For many of our students, August marks the return of our CCD program — better known as Saints in Training. Our middle school and high school students can look forward to getting back together in the autumn. Faith formation is lifelong, but as parents, showing our children the value of a community that grows in faith together will leave a lifelong impact.
Our various faith formation programs are a success thanks to our dedicated stewards. Gary Broadbent will be returning for his second year teaching third grade. Gary found himself teaching when his wife volunteered him and he has no regrets.
“I came back to the Church about 15 years ago and have a new appreciation for our Catholic faith,” he says. “There are some classes where I learned as much as the kids. I started the year flying blind but was fortunate to have my wife’s guidance, a teacher’s edition of the book, and the help of my teaching assistant, Colleen Barr.”
Gary hopes the children come away with lessons that he didn’t have the chance to learn as a child. While he may have jumped in with little experience, the faith and appreciation he brings to his class are genuine.
“I hope they come away with lessons to help them throughout their lives and a deeper appreciation for the beauty of God’s work,” Gary says. “It is an honor to be part of their faith formation.”
Saints in Training is for children ages three through fifth grade. It meets on Sunday mornings from 10:20 to 11:20 a.m. Karen Kirkland, Coordinator of Children’s Catechesis, often gives a simple reminder of the role that CCD can play in families’ faith lives.
“CCD fulfills the promise that you made at your child’s Baptism, that you’ll raise them in the faith and teach them the faith,” Karen says.
While this promise was made when our children were infants, it stands true as long as they are with us. Some families choose to catechize at home, some choose Catholic school, and others choose Saints in Training. Second-graders in Saints in Training receive their sacramental prep for First Communion.
Our sixth-graders through high schoolers are invited to join the youth program run by Rebecca Whitney. Sixth and seventh-graders meet on Sunday mornings from 10:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. and high school meets on Sunday evenings at 6:15 p.m. Eighth-graders preparing for Confirmation meet on Wednesday nights. Each program is targeted to meet the spiritual needs of our young people who are in a critical time of life for faith formation.
“When young people are journeying to find answers to the deepest questions of their hearts, it is extremely important that they are part of a vibrant faith community,” Rebecca says. “Making the journey to the Heart of Christ and His Church and coming to know their true identity with other young people, is an adventure of a lifetime and sets them up for success in both their spiritual and everyday life.”
For more information and to register or volunteer, visit the parish website at www.cathedralctk.org.