Child Faith Formation & Sacrament Preparation

WELCOME! Thank you for enrolling your child at St Gabriel the Archangel for faith formation. Your child’s formation in the Faith is the most important gift you will ever give your child. Their faith formation should continue throughout their school years and be a consistent priority of family life. At St. Gabriel’s we are pleased to be able to offer children as young as 3-years old an encounter with the God who loves them and calls them by name,

“Let the children come to me, and do not prevent them; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”
Matthew 19:14

Registration

Each summer, registration opens online. Registration remains open through September 1.

Is your child under the age of 7 and in need of Baptism? Click HERE.
Is your child over the age of 7 and desiring to be baptized? Click HERE.

Child Faith Formation: 3 years old - 5th grade

Catechesis of the Good Shepherd

St. Gabriel parish offers Catechesis of the Good Shepherd for our children ages 3 -12 yrs. Based upon the two pillars of Sacred Scripture and Sacred Liturgy, and on the Montessori principles of human development and respect for the dignity of every soul, CGS was developed in Rome in 1954 by a Catholic Hebrew Scripture scholar, Sofia Cavaletti, in collaboration with Gianna Gobbi, a Catholic montessori educator. Dr. Cavaletti’s bookThe Religious Potential of the Child received the Nihil Obstat and Imprimatur.

It took these two women over 25 years to develop what is now known worldwide as the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, a method of faith formation for the youngest in the kingdom of God. Today the gift of this rich and beautiful method of formation which they have given the Church has grown and spread to over 65 countries throughout the world and is approved as the preferred method of formation in many Catholic dioceses and religious orders such as the Missionaries of Charity, the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist, the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia, and more. CGS has been endorsed by our own Bishop Emeritus Thomas J. Olmsted.

Children in CGS receive formation in a specially prepared environment called an atrium (plural: atria). The atrium is a sacred, “hands on” retreat-like space where catechists and children hear, ponder, pray, and celebrate the most essential mysteries of our faith as revealed in Sacred Scripture and Liturgy.

Each CGS catechist has received a minimum of 100 hours of formation and specific training in the methodology. Materials are carefully prepared by the catechists to meet the need of the child’s inherent longing for a relationship with God and to help them enter more deeply into that relationship “by myself.” The materials are designed to inform and foster curiosity about their Catholic faith and God’s wonderful salvific plan. Learn more about CGS.

Levels

Children age years old – 5th grade enrolled in CGS will attend CGS once a week.
Children ages 3 – Kindergarten should register for CGS (Level One).
Children in 1st – 3rd grade should register for CGS (Level Two).
Children preparing for their 1st Reconciliation (Confession) will make their preparations through CGS (Level Two).
4th and 5th graders should register for CGS (Level Three).

If your child is preparing to receive the Sacraments of Confirmation/1st Holy Eucharist this year (but were not in CGS last year) they will also meet once a week but will receive their Sacrament Preparation through the Saints Among Us book program and not CGS.

Registration for the 2023-24 school year will open in June 2023.

All parish Child Faith Formation and Sacrament Prep classes begin the week of September 11, 2023 and continue through May 11, 2024. Please see calendar for more details.

Level One Class Days/Times

Tuesdays 4:00-5:45pm OR 6:00-7:45pm
Wednesdays 3:15-5:00pm
Thursdays 4:00-5:45pm
Fridays 3:15-5:00pm

Level Two Class Days/Times

Tuesdays 4:00-5:45pm OR 6:00-7:45pm
Wednesdays 3:15-5:00pm
Thursdays 4:00-5:45pm
Fridays 3:15-5:00pm

Level Three Class Days/Times

Wednesdays 3:15-5:00pm
Thursdays 4:00-5:45pm

1st Reconcilation Prep: 6-12 years old

Sacrament Prep is a three year process and begins in 1st grade at St Gabriel the Archangel. If you have a child who desires to receive the Sacrament of 1st Reconciliation they can expect to participate in a minimum of two years of Sacramental preparation at St. Gabriel’s prior to receiving the Sacrament of 1st Reconciliation regardless of the grade they begin. Children prepare for the Sacrament of Reconciliation through Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (Level 2).

Readiness to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation would include having reached the ‘age of reason.’ Normally a child is somewhere between 7-8 years of age when they reach the ‘age of reason.’ To prepare for 1st Reconciliation (Confession), children must have completed at least one full year of Catechesis of the Good Shepherd at their parish immediately prior to the year of preparation.

Confirmation/1st Holy Eucharist (Communion) Prep: 8-12 years old

In the Diocese of Phoenix Confirmation and 1st Eucharist are received together.

The Diocese of Phoenix has Restored Order of the Sacraments of Initiation

Sacramental readiness is determined on an individual basis. If you have a child who desires to receive the Sacraments of Confirmation and/or 1st Holy Eucharist (Communion) they can expect to participate in a minimum of two years of Sacramental Preparation at St. Gabriel’s. To begin preparation for Confirmation and/or 1st Holy Eucharist, children must have completed a minimum of one year of Sacrament Prep through their parish immediately prior to the year of preparation for the Sacraments of Confirmation/1st Holy Eucharist. Candidates for Confirmation/1st Holy Eucharist who did not attend Catechesis of the Good Shepherd last year will receive preparation through the Saints Among Us book program this year.

Formation Material:

The “Saints Among Us” restored order 24-week curriculum from the Archdiocese of Denver consists of two books that prepare children for the reception of Confirmation and 1st Holy Eucharist (Holy Communion). The program seeks to form the hearts of your children while also imparting the necessary content of our Catholic faith. Children listen to the Word of God, learn various forms of prayer, and develop ways to relate the content to their everyday lives.

Book 3: “Confirmation” examines how Confirmation completes our Baptism, helps us to relate to the Holy Trinity, and invites us to allow the Holy Spirit to guide our lives. By looking at the Gifts and Fruits of the Holy Spirit in detail, your children will recognize the importance of the Laying on of Hands and the Anointing in the Rite of Confirmation.

Book 4: “Eucharist” focuses on the culmination of the Sacraments of Initiation—First Communion. As the source and summit of our Faith, your children learn about the true presence of Christ in the Eucharist, how to adore Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, and how to properly receive Jesus with prayer and love.

Class Days & Times

Tuesdays 6:15-7:45pm
Wednesdays 3:15-4:45pm
Thursdays 4:15-5:45pm

Mystagogy - Post-Sacrament Faith Formation: 9-12 years old

Catechesis of the Good Shepherd: Level 3

4th or 5th graders who have already received all their Sacraments of Initiation shall continue their faith formation through Catechesis of the Good Shepherd Level 3.

Level 3 focuses on the plan of God to join all people together. The child focuses on God’s generosity and the responsibilities that accompany His gifts. They are posed the question, “What is my place in the Kingdom of God?” This older child is now ready to prayerfully begin Scripture typology in depth and to become intimately familiar with the prayers of the Roman Missal. In Level 3 the child is ready to enter more intentionally into cultivating a life of virtue.

Teens (6th grade – High School) shall continue their faith formation through the Youth Ministry program. For more information please contact Erik Ochoa at youth@stgacc.net.

If your child needs to be baptized and is over the age of 7 years old please contact Michael Garibaldi at Adultfaith@stgacc.org.