Faith Formation for Grades 1 – 12
If you would like to register for Faith Formation classes, please contact faithformation@gs-cc.org. Please volunteer for our Faith Formation program. We need catechists, assistant catechists, hall monitors, and substitutes to share their faith with the young people of our parish. Click here to learn more.
Purpose and Mission
The purpose and mission of our Faith Formation Program is to assist parents with the responsibility they accepted at the time of their child’s baptism to teach their children the knowledge and practice of the Catholic Faith. We believe the holiness a child experiences and cultivates begins in the home long before they come to the parish for faith formation classes. Parish Faith Formation assists and supports parents and families in this remarkable task.
Emphasis on Prayer
Weekly Mass attendance and daily prayer as a family is at the heart of our faith and the root of our Faith Formation program. The importance of prayer is continually emphasized, and specific prayers of the Catholic Church are introduced in the appropriate grade. All classes will begin and end with a prayer. Please pray with your children daily, at the beginning and end of every day, and before meals.
Faith Formation Classes
Our classroom curriculum for grades 1 – 8 will follow Our Sunday Visitor’s Alive in Christ. This program invites children to hear God’s invitation to a personal relationship through His Word, helps them discover and learn the Church’s teaching in precise theological language, and teaches them how to live as Catholic disciples.
Sunday (Grades 1 – 12)
- 10:30 – 11:45am
- 12:30 – 1:45pm*
- 5 – 6:15pm
Monday (Grades 1 – 8)
- 6 – 7:15pm
Tuesday (Grades 1 – 8)
- 6 – 7:15pm*
*Every class at these sessions will have a fully bilingual catechist or assistant catechist.
Contact Marie Gemperline (grades 1 – 8) and Miguel DeAngel (grades 9 – 12) with any questions.
General Information
Parent Meetings
- An initial Parent Meeting will be held September 28, 29, 30, 2025 during your student’s class time. The meeting will offer information, support, and materials needed for parents to actively participate in the program and help their children grow in discipleship.
- Other meetings, including for sacramental preparation, will be held throughout the year.
Birth and Baptismal Certificates
- We require a copy of both the birth and baptismal certificate of every student in our Faith Formation program.
- Please submit certificates by September 30, 2025 to office@gs-cc.org.
Faith Formation Calendar
Below is a PDF calendar of the Faith Formation year. It is subject to change.
Sacramental Preparation
In addition to the weekly classes outlined below, sacrament preparation has additional requirements that will be provided to parents. Sacrament Preparation is conducted primarily at home with curriculum tailored to each sacrament and is provided for students in first grade and above. Sacrament preparation is two years for First Reconciliation, First Communion, and Confirmation.
- Children usually begin First Reconciliation and First Communion preparation in 1st grade and receive Reconciliation and Eucharist for the first time at the end of their 2nd grade year.
- Confirmation preparation usually begins in 7th grade and students are confirmed in the fall of their freshman year.
- If your child is not starting at the typical year, he/she will complete an age-appropriate two-year preparation.
Contact the Faith Formation Team with any questions about sacramental preparation.
