Faith Formation for Children

Beginning a Lifelong Journey of Faith

While the Church acknowledges the right and responsibility of parents to educate their children in the Faith, she must also exercise her role as a vigilant mother in matters of Faith. Religious education is both instruction in the truths of our Faith, and a guide to a way of life that leads to communion with the Triune God. To put it another way, genuine religious education informs, forms, and transforms.

At the Cathedral, we believe that Faith Formation occurs within the family, and that parents are the primary spiritual and moral educators of their children.

We believe that the first church is the domestic church found in each and every home. Parents are integral in the role they play in their children’s faith development, and serve as their primary teachers and role models. When parents introduce their child to the formal Faith Formation process, they are acting on the promises they made at their child’s Baptism to raise that child in the Catholic Faith. The parish’s responsibility is to support parents in their role as primary teachers and evangelists of their families. Through a combination of lessons in the home, weekly sessions in the church community, and participation in Mass, young people in our parish have the best possible chance to live a full and loving life in the Catholic Faith.

Parish-provided Faith Formation instruction includes the following:

Faith Formation for Children

Faith Formation is provided for children in Kindergarten through eighth grade. Classes will be held Sunday mornings from September through May from 10:15 to 11:15 am in the school building. Registration is required. CLICK HERE to register.

First Penance and First Communion Preparation

Children age seven and older, usually in the second grade, are invited to prepare for the Sacrament of Penance in the fall preceding their First Holy Communion. Children who have already made their First Confession are invited to prepare for the Sacrament of First Holy Communion in the spring. Parents and children are required to attend weekly Sunday Mass, preparation classes, and workshops, in addition to home study. Registration is required. To learn more about First Penance and First Holy Communion preparation, please CLICK HERE.

Confirmation Preparation

Preparation for the Sacrament of Confirmation begins in the eighth grade. Confirmation preparation classes will be held every other Sunday September through May from 10:15 to 11:30 am for Confirmation II (9th grade), and from January through May from 10:15 to 11:30 am for Confirmaiton I (8th grade) The Confirmation Mass is usually offered in May. Preparation includes attendance at catechetical classes, weekly Sunday Mass, and two Confirmation retreats. Registration is required. To learn more about Confirmation preparation, please CLICK HERE.

Rite of Christian Initiation for Children

Children or teens who are not baptized, or who have not attended a Faith Formation program since Baptism, are welcome to prepare for the Sacrament of First Penance and First Holy Communion through the Rite of Christian Initiation for Children. Classes are held Sunday mornings from 10:15 to 11:15 am. To register please fill out the regular Faith Formation K-8 registration form and then e-mail us to let us know that your child is being registered for the RCIC program.

Instructions for registration:

Registration in the parish Faith Formation program is required unless your child attends Catholic school or you are homeschooling your child using a Catholic curriculum.

Registration for sacraments and sacramental preparation (2^nd grade Reconciliation and First Holy Communion; 8^th and 9^th grade Confirmation) is required for all children of the proper grade, including those who attend Catholic school or are homeschool students.

If your child is K-8 and will be attending Faith Formation at St. Patrick Cathedral, please fill out and submit the K-8 registration form and fees.

If your child is in 2^nd grade, please also fill out and submit the First Holy Communion registration form and fee.
If your child is in 8^th grade, please also fill out and submit the Confirmation registration form and fee (8^th Grade Confirmation classes begin January 2024).

If your child will not be attending Faith Formation at St. Patrick Cathedral because your child attends a Catholic school or is homeschooled, please do not fill out the K-8 registration form. However:

If your child is in 2^nd grade, please fill out and submit the First Holy Communion registration form and fee (this is registration for the sacraments as well as the required sacramental preparation, including parent meetings, student workshops, and First Holy Communion rehearsal).

If your child is in 8^th grade, please fill out and submit the Confirmation registration form and fee (8^th Grade confirmation classes, which are required, begin January 2024).