Religious Education, St. Charles and St. Joseph-St. Mary

March for Life Parent Meeting

YM3 Parents, we will be having a March for Life parent meeting on Sunday, Dec. 10th at 1:30 pm in the Faith Formation Center. Bring your questions about your child/children attending the March for Life in Washington DC.

Register Now for Religious Education Classes for 2023-24

Faith Formation is back, and we cannot wait to see you again this Fall. Faith Formation classes (1st –8th grade) will be on Sundays at St. Charles from 12:45-2:30 p.m. starting September 17th. Please see attached tentative schedule. Pre-K Sunday School will again be available at St. Charles during the 11 a.m. Mass beginning September 10th! If you have preschoolers 3-5 years old, we’d love to have them.

We are continuing our Advent Fun Fridays and Lenten Dinners and Stations. Join us for dinner and a fun activity (chosen by the kids). Our first Fun Friday will be Friday, September 29th at St. Charles with a small tailgate party and then we will head to the Greenville Football Game to cheer on our friends!

Seventh Grade/Confirmation Parents:

Our confirmation program is a one-year program with the candidates being confirmed in the Spring of 2024. Confirmation students are required to have 75% class attendance. The Shine Rally this year is scheduled for Sunday, March 24, 2024, in Grand Rapids. Since this is during Spring Break for many, I am working with Aquinas to have retreat at St. Charles or St. Joseph. Please stay tuned for updates.

Sacramental Preparation Classes

If you have a child who has reached the age of reason (age 7) and has not received the sacraments of Baptism, Reconciliation or First Holy Communion, we have several classes they can take this year to come into the Church. The classes will take place at the same time as our regularly scheduled classes.

Instrumentalists wanted!

If you have a 7th or 8th grader who plays a musical instrument, we’d love to have them play at
Christmas Eve Mass. Rehearsals will start mid-October (plenty of time for them to learn the music 😊). Please let me know if you are interested.

We are currently in need of catechists for 1st grade, 3rd-5th grade, and the Confirmation class.
If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to call me at the office 794-2145 on Tuesdays or Thursdays or my cellphone (517) 204-8785.

In Christ,

Tessa Hoffman
Coordinator of Religious Education/Youth Minister
St. Charles and St. Joseph-St. Mary
thoffman@saintscjm.com
(517) 204-8785
Click here to register for Religious Education classes.

**Fees for Religious Education Classes are $40 per student or $120 for families with 3 students or more**

Religious Education Calendar 2023-2024

General Faith Formation Information

Preparation for and celebration of the Sacraments of Reconciliation and Eucharist take place in the second grade. Confirmation is celebrated every spring with the seventh grade students. Students are expected to attend yearly catechesis to prepare themselves for Confirmation and living a life-long faith. 

The elementary religious education program offers a comprehensive and developmental coverage of the basic teachings of the Roman Catholic Church, and the content is completely correlated to the Catechism of the Roman Catholic Church. Volunteers and youth ages 14 and older who would like to share their faith and enjoy being with youth are welcome to help with this ministry as catechists, sacramental preparation teachers (preparing older students who have not yet received the sacraments) or aides.

*Any child 7 years and older that has not been baptized and  would like to receive Sacraments should contact Tessa Hoffman to arrange for RCIA classes. Tessa Hoffman can be reached at 754-4194 ext. 130.
Classes begin in the Fall at St. Charles.

Looking for something to fill your time?

Could you spare 2 hours a week to help our youth?  Please consider sharing your love of your faith with our youth and become a catechist.   If you are interested, please contact Tessa at (616) 794-2145 or thoffman@saintscjm.com.