Faith.formation@stmichaelnetcong.org
973-347-0032, ext. 2320

Currently we are following the guidelines of the Paterson Diocese policy for Schools. Masks are optional. Handwashing and sanitizing are encouraged and social distancing to the extent possible will be implemented. IF YOUR CHILD is sick or family members are sick or in quarantine, please do NOT send them to class until they are cleared to go to school again.
The Diocesan policy can be accessed here.

Service form
Works of Mercy/Priniciples of Catholic Social Teaching

Please print, fill in  your name and the dates of the month that you are using this form.
Use this form ONLY if you have misplaced the form given to you at the beginning of the year.

All Families registering children for Faith Formation must be registered and active with the parish.
If you do NOT recieve AND use envelopes or contribute via electronic giving (WeShare), you are not a  registered/active family. See PARISH REGISTRATION tab at the top of the page.  

Faith Formation at St. Michael Parish

The Faith Formation program at St. Michael Parish focuses on a ‘Mass and class' approach:  Mass participation is considered to be a mandatory part of each weekly session for every family registered for Faith Formation and is built into the weekly ‘class’ schedule.

The Church teaches that the Eucharist is the ‘source and summit’ of our lives as Catholic Christians (Catechism of the Catholic Church 1324-1327).  All that we believe, say and do as Catholic Christians flows into and from our weekly celebration of /participation in the Mass. The Church teaches that our faith is nourished through this participation: God feeds His people from the table of his Word (Sacred Scripture) and the table of his Body and Blood (the Eucharist). 

The Catholic faith is centered on the Eucharist.

Participation in Mass is a weekly obligation for Catholics but it is more than that. Participation in the prayer of the Mass forms our faith and helps us to become, with God’s grace and our cooperation, followers of Christ in the world, and participants in His work of building up the Kingdom of God.

Therefore, the St. Michael Faith Formation program has as its center, weekly participation in Sunday Mass. Depending on the age group, sessions are scheduled to allow families to participate in Mass and for young people in Levels K-8 to meet in small group faith sharing sessions (‘classes’).  

• Children in levels K-7 (Confirmation I) attend the 9:30 am Mass with their parents. The small group portion of the session begins directly after Mass. Parents bring their children to the school building immediately following the end of Mass.                                     Dismissal is at 11:30 am.     Please note: this means that Faith Formation sessions begin at 9:30 and end at 11:30 am on ‘class’ days.
• Older children in level 8 (Confirmation II) participate in the small group session starting at 10:15 am in the school and are dismissed in time to participate in the 11:30 am Mass.  
• The NET program for older teens to be prepared for Confirmation meets about twice a month according to a specific schedule distributed in late summer/early fall.
• All sessions meet on Sunday morning, from mid-September through mid-May.  Yearly calendars showing class days, vacation days and special events will be posted in the late summer.
• Monthly Family Sessions: these sessions are part of the calendar for Levels K-6. Once a month (usually on the first Sunday of the month) families participate in the 9:30 am Mass and then stay in Church for a short presentation followed by refreshments in the Church Hall (on ‘Coffee Sunday’ weeks). These sessions are a mandatory part of the calendar, not optional sessions. On these weeks, Confirmation I candidates meet after Mass for Confirmation service work.

• First, please print, read and sign the Faith Formation Covenant here. This is to be returned to the Faith Formation office at 8 Church St., Netcong.  If you do not have a printer, please stop by the office to pick up a copy.  (In Spanish, here)
• Second, please read the Faith Formation Policy Guidelines here.  (In Spanish, here)
• Third, please register/re-register your child(ren) by filling out the electronic form here.  (registration currently closed; contact the office for more information)

• If your child is transferring from another parish Faith Formation program, we need a letter from that parish documenting child’s participation in the program to complete registration.
• For new registrations for children older than first grade: After we receive the registration and all supporting documents (baptismal certificate or date, signed Covenant and transfer papers (from prior parish, if applicable), we will contact you with information about the (grade) level /program your child will enter in September.

The mission of the Faith Formation program at St. Michael parish is to assist parents and families with the faith development and formation of their children in the Parish Church setting.
 
The Church teaches that parents are the primary religious educators of their children.  This is so essential that the Church recognizes that each family is, in fact, a small ‘domestic church’.  It is in the home, within the bonds of family, that children first learn about God and about faith.  The role of the Faith Formation program is to assist parents in this holy responsibility to lead their family members into a more committed, lifelong relationship with the Lord Jesus and knowledge of our Catholic faith in this local church in Netcong.
 
We must always remember that faith is not a matter of acquiring a good religious vocabulary. Rather, faith is relationship with Jesus.  In the Faith Formation program, we help the young people come to know Jesus through prayer, through God’s Word (Scripture) and through the Sacraments, especially the Eucharist (Mass) and Reconciliation.   The heart of the Faith Formation program is weekly celebration of the Eucharist (Mass) by all registered families.
  
Faith Formation at St. Michael parish is also more than sacramental preparation.  It is preparation for life. Our sequential (K-Confirmation) program is designed to impart Christian values and knowledge that will aid young  people and teens as they make choices throughout their lives, helping them to become peace-filled and joyful Christians who know Jesus and respond willingly to all that He calls them to be and do on their journey through life.  
 
Please keep our parish Catechists in your prayers throughout the year as they work tirelessly to prepare our children’s minds and hearts to be open to God, always trusting that God will be able to reveal Himself  and draw them to Himself.