Written By Dr. William O’Leary
A first-time parent has so many things to learn and get used to – not the least of which is simply keeping that precious child alive! As a Catholic parent, you might remember the commitment you made at their baptism to raise up your child in the ways of the Catholic Faith.
If you’ve had more children, it was likely less overwhelming than your first. But no matter how many children you have, the most important way to live your mission is to strive to live as a holy family with Jesus at the center of your lives.
One of the best decisions my wife and I made, and continually strive to make, is to talk about faith as normally as we talk about the Chiefs. Don’t get me wrong, as a parent I do a lot of things imperfectly and there is always room for improvement, but we resolved from the beginning:
- to talk about Jesus as a family
- to make Sunday Mass the most important part of our week
- to pray together with our kids so that they see how central faith is to our everyday lives
- to register our children for religious education/ faith formation so that they could see that it’s not only the parents who they see talking and living the faith as an important part of life but it is something that others around them also echo and live out.
Christian Smith, a sociologist from the University of Notre Dame, found in his research that it helps children choose to stay Catholic if they grow up surrounded by good adult role models and supportive peers. That is another reason why my wife and I believe other Catholic adults and peers are so important in handing on the Faith.
There can be many real challenges to having your children participate in Youth Faith Formation and even continuing once registered. We understand that and want you to contact us if any issues arise. We would like to help you as parents so that your kids can receive this crucial faith formation. If you or someone you know has been away, we want to welcome you back and can’t wait for you to be a part of this year’s YFF community!
We invite you to register your child for Ascension’s Youth Faith Formation Program. Our offerings are detailed on page 9. To register, go to Ascension’s homepage and click on the tile entitled “YFF Fall Registration.” Call the YFF Office if you have any questions: 913-681-7683.
- Weekly Youth Faith Formation: (K-6th Grade) Wednesdays, from 6:00-7:30PM.
- Monthly Family Formation: (K-6th grade) Parents and Kids come on the first Wednesday of the Month (6:00-7:30PM) and then parents take home lessons to do at home the remaining 3 weeks of each month.
- Year I Confirmation: (Mostly 7th Graders) Sundays, from 6:30-8:00PM.
- Year II Confirmation: (Mostly 8th Graders) monthly gatherings and small group meetings in homes.
*Please note that our First Communion Program is a two year process. Your child needs to be registered for 1st grade before making their First Reconciliation and Holy Communion in 2nd grade.