Religious Education Program
This program serves over 600 children of our parish and is focused
on faith, formation and family. Currently approximately 80 adult catechists
help form our parish children in our Catholic faith in our Religious
Education sessions on Sunday mornings. In addition, 57 teens are involved
in our program on a weekly basis, with most serving as classroom aides.
Our entire parish family is blessed and enriched by the ministry of
these adults and teens!
Our volunteers include parents of children in the Religious Education
Program, parents of children in Saints Faith, Hope and Charity School,
and other parishioners of all ages and stages - all are welcome!
To volunteer, contact Susan Doubet, Director of Religious Education at 847-446-1828 or sdoubet@faithhope.org
- Open 2010-2011 Volunteer Form in Adobe Reader -
Parents are the primary educators in the faith... The Christian community must, therefore, help parents to prepare for and assume their responsibility of educating their children in the faith (General Directory for Catechesis). The Ss. Faith, Hope & Charity Religious Education Program was recognized for outstanding commitment to parental and family participation with a 2006 Mustard Seed Award from the National Association of Parish Catechetical Directors.
Parents are actively involved in sharing, shaping, and nurturing the faith of their children in a wide variety of ways. Currently about 250 adults are actively involved in the RE Program as:
• Catechists
• Grade Team Leaders
• Religious Ed Board members
• Sunday Morning office staff
• Service Project Coordinators
• Sacramental Committee members
• Room parents
• Family Class facilitators
• Special events volunteers (Christmas Festival, May Crowning, When Jesus Was My Age, St. Paul & Moses classroom visits, First Communion Retreats, etc.)
• Hospitality, office help, field trip/retreat chaperones, photographers, etc.
• Sacristans, Ushers, Eucharistic Ministers at Masses
• Nursery supervisors
• Parent Faith Formation Sessions
• Family-based Sacramental Prep
“The program is an outstanding example of parental involvement, offering parents many ways of participating according to particular talents and availability... The excellent catechist / student ratio is an indicator of parental enthusiasm and staff encouragement of parents. ” - Carol Kloss, Office for Catechesis, Arch. of Chicago
It is a rare and wonderful opportunity to teach our children about God and their faith. - David Jarmusz
I enjoy seeing my children and my children’s friends learn about our faith. It feels great to be directly involved and their enthusiasm is contagious. - Susie Healey
Serving as a catechist keeps me actively thinking about my faith throughout the week as I plan the week's lesson. It makes my day when we have connected with our class and they leave with smiles on their faces. It's refreshing to do something meaningful with my children and their friends that doesn't involve cheering on a sideline. - Charlotte Monhart
I am a catechist because it gives me an opportunity to pass on our faith at a critical time for kids (7th grade) and help them use their faith as a Catholic to make difficult choices (and hopefully the right choices) along their path of life. - Paul Agase
My faith is the center of who I am. I love teaching as I hope to help the kids grow in their faith and it helps me to grow in mine. After nearly ten years of being a catechist, I can’t imagine not teaching. - Teresa McMahon
Catechesis is taken from a Greek word meaning “to echo,” and to echo our beautiful faith and see and hear it echoed back from our students makes this a very wonderful ministry. This is my second year teaching...I wish that I had answered this call years ago. - Debbie Buck
