St. Paul the Apostle Parish is committed to teaching and spreading our Catholic faith. We offer a Christian Formation Program (K3-Confirmation) to help parents raise their children in the Catholic faith. We also have many opportunities for adults to continue their faith formation.St. Paul the Apostle Parish is committed to teaching and spreading our Catholic faith. We offer a Christian Formation Program (K3-Confirmation) to help parents raise their children in the Catholic faith. We also have many opportunities for adults to continue their faith formation.
“God is the giver of all life, human and divine. May he bless the fathers of these children. With their wives, they will be the first teachers of their children in the ways of faith. May they be also the best of teachers, bearing witness to the faith by what they say and do…” Rite of Baptism for Children
Dear Parents,
Welcome, and thank you for enrolling your child in the Catholic Religious Education Program here at St. Paul the Apostle Parish. We are grateful that you allow us to help you in forming your child in the Catholic Faith. While we can only hope to spark an interest of the faith to your child, our program will help you, their first teacher of the faith, in developing and nourishing their Catholic Faith. As mentor, or coach the goal will continue to walk with your family and provide avenues of enrichment. The attitudes that your child develops toward Mass, the sacraments, prayer, service and commitment to Jesus grows out of what they experience as a family and the example that you, the parent offer.
2223 Parents have the first responsibility for the education of their children. They bear witness to this responsibility first by creating a home where tenderness, forgiveness, respect, fidelity, and disinterested service are the rule. The home is well suited for education in the virtues. This requires an apprenticeship in self-denial, sound judgment, and self-mastery - the preconditions of all true freedom. Parents should teach their children to subordinate the "material and instinctual dimensions to interior and spiritual ones." Parents have a grave responsibility to give good example to their children. By knowing how to acknowledge their own failings to their children, parents will be better able to guide and correct them:
Foster the development of Prayer: Pray regularly as a family, work with your younger children on knowing the basic prayers (the Sign of the Cross, Our Father, Hail Mary, The Creed, and the Glory Be). Encourage them to share personal prayers with you.
Attend Mass Regularly: Encourage your child to actively participate in the Mass. Special Observances of the Church Seasons (Advent, Christmas, Lent & Easter and Holy Days) help to make Jesus more alive in your family. Bringing their “Mass Booklet” and having it stamped provides a fun way to encourage attendance.
Encourage regular and prompt family attendance. Our time in the classroom is precious so please take note the start time of class on the calendar. Email as soon as possible if your family will be absent.
Encourage the development of responsibility. Many times communications do not reach home. Please ask your child for any letters and/or notices. Check their folders weekly and show an interest in what they are learning. Ask them about their class.
Read, and if necessary, respond to all communications sent by the Religious Education Office in a timely fashion. Letters are one way of letting you know what your child is learning and what you can do to reinforce the lesson. We also send home monthly newsletters which contain important information about the program, schedule changes or offerings.
Finally, volunteer your services. Our program is dependent on the dedicated service of volunteers. Please consider being a catechist (one who shares their faith by teaching children & youth), an office helper or a hall monitor. Children benefit more from caring adults who share their faith and of themselves than what any book or film could offer. Won’t you consider committing your talents for one year to visibly profess the Catholic faith?
Please use this handbook as a guide for you to help your child grow in the faith. All of the policies for our program is to help your child, your family and even myself, continue to grow and mature in our Catholic Faith. If you ever have a concern about anything, please do not hesitate to contact our office.
Please email if there are any questions. Check out the webpage for information, forms and added tools to help with the formation of your family.
God’s Blessings to you & your family,
Dr. Beth Roeder
Religious Education Committee
Please consider joining the Religious Education Committee that promotes education in the Parish from birth to death. Interested? Contact the office.
Religious Education Handbook: https://documentcloud.adobe.com/link/review?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:48fa0415-f57c-4e89-b8b8-a9f931e5df7c
Schedule: https://documentcloud.adobe.com/link/review?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:86b7fefb-58f1-4f28-86a7-6c17288c1dbd
Registration Information for Grades K3-Confirmation
Registration Form: https://documentcloud.adobe.com/link/review?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:90587f77-0890-4833-b7c7-e80d13e8d27a
Registration forms may be mailed to or dropped off at St. Paul the Apostle Parish, c/o Dr. Beth Roeder, 6400 Spring Street, Racine, WI 53406. They may also be filled in online, saved and emailed to broeder@stpaulracine.org.
Please make checks payable to St. Paul the Apostle Parish. You may also pay online by going to our homepage, click online giving, then select Religious Education Fees. Please call 262-886-0531 if you have any questions.
