Our Faith Formation program always seeks ways to love God more, grow in our faith, and shine in all we do for him. Each learning group strives to provide excitement, encouragement, and assistance to our growing community of followers.
Centering on the family rather than formal classrooms, Mother Teresa Parish’s program offers a hybrid of regular small group gatherings that will supplement the at-home and online Faith Formation lessons.
Religious education, or catechesis, is only part of any child’s Faith Formation. In raising children in the faith, parents are primarily responsible for ensuring their children’s regular participation in the church’s sacramental life and for witnessing true Christian discipleship daily, especially in the home, the domestic church.
Regular participation in the church's sacramental life and a lived experience of Christian discipleship within the home are essential for cultivating good soil in which the seeds of faith imparted during Faith Formation classes may take root and grow.
The Love Group provides learning for pre-kindergarten children through the sacramental years of First Reconciliation and Holy Communion. We employ scripture, activities, and stories designed to engage the hearts and minds of our students so they may fully understand the grace, mercy, and love of God.
The Grow Group engages with stories of salvation history by finding verses in the Bible, completing crosswords, decoding messages, searching maps for an understanding of main events, and short answer questions and conversations.
The Shine Group is committed to preparing those teens for Confirmation. The program will help form young hearts into disciples of Christ, impacting families, parishes, and the church.
Children’s Liturgy of the Word aims to introduce children to the structure of liturgical worship and the worship experience so they grow in understanding and love of God.
CLOW is offered during the 10:30 a.m. Sunday Mass from October through May, except for liturgical holidays. CLOW is open to all children ages four through second grade.
Parents are welcome to attend with their children. The program is operated as a parent co-op, and we ask that parents sign up to volunteer as Lead Catechists (lesson plans provided) or as an assistant to help supervise the children. Parent participation is vital to the success of our ministry.
At the beginning of Mass, we invite the children forward after the opening prayer and dismiss them to a designated area to worship. The scripture readings are presented to the children at an age-appropriate level, along with an interactive homily. The children return to Mass during the offertory to celebrate the Liturgy of the Eucharist.
We have three Children’s Masses scheduled throughout the year: May Crowning, All Saints, and Christmas celebrations. We invite youth to participate in different roles.
“Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it. And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them.” (Mark 10:14-16)
The Mother Teresa Little Library for Children plans to open the week in November. We look forward to sharing great Catholic literature with your children and families. Thanks to our generous donors, we have more than 300 books to build our library. Your contributions have made it possible for our parish children to read and learn about our faith and saints.
In anticipation of opening day, we’re now registering library patrons. Please use the form below to register your child(ren) for their Little Library Card. They’ll need it to check out books.
We also invite you to our in-person registration event in the narthex on October 8 after 8:30 and 10:30 a.m. Masses. There will be storytime, a craft, and an opportunity to meet your librarians.
Get a Mother Teresa
Little Library Card
- Nicole Swannack
Coordinator of Faith Formation - Love