in folders before Mass begins.
Please turn in your folder before Mass begins for attendance
purposes!
7th and 8th Grade – Since the 7th and 8th graders attend class
approximately twice a month, it is necessary for the students to
complete a homework assignment for the weeks not in class. At every
class, students will be issued a Gospel Weekly to complete at home
and return at the next class. Students should be prepared for a
discussion and a short quiz on the material covered in the homework.
Sacraments:
All children must be Baptized to participate in Faith Formation. If your
child was not Baptized at Our Lady of Lourdes, a copy of your child's
Baptismal certificate must be provided.
Preparation for the Sacraments of First Reconciliation and First Holy
Eucharist is a two year process that begins in 1st grade. The children
will receive the Sacraments in 2nd grade. If your child is in 2nd grade, a
separate handbook will be provided on the details of these two
Sacraments.
The Sacrament of Confirmation takes place in the spring of 9th grade.
Our Confirmation readiness program begins in 7th grade. In order for
children to be prepared for the Sacrament of Confirmation, it is
necessary to complete faith formation classes for grades 1-9. Our
Confirmation preparation classes occur one Sunday a month
beginning at the 11:30 AM Mass followed by lunch and a session that
runs until 2:00PM. All students making Confirmation will also be
required to attend a Confirmation retreat, Confirmation rehearsal, and
complete community service.
**An important note: 2nd grade students and 9th grade students
are required to attend weekly Mass and turn in a Mass coupon
into the collection basket. Mass coupons can be found on our
website ollfaithformation.org. If your child attends Mass at a
different Church, please turn in a bulletin as proof.
Miscellaneous Notes
*In order to be prepared for all Sacraments, Faith Formation is a
continuous process from grades 1-9. We do not allow the skipping of
grades. If you leave our program and return at a later time, you must
have a letter of proof that your child completed faith formation at
another parish. If not, your child will be placed in the grade where
he/she left off.
*U.S. Supreme Court Case Zorach vs. Clauson 1956 Ruling:
It is a child's constitutional right to attend a church event or
religious instruction at a parochial school even if this should
disrupt a public school schedule. Public school schedule has been
interpreted by the law to include sporting events, band competitions,
school plays, and the practices aforementioned and any other event
sponsored by public school systems or those municipal programs
open to public school students. Any type of punishment by
aforementioned events for leaving early, arriving late or missing
an event is not permitted and is in violation of the law.
Examples:
-A child cannot be threatened or intimidated in any way such as being
removed from a team because of absence due to religious
affiliation/responsibility.
-A child cannot be mocked or ridiculed for religious conviction.
-The reason a child is not present, arriving late, or leaving early
cannot be pointed out or discussed with students or staff.
-Other penalties such as benching, extra laps, or any kind of
punishment because of absence, late arrival or early dismissal due to
the student's religious practices or responsibilities are also violations
of the law.