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

Please read these Guidelines

Service form
Works of Mercy/Priniciples of Catholic Social Teaching

All Families registering children for Faith Formation must be registered with the parish.
If you do NOT recieve envelopes or contribute via electronic giving (WeShare), you are NOT registered. See CENSUS tab at the top of the page.  

Nov. 28--only Mass this week, no class sessions before or after Mass.
Happy First Week of Advent!
Next week, 12/5: Gr. K-7 Family session; regular schedule for all Confirmation groups

* PLEASE read the program details below for information about Mass and class TIMES

* PLEASE read the COVID Guidelines in the box to the left with regard to illness and attendance. 

* ALL who enter the school, church hall or other learning space for Faith Formation must wear a mask until further notice, regardless of vaccine status.

Parent sessions: meeting for at least one parent of children registered for the following levels-
For Gr. 6: 10/17 during class time at school
For Gr. 7: 10/24 during class time at school
For Gr. 2: 10/26, 6:30 pm, church hall
 

Calendar Update: November Kindergarten session changed from 11/21 to 11/14

Faith Formation at St. Michael Parish focuses on a ‘Mass and class' approach ('Class and mass' for Middle School and High School Confirmation).  Mass participation is considered to be part of each weekly session. The 9:30 am Mass is geared toward younger grades and the 11:30 am Mass is geared toward teen participation. (NOTE: for families who have children in multiple programs, please know that you will be able to attend the mass that works for your family. Please contact Mrs. Rogalo for more information.)

Grades (levels) 1-6

• Families with enrolled children participate in the 9:30 am Mass on Sundays.  We ask that families arrive a few minutes early for check-in.
• After Mass, parents walk children up to the school for class sessions. Dismissal is at 11:30 am.
• As per the calendar, starting in October there will be a monthly Family Session day. After the 9:30 am Mass, families will stay in church for a 10-15 minute lesson on topics such as the liturgical season, saints, virtues, prayer and other aspect of the Catholic faith.  There will be a follow up activity posted on the parish website for families to complete at home.  After the lesson, families will be able to join other parishioners in the hall for our Coffee Sunday refreshments.
• To maintain the flow of the Faith Formation sessions, no early dismissals or late arrivals will be allowed. If a family cannot attend mass (illness, emergency, etc.) the children should not attend class. Instead, parents should contact catechists or the DRE for missed work (home lessons are available online for Grades 1-5).
• Kindergarten meets once a month. The full calendar will be posted on the website.  Kindergarten families are also invited to participate in the Family Sessions.
   

• Confirmation preparation will be a 2 year process.
• Grade 7 teens will participate in the 9:30 am Mass, followed by a class session in the school. Dismissal will be at 11:30 am. 
• Grade 7 families will also participate in the monthly Family Sessions (see above).
• A parent/candidate meeting will take place in the fall to share details about the Confirmation program, calendar, candidate obligations for service, attendance, prayer, etc.
• Please see the note above with regard to attending a different mass time.

• For this year only, in order to facilitate the change to Middle School Confirmation, enrolled teens in grades 8 and 9 will be prepared in a  more intensive Confirmation preparation process which will take  about a year.
• Sessions will meet weekly at 10:15 am in the church hall. Teens will attend the 11:30 am Mass after class. We encourage their families to meet teens for this mass (see Note above).
  • NOTE: on Coffee Sundays, the Middle School Confirmation group will meet in the School instead of the Church hall. The calendar clearly shows this change in location, usually the first Sunday of the month starting in October.
• Starting in 2022-23, young people in grade 7 will be considered Confirmation I candidates and young people in grade 8 will be considered Confirmation II candidates.
• For this year, for this group, teens will be asked to participate in a few activities over the summer of 2022.  We will continue with a few preparation sessions in the Fall of 2022 before celebrating Confirmation in October.
• There will be a candidate and parent meeting in September to explain the Confirmation program, calendar, candidate obligations for service, attendance, prayer, etc.

• High School aged teens who participated in Confirmation I last year will continue with Confirmation II this year.
• The program remains essentially the same.  Class sessions meet about twice a month  at 9:30 am. Teens are asked to participate in the 11:30 am Mass afterward. Families/parents are encouraged to join their candidate for this mass.
• Confirmation will be celebrated  in the spring of 2022 by those candidates who are prepared and ready to do so.
• At this time, sessions are scheduled to meet in the Youth Room (basement of parish office building).

• This is a new Faith Formation program for teens who have had no formal Faith Formation experience since Baptism or First Communion preparation.
• It will be a 2-year process during which teens will participate in a broad study of the Catholic faith using teen centered resources.  
• Since we will use a two-year cycle of alternating topics, the group will be comprised of teens in both the first and second year of preparation.  Immediate preparation for Confirmation (and First Communion if necessary), will occur in the spring of each year. Candidate who have completed both years (and show they are ready) will celebrate Confirmation
• Teens will meet about twice a month on Sunday morning and then participate in the 11:30 am Mass. (Unless their families normally attend the Mass in Spanish at 1:30 pm).
• There will be a candidate and parent meeting in September to explain the program, calendar, candidate obligations for service, attendance, prayer, etc.

• • Families are asked to register using the link below. Multiple children can be registered on one form by clicking on the ‘+’ symbol at the bottom of the box that shows child’s information 
  • All fees and supporting documents (SEE BELOW) are to be sent to: St. Michael Parish Faith Formation, 4 Church St., Netcong, NJ 07857. You can also drop it off during regular office hours (M-Thu, 9am-3pm; closed for Mass 10-10:30am)
  • PLEASE MAKE ALL CHECKS PAYABLE TO: St. Michael Faith Formation. Make sure the envelope says Faith Formation.
  • If you would prefer to fill out a paper form, please contact us at 973-347-0032, ext. 2330 or faith.formation@stmichaelnetcong.org

• You must make sure you are currently registered in the parish FIRST. Please see the CENSUS tab above and fill out the information. (If you receive and use envelopes or donate to the parish via WeShare, you are already registered. Otherwise, please fill out the Census form). 
• Under ‘Child’s Information’, please make sure you indicate the last school grade attended OR, if you are transferring from another parish program, the last Faith Formation level completed. Transfers require a letter from prior parish with regard to attendance.

• 2021-22 Commitment Covenant: this is to be downloaded, printed, signed and returned to the Faith Formation office, one per family.   Download here
• If your child is new to Faith Formation at St. Michael, and was NOT baptized at St. Michael, we need a copy of his/her baptismal certificate AT THE time of registration.

• If your child was baptized at St. Michael, as long as you have the approximate date we can look it up in the parish records.
•  

Religious Education Coordinator
Debbie Rogalo - 973-347-0032 ext. 2330

The mission of the Religious Education program at St. Michael parish is to aid parents and families in the faith formation of their children in the Parish Church setting.
 
The Church teaches that parents are the primary religious educators of their children.  It is in the home within the bonds of family that children first learn about God and about faith. This is so essential that the Church recognizes that each family is in fact a small ‘domestic church’.  Our role in the parish is to assist parents in this holy responsibility to nurture the faith of their family.
 
We must always remember that faith is not a matter of acquiring a good religious vocabulary. Rather, faith is relationship with Jesus.  We come to know Him through prayer, through God’s Word (Scripture) and through the Sacraments, especially the Eucharist (Mass) and Reconciliation.  At St. Michael we recognize that Religious Education/formation must be a partnership between the Church and families.  The parish Religious Education program can only build on the faith formation that takes place at home.
  
Faith formation at St. Michael parish is also more than sacramental preparation.  It is preparation for life. Our sequential (K-10^th grade) program is designed to impart Christian values and knowledge that will aid children as they make choices throughout their lives, helping them to become peace-filled and joyful Christians who know Jesus and all that He calls them to be.
 
With parents, the catechists of the Religious Education program seek to prepare our children’s minds and hearts to be open to God, trusting that God will be able to reveal himself to them and draw them to himself.   
 
Please keep our many catechists in your prayers throughout the year as they work tirelessly to share the Good News of the Gospel with all of our parish young people.