Family Faith Formation

Faith Formation is an opportunity to encounter the Living Christ. We, at St. Bartholomew, strive to provide the knowledge our children and families need to walk closer with Jesus. With this knowledge, a personal relationship with Jesus is the reward. He is the strength and the light needed for our lifelong spiritual journey.

St. Bartholomew’s Family Faith Formation Program does this through a diverse faith environment, using the five tasks of catechesis that is dedicated to helping each and every person recognize their individual faith potential.

We are committed to maintaining a Catholic community of companions on the journey in their faith development and towards global service, and life-long learning.

We live this out by showing respect to all people, by being responsible for our actions, by showing reverence and by making right choices.

We will be offering a Hybrid Family Faith Formation for Pre-k - 5th graders this year. Our mission is to communicate the treasures of faith to our young friends (grades 1 to 5) and to their parents. Using the Emmaus model, we walk with our families on a journey toward encountering Jesus in breaking open the Word, breaking bread with the whole parish (Family Mass at 9:30 am), sharing the Good News with others in the spirit of fellowship (Build Community), and bringing the faith to others through acts of mission and service (Act Out).

Through Family Faith Formation, we aim to engage our kids through the traditional faith formation setting on Monday or Tuesday after school and together with their families encourage them to be active learners and evangelizers of our faith. The hybrid model consists of the children meeting in a traditional weekly setting, once a month Faith Formation gathering at the 9:30 am Mass on the third Sunday of the month, a few family gatherings through the year, as well as three parent talks.

Hybrid Family Faith Formation - Pre-k - Fifth Grade:
For our non-sacrament families - We will be using  the Loyola Press curriculum.  Children attend weekly sessions on Monday's. Families will participate in once a month family Mass (third Sunday of the Month).   Pre-school/kindergarten children attend on Sunday's at 9:30 am.

For our sacrament families - Those who have a child(ren) who will be making their first communion (year 2) we will use the St. Mary's Prress curriculum. Children will meet weekly on Monday's.  Families will participate in once a month family Mass (third Sunday of the Month). We also with have four parent/candidate work sessions, two for the preperation of reconciliation and two for the preparation for Eucharist.

“Family-centered catechetical programs are opportunities for parents to catechize their children directly, for spouses to catechize each other and for children to catechize one another and their parents” (National Directory for Catechesis #61.2).

• help families learn how to pray and to discuss their faith together
• help parents better understand their role as primary catechists
• bring families together in order to share and deepen their Catholic faith
• strengthen the relationship between the family and the Church
• establish ongoing Catholic faith practices within the family life
• integrate the family into the parish community

• Involves the whole family in congregational life and learning, building up the faith of the whole family.
• Provides a way to teach, model, and demonstrate family faith practices.
• Provides the resources for families to live Christian practices at home.
• Eases the transfer of learning to the home because the whole family experiences the learning and practices together.
• Builds up the confidence and ability of parents to share faith and values with their children by providing parent education, resources, support, and encouragement.