Parent student handbook 2020- 2021 SCHOOL BOARD OF RELIGIOUS EDUCATION VICAR- PASTOR Fr. Jacob Christy Parambukattil OUR MOTTO “Be Alive to God” (Gal.2/19) VISION: We envisage motivating our young ones to Learn, Love, Live and Proclaim Jesus, the Lord and God through the Church as Syro- Malabar Catholics. OUR MISSION • To prepare persons to live authentic Catholic lives in a culture that is increasingly diverse, complex, and challenging. • To teach to carry on the Treasury of Faith and Tradition of the Syro Malabar Church. • To form spiritually, morally, emotionally, socially, mature disciples of the Lord. • To help persons to live a counter-cultural life of witnessing. Along with the above tasks, the Faith Formation Department also aims at fulfilling the following tasks of catechesis: Knowledge of Faith & Liturgical Education What is Catechism? The Greek word catechesis means ‘instruction by word of mouth’. It is basic Christian religious education of children and adult converts to Christianity. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church “Catechesis is an ‘education in the faith ‘of Children, young people and adults which includes especially the teaching of Christian doctrine imparted, generally speaking, in an organic and systematic way, with a view of initiating the hearers into the fullness of Christian life”(CCC, prologue # 5). The Twelve Keys of the Craft of Catechesis 1. Holistic: Catechesis must include the four dimensions of our faith: Profession of Faith (the Creed), the celebration of Christian Mystery (the Sacraments), Christian Prayer (Our Father), Life in Christ (the Commandments). 2. Graceful: Maintain the primacy of grace: God is first, grace is first. God and His work come first in catechesis. 3. Organic: The truths of our faith together form a living unity. 4. Personal: Personal realities lie at the heart of catechesis: The Holy Trinity, Christ, Paschal Mystery and Human Person 5. True: Teaching the faith as one and true; mystery of faith as true, and one can know them truly, though cannot know them fully. 6. Attractive: Present the beauty and goodness of the faith. Impart the joy one gets from faith. 7. Purposeful: Present the loving plan of the salvific work of God. From the beginning, God acts with a purpose, and everyone finds the meaning of one’s life in the dynamic history of God’s plan. 8. Faithful: “Recognize… Remember… Never forget (Leo the Great). Present the teachings in life context of the catechized. Teach the whole Truth in the light of redemption. 9. Evangelizing: Proclaim the faith for an ongoing conversion. 10. Scriptural: Scripture leads the presentation of doctrine. Present Scripture as the divine force of doctrine and its inspired source; not simply present Scripture as “proof-testing”. 11. Liturgical: the rule of prayer is the rule of faith. The liturgy expresses what we believe. We need to catechize both toward liturgy and from liturgy. 12. Prayerful: Catechesis is a prayerful pedagogy because the history of salvation is the history of prayer. Make catechism a school of prayer. (Cfr. The Catechism of the Catholic Church and the Craft of Catechesis by Petroc Willey & Pierre de Cointel & Barbara Morgan) Religious Education Program The members of the St. Alphonsa Syro Malabar Catholic Church, a family celebrating faith, born into the family of God at Baptism, are called to grow in faith and to witness to the Gospel message and mission of Jesus Christ. Thank you for choosing to register your child in the School of Religious Education for the 2020- 2021 academic year. We, the catechetical community of this parish, sincerely feel that we offer a very well established, well-planned, educationally sound program. The Religious Education Program of St. Alphonsa Church, Coppell is staffed by caring adult Catholics who proclaim and share the Gospel message of Jesus Christ and the doctrine, and the Syro-Malabar traditions with our young people. Considering the current situation due to COVID-19 pandemic, in person faith formation is not possible. We will continue our faith formation via Virtual learning platform. Please note the following facts, which we believe, distinguish our program: 1. Virtual Classes are conveniently scheduled in two sessions ❖ Session 1 from 9 AM to 10 AM ❖ Session 2 from 11 AM to 12 Noon 2. Our vicar often visits the classes and become involved in the teaching process. 3. An adult Catholic who generously gives his or her time and talent and enjoys working with young people guides the class. 4. Classes from Pre-K through twelfth grades are included which makes this a unique Religious education Program. 5. Every year our teachers are provided with in-services to enhance their knowledge about Catholic faith formation and relevant subjects. 6. Materials used in the program have been approved by the catholic Bishops of America and in conformity with the Catechism of the Catholic Church. 7. The program strives to impart basic knowledge of Catholic Christian faith as well as Syro- Malabar traditions and Liturgical celebrations. 8. Sunday CCD begins with short prayer lead by respective teachers 9. Students learn their religion through a variety of teaching methods and materials: Power points, song, videos, projects, art, stories, etc. 10. Children enjoy being a part of the Religious Education process because our traditions and values are nurtured. 11. Relevant information about the program and the School of Religious Education are available on web page: http://www.syromalabarcatechesischicago.org 12. At the end of the CCD school year, we celebrate CCD Annual day with an award ceremony for the student's outstanding performance, CCD Teachers appreciation, and our 12th-grade graduation. CCD excellence awards are based on below criteria. EXAMS/Quizzes Participation Homework Attendance 10% 10% 20% 60% 13. There will be different opportunities at church for the students to enjoy and partake in various activities to exhibit their faith and talents through dance, song, play, and various other cultural programs. 14. A group of senior youth supports our CCD program as volunteers. Virtual Learning Guidelines ❖ Parents are requested to sign a consent form giving permission for the Parish to deliver online content to students and the acceptance of internet safety responsibility ❖ The online classes will not be recorded by student or the parents, in part or in full ❖ No portion of the class will be posted for comment or feedback on social media or other communication mediums. ❖ Teachers may record the CCD sessions as per Diocese recommendations ❖ To protect the privacy of the class, the attendees of the online class will be required to show their face the entirety of the session. ❖ Proper and modest attire is required for all the attendees of the online sessions. The Syro-Malabar Catechetical Ministry seeks to foster a young person’s growth in holiness through the teaching of Catholic Doctrine, tradition, and the experience of Christian celebration. Religious education programs create opportunities for the young to receive systematic catechesis. All facets of these programs are designed to help young people see themselves as unique children of a loving God. As a result, the young people will receive from and contribute to the parish family during their journey to mature in their role as Catholic witnesses of faith. POLICIES AND GUIDELINES PARENT INVOLVEMENT As guided by the Church, the catechetical staff of St. Alphonsa Syro- Malabar Catholic Parish believes that parents are the primary religious educators of their children. Catechist/Parent/Students are partners in learning. Parents can greatly aid catechists in the faith development of students by regular Mass attendance, by encouraging family prayer, and by taking active interest in both the formal and informal religious education of their children. PRAYER: Each of the CCD class begins with a prayer. In the class, students are taught formal and informal prayer and are encouraged to grow in their prayer lives. Please review the prayers that your child learns in the class. Prayers are given in the last segment of this handbook. Also, aid them in developing a habit of informal prayer or “spontaneous prayer.” Most importantly, parents should attend Sunday Qurbana with their child keeping in mind that the Sunday Liturgy is the distinguished celebration of our church and participation in Sunday Liturgy is the responsibility of all Catholic Christians. CLASS ATTENDANCE: ❖ Regular and prompt attendance is expected for the entire class period. ❖ Parents can attend online CCD sessions with students. Generally, more than four consequent absences during the year will call into question a child’s ability to remain in the program at the current level. Frequent absences will also call into question a child ’s readiness to receive various Sacraments. Each Class Teacher duly records student’s attendance and the records are maintained in the office of the Religious Education. Frequent absences or a pattern of inconsistency may result in the director’s request for a parent consultation. ❖ Late attendance/entry may result in loss of participation and attendance points. Entry after 20 minutes will be considered “Half- day” attendance. EARLY DISMISSAL: During online CCD Faith Formation program: Students are required to attend CCD sessions completely. Parents needs to notify teachers via email in advance for any exceptions. STUDENT BEHAVIOR Students are expected to conduct themselves in a manner befitting school situation in a Catholic Christian environment. They must respect the authority of the catechist as a teacher, respect each other, and respect school and parish property. Vulgarity, profanity, or any disrespectful language or behavior will not be tolerated. Ordinarily, the catechist will handle misbehavior in the classroom. If a child consistently or seriously misbehaves; the director will be asked to assist in handling the situation. Parents will receive notification of such incidents on the same day of the occurrence.