Religious Education
Mission
God made us to show forth His goodness and to be happy with Him in heaven. To be happy with God in heaven, we must know, love and serve Him. We learn how to do this through Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who teaches us through the Catholic Church. Our mission at St. Michael is to assist parents in their work as the primary educators, teaching their children to know God so that they can learn to love and serve Him in this world and be happy with Him in heaven.
St. Michael’s Religious Education Program
Classes for Grades 1 through 8 are on Monday evenings, from 6 – 7:30 PM in the Junior School Building. Classes for High School students are every two weeks on Monday evening, from 6:30 – 7:30 PM.
Grades 1 & 2: For these two grades, we use The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, which takes its name from one of the earliest and most central presentations offered to children, the parable of the Good Shepherd (John 10:3-5, 11-16). This catechesis is rooted in the Bible, the liturgy of the Catholic Church, and the educational principles of Maria Montessori. The children’s “classroom” is an “atrium,” a room that has been prepared specifically for this catechesis and which contains simple yet beautiful materials for the children to use.
Grades 3 – 8: We use the Faith and Life curriculum published by Ignatius Press.
High School: Our High School students meet as a group twice a month on Monday evenings from 6:30 – 7:30 PM. During the course of the year, the group explores the Bible using The Great Adventure edition published by Ascension Press. We also use Following Christ in the World published by Seton Press. The emphasis in this text is on a mature and adult understanding of the teachings of the Catholic Church, on defending them against the attacks of the modern world, and putting them into practice.
