Family Religious Education

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Family RE is families growing in faith together, sharing their faith with each other within the family and within the group.  Meetings are at private homes, usually at 10:30 on Sunday mornings.  Read a personal testimony about the Family RE experience.

Mission Statement

Family Religious Education provides a community where the entire family can develop and expand their Catholic beliefs together.

We accomplish this mission by:

1. Forming family groups with similar-aged children.
2. Providing age appropriate classes for all family members — children and adults.
3. Offering the required religious education for First Reconciliation and First Communion.
4. Offers the religious education required prior to beginning confirmation formation.
5. Building community through special events and retreats that incorporate all family groups.
6. Helping families to form a large Catholic community by reforming the groups each year to include new families.
7. Presenting curriculum for all ages that follows current Catholic doctrine and is approved by the director of religious education at St. John Neumann Catholic Church and the Austin Diocese.

Obligations

1. Attend weekly meetings following the St. John Neumann Religious Education calendar.
2. Host weekly meeting on a rotating basis — one to two times per year.
3. Teach on a rotating basis.
4. Attend yearly retreat — in late April.

Typically, there are five to six classes of varying levels as well as an adult study group going on during the “class” time. There is one adult teaching each of these classes. Each adult in the group is asked to sign-up for two four-week rotations of teaching and one adult study rotation. For example, a religious education year will be divided into six four-week rotations. A schedule for a couple may resemble something like this:

Rotation 1: Both attend Adult Study.

Rotation 2: Husband teaches fifth grade class; wife attends Adult Study.

Rotation 3: Both attend Adult Study.

Rotation 4: Husband OR wife teaches Adult Study.

Rotation 5: Wife teaches kindergarten; husband teaches second graders.

Rotation 6: Wife teaches kindergarten; husband attends Adult Study.

Outline of a Typical Meeting

Opening prayer and family activity — 40 minutes

Classes — 45 minutes

Group sharing and closing prayer — 10 minutes

*When the meeting is held at your house (one to two times per year), you are responsible for providing a family activity that reflects the themes addressed that week in the readings at Mass. While the meeting is at your house, you are responsible for starting the opening prayer, assigning room for the individual classes and starting the closing prayer. You are responsible for providing the snack if your group has decided to include a snack after the meetings.

Financial Commitment

$60 per child 3 and over. This $60 fee per child is non-refundable and non-transferable to ‘traditional RE’ tuition. Scholarships are available upon request. Please contact the director of religious education at St. John Neumann.