The Church's catechetical mission aims to help the faithful of all ages to grow in both human and Christian maturity. At St. Carlo Acutis, we believe that your child's faith formation is a continuing journey; one that begins in the home and is reinforced by the programs we offer. Our main objective is to educate your child using age-appropriate goals and content to empower them. Together we will embrace the understanding of faith, personal growth, family life, relationships, public service, and concern for the common good.
St. Carlo Acutis Patron Saint of Gaming & the Internet
St. Gabriel Patron Saint of Good Communication
St. John the Evangelist Patron Saint of Loyal Friendships
St. Michael Patron Saint of Heroes & Helpers
Faith for All Ages
Ages 1-5 Taking your children to Mass can be a real struggle, but it is so important. We know developmentally, it's not appropriate to expect our very youngest parishioners to follow along with the entire Mass. Still, we persevere in attending together as our family. To make things a little easier for you, we offer 'Children's Mass Bags' at each of our churches. These simple tote bags offer something for your child to hold and do during Mass, relating to the Mass. Please do not remove Mass bags from church.
Ages 4 Years-4th Grade Children’s Liturgy of the Word (CLOW) is offered to our youth aged 4 years—4th grade during select Sunday Masses so children can experience the liturgical readings in a way they can understand. CLOW dismissal takes place at the following Masses:
1st Sunday of the Month | 11 a.m. Mass | St. John Church 2nd Sunday of the Month | 9 a.m. Mass | St. Michael Church 4th Sunday of the Month | 10 a.m. Mass | St. Gabriel Church
Grades 1-Grades 5 'Launch' is offered to youth in grades 1-5. This program is designed with educational best practices in mind, featuring targeted movement and multiple modalities. Movement can stimulate learning as it activates the brain and helps children to focus. Utilizing multiple modalities allows students to experience content with multiple senses which activates different parts of the brain and makes the content accessible to all students.
Grades 6-8 'EDGE' is an effective catechesis for Catholic middle schoolers that helps with life's most challenging years. As middle school youth develop intellectually, they no longer accept faith simply because it is what their parents believe. They have real questions that need real answers. 944 Catholic parishes in 10 countries have an Edge ministry for their middle school youth, including the St. Carlo Acutis Family of Parishes!
Grades 9-12 We believe that when a teenager encounters Christ through the beauty of the Catholic faith, they will transform their parish, community, and culture. We’ve seen it happen time and time again through our 'Life Teen' programming. Life Teen provides a safe and fun place for youth to find a solid Catholic community, get answers to their questions, and, most importantly, to experience Jesus in personal way.
HOME STUDY: Grades 1-8 Since the needs of families vary widely, we offer a Home Study Faith Formation program to further support your family. Parents who register for the Home Study Faith Formation program are provided with resources and support to assist them in facilitating lessons at home with their children. Children in our Home Study Faith Formation program use the same materials as our in-person programming and are always invited (as well as strongly encouraged) to participate in any in-person grade-level group faith formation activities offered.
Volunteers Needed The success of our program depends on many volunteers, including catechists, co-catechists, assistant catechists, office assistants, and substitute catechists. Your help and time are needed and greatly appreciated. Books, supplies, and training are provided.
Sacramental Prep The Sacraments of First Reconciliation, First Holy Communion, and Confirmation require additional commitment. Each participant in our Youth Faith Formation programs will be fully prepared to receive the sacraments at the appropriate time.
Child Protection Information The Archdiocese uses the SafeParish platform for Child Protection training and compliance. SafeParish is an organization that specializes in training and education solutions for organizations world-wide. They have 20+ years of experience in providing child safe environment training programs. SafeParish will continue to work with our current background check provider – Selection.com. Ongoing child protection training will still be required for all volunteers and employees - it will consist of quarterly interactive video-based training instead of monthly bulletins. Please check your email for an invitation from SafeParish ([email protected]). If you have received the message, simply follow the prompts. Otherwise, you can link to the SafeParish address and click the “Register” link to begin the process. It is your responsibility, to make sure your contact information is current and the list of locations in your account is current. You can add and delete locations by going to 'Update My Account.'
Background Checks Everyone MUST have background checks completed – either electronically and/or through fingerprinting.