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Religious Education

K-12 Religious Education       

 

The St. Vincent de Paul Roman Catholic Religious Education Program provides a solid foundation in the Catholic faith for all youth. Our Religious Education Program is open to all children in grades 1-12. When possible, we also provide early religious instruction to children in Kindergarten.

 

Our Mission is to assist families in understanding both what we believe as Catholics and how to live out those beliefs.

 

The Church proclaims the gospel and celebrates the Sacraments to glorify God’s name and to draw his flock to conversion and discipleship.

 

The first purpose of our Religious Education Program is that we are here to assist parents, the primary educators of children, in fostering a child’s spiritual growth.

 

  • Faith formation is an ongoing development of the whole person into the image and likeness of Jesus Christ. To use the image of St. Paul, “we put on Christ” so that Christ is the center of our lives. All Catholics are on the journey of faith formation.

 

  • We begin this life-long journey in the waters of Baptism and hope to continue it in eternal life with Jesus in heaven.

 

  • Our Religious Education Program strives to provide a solid foundation in the Catholic faith. Students are encouraged to begin formal religion classes no later than the first grade. We do offer Pre-K and Kindergarten when possible.

 

  • Students enrolled in Catholic School do not need to attend RE, although they are welcome to do so. If they wish to receive the sacraments with students in our RE program, they may be required to take part in non-classroom activities such as retreats. The SVdP Religious Education program meets once a week on Sundays, as outlined in our calendar.

  

The second purpose of our Religious Education Program is sacramental preparation.

 

  • BAPTISM: Children who are seven years of age and older must attend Religious Education classes for one year before celebrating the Sacrament of Baptism. 

  • RECONCILIATION (Confession): Students are instructed in the Sacrament of Reconciliation before First Holy Communion and celebrate the Sacrament prior to reception of First Holy Communion.

  • HOLY COMMUNION: Students must attend RE classes of Sacrament preparation for two years to receive First Holy Communion. Older children will be placed in an age-appropriate class; but still must attend two years of Sacrament preparation before First Holy Communion. 

  • CONFIRMATION: According to Archdiocese of Atlanta norms, students must be in the tenth grade or older to be considered for the Sacrament of Confirmation. They must attend a minimum of 2 full years of Sacrament preparation prior to Confirmation (9th and 10th grade) and be knowledgeable in the following areas: The Sacraments, The Commandments, Major Bible Stories and Themes, and The Liturgy.

Registration for Religious Education Classes begins in the Spring of each year.

 

  • Attendance: A student must attend at least 90% of class time to receive full credit for the year.  Students who fail to attend 90% of the classes will need to turn in make-up work and possibly attend make-up classes.  For this reason, parents are encouraged to register their children early and to make sure their children attend classes regularly.

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  • New to SVdP?: If you are new to Saint Vincent de Paul Catholic Church and have not yet registered as a parishioner, please complete and submit the parish registration form prior to registration of your children for Religious Education.

 

  • Please register your child(ren) as soon as possible so that we will have all necessary materials ready when classes begin. Payment of at least 25% of the fee is due with registration. Please refer to the registration form for the fee schedule. Our Early Bird discount is available for accounts paid in full by August 1.

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  • Youth who have been confirmed are invited to register for the Post Confirmation class. There is no fee for this class as it is not a required class in our Religious Education Program.

Forms

 

The following forms may be found on the Forms page.

 

  • Parish Registration

  • Fillable Religious Education Registration Form

  • Religious Education Calendar

  • Confirmation Guidelines

  • Confirmation – Sponsor Certificate Request Form

  • Media Release Form

  • Medical Release Form

  • Catechist Volunteer Form

Elementary Youth Group

 

Elementary Activities Afternoons meet once a month on Sundays after the 12 noon Holy Mass from 1-3:00 p.m.

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Children in grades 1-6 are welcome to join us for an afternoon of fun, games and crafts.  Snacks are provided.

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Pre-registration is required. Please check the Bulletin calendar for dates.  For more information contact:  Annette Hew at 770-443-0566 or email at ahew@svdpatl.com.

Middle School / Teen Youth Group

All teens in Grades 7-12 are invited to join us for our ThreeSixTeen's Youth Activity Night. 

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We generally meet every second and fourth Wednesdays of each month.

 

We begin with Holy Mass at 6:15 p.m. followed by fellowship and prayer.

 

If there is no Wednesday evening Holy Mass (i.e. during Advent and Lent), we simply meet from 7-8:30 p.m. in Our Lady of Guadalupe Religious Education Center.

 

Snacks are provided.  Sometimes we meet off-campus for hiking, bowling, or other special events.  We continue to meet during the summer months.  Please call Mary Ware (770-443-0566) or check the bulletin to confirm the schedule.

 

Registration is required; see the Forms page on our website or visit our Religious Education Office.  Come and fellowship with us! 

Volunteer to be a Catechist or an Assistant.

 

  • We invite adult parishioners to consider joining the Religious Education program as a teacher, assistant or substitute in the classroom.

  • The Archdiocese of Atlanta is committed to the safety and well-being of its children, youth, and vulnerable individuals. The program implements procedures to minimize risk while building and fostering a culture of a safety. It requires all clergy, all employees, and volunteers working with children, youth, and/or vulnerable individuals to attend the VIRTUS Protecting God’s Children training which is part of the comprehensive Safe Environment Compliance program.

  • To be Safe Environment compliant a person must pass a background screening through the Archdiocese of Atlanta and attend a live three (3) hour VIRTUS Protecting God’s Children (PGC) training session. All volunteers in the Religious Education program must meet these compliance requirements.

  • Catechist Certification is encouraged, but not required, for our catechists, assistants and substitutes. We offer an online certification program known as “Echoes of Faith” as well as a yearly Archdiocesan conference offering classes that qualify toward completion of a Catechist certification program. 

 

Contact Information
For additional information, questions, or to volunteer, contact a Religious Education Director in the Office Staff Section here.

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