P.R.E.P. - Pre-School Through 8th Grade

The Religious Education Ministry works with parents and the total parish community to ensure that all the children of our parish come to know that they are loved by God, to know that Jesus Christ as their Savior, Lord, and Brother, and to realize that they belong to a community of faith.

SACRAMENTAL CATECHESIS: 2012 - 2013

We are beginning another school year. This will be our thirteenth year in which we have separated Sacramental Catechesis from our Parish Religious Education Program (P.R.E.P.), as it is being implemented all over the dioceses in Florida and the Catholic Church in the United States

What is Sacramental Catechesis?

Sacramental Catechesis is a process of conversion into Christ for each person and the entire parish community. It is not only for relatives, children, youth and adults that are preparing for the sacraments. It is a moment of conversion for the whole parish community. From September through May dynamic speakers lead the process with activities and reflections to be brought home so as to include the whole family in this preparation period. The parents and students must attend regular sessions. There are four sessions for Reconciliation, four for Eucharist and six sessions for Confirmation. There will be an orientation for parents and children before the regular sessions begin. The presentations are in English and in Spanish and all materials are bilingual. Attendance to P.R.E.P. classes and to Sacramental Catechesis is very important to celebrate the sacrament. In terms of "sacraments" there is a marked difference between catechesis "on" sacraments [religious education] and catechesis "for" a sacrament [sacramental catechesis].

This is what the Catholic Church is teaching us:

"Liturgy is the primary formative experience of Church and Liturgical Prayer is a primary component of every catechetical session"

The Catechism of the Catholic Church #1075 - "Liturgical catechesis aims to initiate people into the mystery of Christ by proceeding from the visible to the invisible, from the sign to the thing signified, from the 'sacraments' to the 'mysteries'.”

Leading people to sacraments takes place within the context of the ENTIRE PARISH COMMUNITY, since sacraments belong to the Church. Leading people to sacraments means forming them into the sacramental mystery which is set forth in the liturgy. As we read in the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults # 75: "The celebration of the Sacramental Rites provides the content for Sacramental Catechesis.”