Religious Education Program

 

Thank you for registering your child for St. Thomas’ Religious Education Program. Here you will find more information about the program.

NEWS AND CHANGES FROM LAST YEAR:

You may have noticed a slight increase in this year’s program’s fees (see below).  The increase was driven by the need to make up a reduced share in the parish’s budget allocation for new books and to cover refreshment and stationary costs that are no longer covered by personal or corporate donations.

 

2. I am grateful to Jo-Ann Moon, who will be the assistant coordinator this school year.  In my absence, Jo-Ann will be your contact point but you should also feel free to turn to her at any time.  Her contact information is included at the end of this letter.

 

3. The parish website (www.augustiniani.cz) is being enhanced to include up-to-date information on the Religious Education Program.  We expect to see the additions in the next few weeks.

 

 

 

CALENDAR

A calendar is attached with the holiday schedule and tentative dates for the celebrations of the sacraments of First Reconciliation and First Holy Communion. Please note that some dates may still change. Should dates change, you will be notified in advance both via e-mail and on the English-speaking community’s notice board located on the wall to the left of the inside entrance to the cloister garden. Up-to-date information will be also available on the website and in the weekly bulletin.

 

• There are 26 classes scheduled over the year. If your child is preparing for First Holy Communion,  please be aware that under normal circumstances, only 3 absences from class are acceptable throughout the school year.  Also, participation in the First Reconciliation and First Communion Retreats is required in order for the child to be able to receive the sacrament.

 

• Our students attend a number of schools, both international and Czech in and around Prague, and unlike in past years, there is no longer a clear majority of students coming from just one school. This presents a challenge for us as we are bound by just one overall parish calendar but the school breaks may vary. While we make every effort to accommodate different calendars, the children will not receive the full benefit of the program if they miss class every time there is a break both on the Sunday prior to the break and on the Sunday when it ends. Therefore, we request you to please take our RE calendar into account when planning your trips outside Prague during school breaks, especially if your child is preparing for First Communion.

 

• Absences from class: if you know in advance that your child will not be at class, please make sure to contact your child’s teacher or myself/Jo-Ann as soon as you learn of the upcoming absence. I cannot stress enough how very important this is as it is unfair for a teacher to find only 1 or 2 students in the classroom without previous notice. Unfortunately, this situation occurs every year. Teacher contact information and a student list for each class will be distributed as soon as completed via e-mail. 

 

• One Sunday each month the 11:00 Mass is a Children’s Mass . At this Mass, the children participate in different ways during the liturgy of the word, offertory or with a special class presentation (Children’s Mass is marked in the calendar as CM). Each Children’s Mass is hosted by one (or sometimes two) class(es). Dates on which the classes host a Children’s Mass will be marked in the calendar on the notice board and on the website as soon as agreed among the teachers. Parents of the hosting students will be reminded in advance to make sure their child is in class and at Mass that particular Sunday. As some classes are small, strong attendance is very important as otherwise the Children’s Mass can be easily jeopardized if two or more students don’t come to Mass.

 

• On other Sundays, there shall be a Children’s Liturgy of the Word.  The children’s liturgies are also marked on the calendar (L).  Before the readings, Fr. William invites all children to the altar and they go to St. Dorothy’s chapel with an adult for their own liturgy of the word including gospel reading, a discussion and crafts or music related to the theme of the gospel, and return to the main congregation for the offertory. This class not only makes the liturgy of the word more understandable and enjoyable for the children but it also allows you, their parents, to fully concentrate on and enjoy the readings and the homily. However, I would like to stress that children up to the age of 4 must be accompanied by an adult as otherwise, being unable to quite follow and participate in the class, they often disrupt the other children and the leader. As we have seen a decline in the numbers of older children (above the first communion level), we would like to encourage their participation this year. While their contribution to the lesson is very important and enriching for the younger children, we also believe that the benefit of the class for them is still greater than listening to homilies directed to adults.

 

• Please consider leading a children’s liturgy of the word 1-2 Sundays this year! Leading the children’s liturgy requires neither previous experience nor much time for preparation.  All materials are provided and as parents of the children you are best suited for this type of service.  Your experiences allow you to know best how to present and explain the different topics to children using examples from your every-day life. Having a number of volunteers ensures that no one has to lead more than once or twice during the whole year. Volunteers, please contact William Ravellese (you’ll find his contact information below).

 

 

2. TIME OF LITURGY


3. Classes start at 9:45 a.m. Please arrive on time! Late arrivals do cause disruptions to the class and loss of the valuable time.

 

• We encourage participation by the students at Mass on a regular basis.  Parents are urged to see participation at Mass as an integral part of their children’s religious education and as important as the class itself. We all need to do our best to ensure that the children not only learn the classroom material during the very limited class time but also experience our faith through Mass, the community and through family life. We urge you to please plan your Sunday mornings in a way that allows your child’s participation from 9.45 to approx. 12 o’clock, including participation at Children’s Liturgy of the Word (see above) or at Children’s Mass (above). Let’s make a child’s departure immediately after class an absolute exception.

 

3. SPECIFIC INFORMATION ON CLASSES


4. The minimum age for admission to class is 4 years (i.e. age as of 1 September 2011), younger children cannot be admitted.

 

• Our Confirmation program continues to take the form of a 2-year program to help ensure that the Confirmation is not merely a formal event and that candidates are prepared and can appreciate the meaning of the sacrament, including a commitment to further actively participate in the Catholic community’s life. Last year’s Post Communion III group (Pre-Confirmation Class this year) shall enter their first year of preparation for Confirmation. Only students who shall actively participate in the class both this year and next year will be admitted to Confirmation in spring 2013.

 

• A copy (not an original please) of a baptismal certificate is needed for those children making their First Communion. Please hand it either to your child’s teacher or to me at your earliest convenience. Please attach also the postal address of the parish of baptism if it is not clear from/complete on the certificate.

 

• At least one completed year of religious instruction at pre-communion level is required for children enrolling in the First Communion Class.  This is necessary for their understanding of the sacraments of First Reconciliation and First Holy Communion and averts major differences in the level of their knowledge, understanding and engagement in class. If your child is coming from another parish, please provide a confirmation by the former parish of previous religious instruction (an e-mail is sufficient).

 

• We appeal to parents of those children who recently received their First Holy Communion to continue to enrol their children in a religious education program up through their Confirmation.  

      

4. FEES

 Program fees this year are 900.- Kc per child for all regular classes. For the First Communion class, the fee is 1200.- Kc and covers the costs of special retreats in preparation for the sacraments and in connection with the sacrament celebration.  The fees for all students cover a part of the cost of student books (which each child keeps at the end of the year), the cost of teacher manuals, other tuition-related books and materials including printing costs, e.g. materials for the Children’s Liturgy of the Word and activities related to specific feasts and periods (such as the making of Advent wreaths etc.). Financial assistance is available to anyone in need. A 50% discount from the total fees is offered to parents who volunteer to teach or assist the teachers or the coordinator or lead the Children’s Liturgy of the Word at a regular basis.  Please see me about payment or leave the exact amount with your child’s teacher in an envelope bearing your child’s name by the end of October.

 

4. OTHER INFORMATION


5. Families that are new in our parish are requested to complete the attached Parish Registration form.  I can collect it or you can pass it on directly to Father William or leave it in the sacristy for him.

 

 Please check information about classroom locations on the notice board in the cloister garden upon your arrival next week. We’ll be there to assist.

 

If you have any questions or suggestions for the program, please do not hesitate to contact us or fathers William or Juan. 

 

We’re looking forward to working with you in supporting your child’s faith development!

 

 

Monika Shaheen, Religious Education Program Coordinator

Mobile phone: 777 058 852, e-mail: mshaheen@iol.cz

 

Jo-Ann Moon, Assistant Coordinator

E-mail: moonurchins@gmail.com

 

William Revellese, Children’s Liturgy of the Word Coordinator

E-mail: wjrevelle@hotmail.com