"Let the children come to me and do not stop them,
becasue the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to such as these..."
School of Religion
St. Paul's School of Religion teaches grammar school age children the fundamentals of Christian faith and doctrine, and provides them with the opportunity to practice their beliefs in their daily lives. The Staff of the St. Paul's School of Religion is commited to:
- Empower our children with Catholic knowledge and ways to best practice their Catholic faith
- Share prayer and liturgical experience both as a class, a school community, and with our larger St. Paul's Parish family
- Engage the children and thir families in scripture study
- Assist families with sacramental preparations for students receiving the Sacraments of Baptism, Reconciliation, and First Communion
- Begin the preparation of teenagers who wish to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation in high school
Classes are held every Saturday morning from 9:30 A.M. until 11:00 A.M. during the regular school year. Classes are held in the St. Paul's Elementary School building next to the Church. The School of Religion's Saturday phone number in (415) 826-4484.
A nominal fee is charged each year to cover the cost of textbooks and materials.
St. Paul's School of Religion serves all children from Kindergarten through eigth grade who attned public or private non-Catholic Schools.
Catechists are all parish volunteers who are committed to the teaching of religion to the children of our parish.
Confirmation Preparation Program
"A Journey of Faith Within a Coummunity For High School Youth"
Sixteen Class Sessions Focusing on:
- Period of Invitation: "Entrance Ritual"
- Period of Formation: "Covenant Ritual"
- Period of Reflection: "Rite of Confirmation"
Confirmation is a celebration of a new influx of the Holy Spirit into the life of the community through the newly initiated candidates. Confirmation is the celebration of a sacrament and all sacraments are communal as well as individual celebrations. Because the Spirit speaks to each of us in a different understanding of the same Spirit, the invitation oto the community from the Spirit is: "Are we going to be open to change and willing to hear the Word of God through these young prophets?" This is a challenge to the rest of the community to be open and accepting of what they will experience through these young people.
The community of St. Paul's Church also has the responsibility to continue to assist these young people as they grow in Spirit. Members of our community are asked for continue to support the young people in nurturing the new awareness these young people have gained. In return the community will gain, through the teens, new insights into the power of the Spirit and how these ideas will help change the community.
The young people have an obligation to challenge the community. They will do this as they continue to grow in their understanding of how God is working in their lives. They are then to bring their knowledge and experience to the community. This will help the community continue to grow in the experience of the Lord.
Confirmation is a celebration of a new influx of the Holy Spirit into the life of the community through the newly initiated candidates.
this conscious awakening does not mean that the candidates understand all the intricate workings of the Spirit. In fact, they may not be able even to pinpoint how the Spirit is working in their lives. But they havve come to some sort of understanding, consciousness, awareness, realization, or experience of the presence of the Holy Spirit in their lives. This awakening can be considered "maturity" in the sense that Thomas Aquinas referred to when he called it "a kind of adult age of the spiritual life". In this sense, Confirmation is a celebration of the beginnings of spiritual maturity.
Confirmation is one of the three initiation sacraments: Baptism, Eucharist, and Confirmation.
Originally, all three sacraments were celebrated in one long rite; often lsting from sunset to sunrise duing the Vigil of Easter, with little distinction between the three. Over the centuries, the initiation process evolved into the three separate celebrations of Baptism, Eucharist, and Confirmation. It was not until 1429 that Confirmation was declared and defined as a separate sacrament by the Council of Florence. From this brief look at history, we find taht Confirmation is the last sacrament of initiation one receives in becoming a full member of the Catholic Church. Through Confirmation, one is empowered with the Holy Spirt to continue the work of Jesus through the mission of His Chruch, a process begun at Baptism.
Sessions are held twice a month, 7:30 to 9:00 p.m. under the church
The following is required of the candidates:
- Inform the Pastor, Fr. Mario, of their desire to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation
- Attend two Special liturgies
- Participate in a day of retreat
- Perform 15 hours of service
- Select a sponsor and s Saint's name
Contact Information:
For more information, please contact:
Dorothy Vigna
Director of Religious Education
(415) 648-7538 |
