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.
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’).
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.