St. Mary’s Church Rel igious Education Program Email: [email protected] Website: www.stmarysnutleyccd.blogspot.com Phone: 973-235-1100 or 973-667-8239



Dear Parents and Students, Welcome to the Religious Education Program at St. Mary’s Church. At the Baptism of your child, you took the first step with him/her in their faith journey. Now, as you enroll your child in the Religious Education Program, it is time to continue the faith journey in a formal learning process of our Catholic faith and traditions. The Catholic Church teaches: Before all others, parents are bound to form their children, By word and by example in faith and Christian living. Religious Education is an on-going journey of learning about the Catholic Faith and experiencing the love of Jesus through the Sacraments. This learning process begins in Grade 1 and continues through to the reception of Confirmation in Grade 9. We look forward to being a part of this journey with you and your family. We accomplished a lot during this past year and in 2016-17 and we hope to provide even more opportunities for our students and families to grow in faith and encounter Jesus. We ask that you please complete the registration forms and return them to the Parish Center by June 1, 2016. This will allow us to properly plan for supplies, classroom space and to ensure that we have a catechist for each class. For 2016-17, we will offer classes for Grades 7 & 8 on Tuesday afternoons. The 7th and 8th Grade class sizes will be limited to 20 students, so that we can ensure that there is a good classroom experience for both the students and catechist. We ask that you only choose the Tuesday option for Grades 7 & 8, if you have a true need for it, so that spaces are available for students who are unable to attend the Sunday session. Please do not put your 9th Grade student on this registration form; a separate registration for Confirmation will be mailed out to you in June. Please complete and return to the Parish Center Office by June 1, 2016. • Family Information page: which includes our registration fees • Student Information page: please provide information for each student (K-8) Please be sure to select a day and time when the student will attend class. Students in Grades 1-8 have a choice of either: Sunday 9-10:15am or Tuesday 3:45-5pm. Kindergarten will only meet on Sunday mornings • Please provide a copy of your child’s Baptism Certificate, 1st Communion & 1st Penance (if applicable) • If your child attended religious education in another parish, please ask the parish that they attended for a Transfer Letter, so that we can properly place them in the correct grade level. We Need Your Gifts & Talents Our catechists are the heart of our program and we are so grateful for the time and talent that they give to the children of our parish. We need your help and support to provide quality religious education and provide the best classroom experience possible for our 400 students. We are looking for people who are willing to serve and share their faith. We will equip you with the tools to help you pass on the faith and to help the students in your class. If you feel called to be a catechist, please prayerfully consider taking on this important role. In addition to the rewards of sharing your faith and helping our parish, you will also receive a $50.00 discount off of the registration fee. Sincerely, Anthony Armando Director of Religious Education and Youth Minister