Elementary Faith Formation
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Religious Education Registration Forms
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St. Gabriel Parish offers a formal religious education program that runs on Monday evenings throughout the traditional school year. We typically begin the 3rd week of September and end the year sometime after Easter. The students are divided into 1st through 5th grade classes with each session beginning with all students gathered for group prayer and discussion on the prior Sunday Gospel reading. It is during this time period that we also focus on community service projects and the discipleship of Christ and what that means to us. Parents are encouraged to participate in the religious education of their children by following the chapters in the student text and reviewing what is presented in class. We welcome parents to be involved in the classroom and any other activities that we offer. Interested persons may contact the Director of Religious Education, Sandy DesJardins. You may also mail in a registration form (to the left).
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Catechesis of the Good Shepherd
The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd is an approach to the religious formation of children, ages 3 – 12. It is the result of a long period of careful observation of children by Sofia Cavalletti and her Montessori collaborator, Gianna Gobbi, in Rome. In 1954, Sofia, a Hebrew and Scripture scholar was comfortable in her role in the academic world. But when a mother asked Sofia to give some instructions to her son, her whole life changed. She saw in that child, and in many children since, a way of being in the presence of God that is unique to the child and a gift to the adult who takes time to notice. Sofia and Gianna remind us to look to the child and to watch for the sign of deeply religious life—joy.
WE BELIEVE
At St. Gabriel, we currently offer Catechesis of the Good Shepherd for children in 1st grade. Children who are enrolled in the program meet in the Atrium in the Parish Center on Mondays from 6:15 to 7:30 PM.
WE BELIEVE
- That God and the child have a unique relationship with one another; particularly before the age of six.
- That the growth of this relationship should be assisted by the adult but is directed by the Spirit of God within the child.
- That children need their own place to foster the growth of that relationship.
- That the child’s spiritual growth is best served through tangible but indirect means.
At St. Gabriel, we currently offer Catechesis of the Good Shepherd for children in 1st grade. Children who are enrolled in the program meet in the Atrium in the Parish Center on Mondays from 6:15 to 7:30 PM.
“If we want to help the child draw nearer to God, we should with patience and courage seek to go always closer to the vital nucleus of things. This request study and prayer. The child himself will be our teacher if we know how to observe him.”
- Sofia Cavalletti