St. Anne Catholic Church
400 Hoodridge Drive
Castle Shannon, Pennsylvania 15234
St. Anne Catholic Church Faith Formation Program
To catechize literally means “to sound” or “to echo”.
The St Anne Parish Faith Formation program exists in order to sound the Good News of Jesus Christ to nearly 400 parish grade school youth. Our mission is to faithfully echo the message that we ourselves have received and lived to the next generation of disciples.
Beginning with the understanding that parents are the primary educators in the Faith for their children, the Faith Formation program provides weekly religious education classes that seek to support and echo what parents are
Our Grade-School Catechetical Program is offered for children in grades K - 8. Sessions meet at St. Anne School on Mondays, from September through mid-May. Class times are scheduled from 4:15PM - 5:30 PM and from 6:15pm - 7:30pm. The average class size is 12 children.
All children are welcome in our Faith Formation Program. If you have a child with special needs, please contact the Faith Formation Office to discuss the options available to you and your family for the total education and formation of your child.
Catechists and classroom aides are volunteers from the parish who offer hours of their time in preparation for teaching of the weekly sessions. Our curriculum is Diocesan-approved and in full conformity with the Catechism of the Catholic Church. We also offer the diocesan Catholic Vision of Love and Respect Life curricula, service opportunities. Each class begins with the Liturgy of the Word, an emphasis on the Word of God, and discussing it at an age-appropriate level.
Faith Formation and Religious Education Classes
Katie Grella, Director Of Religious Education
Faith Formation Office: 412-561-0101
Melissa Fawcett, Administrative Assistant
Family Based and Home Group Formation Programs
In addition to our on-site catechetical programs, we offer parents the opportunity to teach religious education to their own children in the home through our Family-Based Faith Formation program. This option is available in all grade. Parents who elect to utilize this program are provided the resources and materials to teach the faith formation curriculum to their children at home.
A Home-Group Program is also in place, which gathers a small number of children (average 6) for weekly catechesis in a home.
Both the Family-Based and the Home-Based Programs follow the traditional Faith Formation schedule and also require full participation in our parish formation gatherings such as the All-Saints celebration, Family Advent celebration, musical Living Stations of the Cross, and Faith Formation Opening and Closing Masses.
Please contact the Faith Formation Office for information on these programs.
Pre-School Ministry Program - God's Little Lights!
If your children like Vacation Bible School, they will love God's Little Lights! This ministry, offered 1xper month is intended for children ages birth - Kindergarten. We gather in Harkins Hall on a Tuesday morning from 9:30am - 11:00am for a morning of song, prayer, Bible story, crafts and activities. A parent or guardian is required to stay with the child for the duration of the event. Please contact the Faith Formation office for more details. We ask that you RSVP to the office at least 1 day prior to the program, so that adequate materials can be prepared. There is no fee for this program.
God's Little Lights Dates for the 2012-2013 catechetical year:
Tuesday, September 11, 2012 - please RSVP by 9/10
Tuesday, October 2, 2012 - please RSVP by 10/1
Tuesday, November 6, 2012 - please RSVP by 11/5
Tuesday, December 11, 2012 - please RSVP by 12/10
Tuesday, January 8, 2013 - please RSVP by 1/7
Tuesday, February 5, 2013 - please RSVP by 2/4
Tuesday, March 5, 2013 - please RSVP by 3/4
There will be no session in April 2013.
Tuesday, May 14, 2013 - please RSVP by 5/13
Vacation Bible School
Combining games, music, learning and crafts, Vacation bible School is an opportunity for our faith community to celebrate Scripture and renew our commitment to the Catholic Christian Faith. These fun-filled days are offered in the last week of June. Registration and recruitment of volunteers occurs in the spring months.
VBS dates for 2013 - Sunday, June 23, 2013 - Thursday, June 27, 2013
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Faith Formation Program Commonly Requested Documents
Calendar of classes & events:
Lesson Plan Schedule:
Family Events Flyer:
Policies and Procedures:
Upcoming Events & Important Information
- Monday, March 25, 2013: Living Stations of the Cross, presented by the Middle School Students - 1:00, 4:15 & 6:15pm
- Monday, April 1, 2013: No Faith Formation classes - a blessed & happy Easter!
- Monday, April 8, 2013: Faith Formation classes resume.
- Monday, April 15, 2013: Faith Formation classes.
- Thursday, April 18, 2013: Family Evening of Reflection on the Eucharist - for all 2nd grade students & their parents, 7:00pm, school gym.
- Monday, April 22, 2013: Faith Formation classes
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teaching at home. Catholic doctrine, beliefs, tradition and practices are handed on by more than 30 faithful and faith-filled volunteer catechists. Service to the poor and needy is both taught and practiced both in the classroom setting and on the parish/community level.
In addition the Faith Formation office oversees the sacramental preparation for Reconciliation, Eucharist and Confirmation, including parental catechesis and preparation. Please go to our sacraments page for more information.
Finally the Faith Formation program seeks to build-up parish and family life through events and activities such as the Family Advent Evening & Middle School Christmas Musical, Vacation Bible School, the All-Saints Day event and Parish Mardi Gras. More detailed information on each of these follows:
Click here for the most recent edition of the Newsletter
We recently held our annual Faith Formation Family Day. Over 100 children had parents come and meet their catechists and take an active part in their religious education and faith formation classes for one evening. Catechists, as always, had some wonderful lessons planned and students were excited to have their parents see what they do in class each week. A pizza dinner was held in between the sessions.
