Student Faith Formation
Parents are the first educators of their children as a God-given responsibility. They are the first to introduce the faith to their children. Parents exercise this fundamental responsibility with the aid and support of both the Church and civil community. Both have a vested interest and responsibility in education of young. Parents possess the fundamental right to choose the formative tools that support their convictions and fulfill their duty as the first educators.
See Code of Canon Law: Latin-English Edition: New English Translation (Codex Iuris Canonici [CIC]), (Washington, DC: Canon Law Society of America, 1998), canon 793; Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, no. 240.
Elementary Faith Formation (K-5)
Tuesday Mornings 8-9am
St. Joseph Parish used the Word of Life program from Ignatius Press for grades K-5 Faith Formation.
An Integrated Approach to Catechesis
- An engaging and relevant kerygmatic catechesis young learners enjoy through a blended learning model of textbook, online learning interactions, and engaging video enhancements.
- State-of-the-art digital components allow young learners and parents to interact with dynamic faith formation materials in the classroom and at home.
- A teach-the-teacher model equips teachers to present lessons effectively and be more deeply formed in the faith as they teach. When teachers and catechists are formed well and passionate about the content, everyone wins.
- An authentic and comprehensive program for children and parents, providing a complete family faith formation with Word of Life materials and the expansive digital library of the Augustine Institute and Ignatius Press.
The Word of Life Student Text makes learning the faith effective, engaging, and fun with Bible stories, contemporary children’s stories, lives of the saints, and activities for a variety of learning styles.
The text consists of core lessons, as well as four liturgical season lessons. Images used in each chapter range from photographs depicting a real-life situation, contemporary art depicting a Bible narrative, and sacred art that depicts an event in salvation history to draw students into the mysteries of Christ, leading them to understand doctrinal elements of the faith more fully.
Every chapter has a page for parents that provides a brief summary of what the child learned in class and a variety of ways to live the faith in daily life.
Middle School & High School Youth Ministry
Sunday Afternoons 11:30am-1:00pm
The Middle School (6-8 grade) and High School (9-12 grade) students will be learning apologetics and the first preachings of the Gospel. Apologetics are a branch of theology devoted to the defense of the divine origin and authority of Christianity. It’s a systematic argumentative discourse in defense of the Church. This program will be taught by Fr. Darrel Kempf.
This weekly Youth Ministry program will include lunch, lesson, small group discussion and fun activities.
Retreats and Service Events
High School The Presence Retreat
March 1-3, 2024- Camp Geneva
The Presence is an encounter with Jesus in the Eucharist specifically for 9th – 12th grade high school youth that brings them to the merciful, and loving real presence of Christ. Participants must attend as part of a group. Registration Required.
Youth Ministry Service Days
January 7 & March 10, 11:30am-1:00pm
The entire Youth Ministry is invited to join us for two service days. We will be offering two services days to encourage and allow the students to engage in the service of our community. More information coming soon.