``I believe, in order to understand; and I understand, the better to believe.`` Saint Augustine, Catechism of the Catholic Church paragraph 158
All families, including parents and children starting from birth at baptism, are designed to grow in their faith and in their relationship with God. To this purpose, St. Scholastica provides support to families through our Religious Education Program with classes for every age group. These classes are meant to inspire a greater understanding of our faith through the study of scripture and active participation in the sacraments of the church. Our programs seek to form faithful disciples of Jesus Christ by bringing alive the joy of the gospel message of sacred scripture, sacred tradition, and magisterial teachings.
The Religious Education Program offered at St. Scholastica is overseen by our pastor and active members of our church community who are deeply rooted in their faith and their relationship with the Lord. We feel it is a great privilege to assist parents in their role as the primary educators in their children’s faith life through participation in our Religious Education Program. A mandatory parent meeting for the 2020 – 2021 school year will be held Sunday, August 30th at 9:45 am.
St. Scholastica’s Religious Education Program is organized into classes by age/group/grade level. Additionally, sacramental preparation for First Reconciliation, First Communion, and Confirmation are included in class curriculum as indicated below. To find out more information on the restored order of the sacraments from the Archdiocese of Denver, please click here.
The Religious Education Classes are as follows:
(Please click on the links to the classes for additional information and class resources.)
| Age Group | Class Name | Meeting Days and Times | Sacramental Prep |
| Families with children birth through 2nd grade | A Family of Faith* | 2nd Sunday – Parent Meeting – 9:45 am – 11:15 am (childcare available when allowable per COVID guidelines)
4th Sunday – Community meeting – 9:45 am – 11:15 am |
First Reconciliation |
| 3rd – 5th | Confirmation* | Tuesdays – 4:30pm – 5:45pm | First Reconciliation, Confirmation, First Communion |
| 4th – 5th | Post Confirmation | Tuesdays – 4:30pm – 5:45pm | completed previously |
| 6th – mature adulthood | Please check out the To The Heights Youth Group, RCIC, RCIA, Young Adult Group, and Adult Bible Study Programs |
*At-Home Activities
- Family of Faith – Participants will complete two 30-40 minute lessons a month at home after receiving instruction in the parent meeting, and families with students in the second grade will complete an at-home study to prepare for the Sacrament of Reconciliation
- Confirmation – Students in the confirmation class will complete an at-home study for the Sacrament of First Reconciliation (if not previously received), First Communion, and will prepare for Confirmation Encounter Interviews.
In response to COVID 19, a few changes are being implemented this year:
- Family Catechesis – families with children in the 2nd grade and younger will participate in a The Family of Faith Program. Parents will meet with a catechist once-a-month, will teach two 30-40 minute lessons in their home, and will meet as a community once-a-month. Family catechesis will help us serve young students whose learning needs are best met with in-person instruction. More information is available by clicking on the class link.
- Dispersed meeting days and times – A Family of Faith will meet on the 2nd and 4th Sundays from 9:45 am – 11:15 am, and the confirmation and post-confirmation classes will meet on Tuesdays from 4:30 pm – 5:45 pm. This will help ensure social distancing guidelines are adhered to for in-person meetings. All participants are asked to bring a mask in the event that social distancing is not possible.
- Virtual Meetings – depending on restrictions to the number of in-person attendees, classes may be conducted in-person, a hybrid in-person/virtual, or solely virtually. Meeting locations (virtual/in-person) will be adjusted to meet Archdiocesan COVID guidelines as they are issued.
- At-home Self Study – Several publishers offer self-study sacramental prep options which can be purchased by individual families. If you select this method of study, you will need to meet with a priest either virtually or in person as you begin your study and once your study is complete to demonstrate your readiness. Following are links to some of the options for 1st reconciliation, confirmation, and 1st Eucharist – Our Sunday Visitor – Encounter With Christ, Loyola Press – God’s Gift, Augustine Institute – Signs of Grace (confirmation available Spring 2021); Saints Among Us (print only)
For more information on classes or class schedules, please contact the parish office at 303-828-4221 or email Peggy at REdirector@stscholasticaerie.org.
We look forward to seeing you at the parent meeting on Sunday, August 30th at 9:45am! If you have a calling to share the faith and be a religious education teacher, please contact Peggy at REdirector@stscholasticaerie.org.