The Christian family is ordinarily the first experience of the Christian community and the primary environment for growth in faith; it is the "church of the home".  In his 1994 Letter to Families, Pope John Paul II wrote: “Parents are the first and most important educators of their own children, and they also possess a fundamental competence in this area:  they are educators because they are parents.” It is through the living witness of parents that children first experience the faith; faith-filled moments permeate all of family life.  This experience is irreplaceable and lasts throughout life.  As parents you are blessed with the love and grace to foster your children’s spiritual growth.  Indeed, as parents you are uniquely able to teach your children – first because you yourselves are persons of faith and second because you are parents.   It is this religious formation that is the foundation of all other forms of religious education a person receives.  

St. Mark the Evangelist supports the role of parents in the faith formation of their children and strongly encourages parent involvement.  Parents may attend class with their children and if they wish, families may also choose to home study. Parents are also actively involved in the sacramental preparation of their children for First Reconciliation and First Holy Communion.   In addition to elementary faith formation, we have youth ministry sessions for our 6th-12th grade teens, and for adults, we have Adult Faith Formation classes, Catholic Scripture Study, plus many additional opportunities throughout the year for continuing faith formation and adult enrichment. At St. Mark, there is something for everyone.  For information on FORMED, an exciting new online platform, available to you with 24/7access to a wide variety of Catholic programs, books, CDs, videos and movies,  please click here.

Elementary Faith Formation: Preschool through 5th grade

For 2019-2020, we will offer Faith Formation classes on Sunday at 8:45am-10:00am [English only], 10:30am-11:45am [English/Spanish], and1:15pm-2:30pm [Spanish] for PK4 - 5th grade, and on Wednesday evenings, from 6:45pm-8:00pm, K - 5th grade [English/Spanish]. 

Our 2019-2020 Faith Formation classes begin Sun. Sept. 8 and Wed. Sept. 11, 2019 and continue through Sun. May 3, 2020 and Wed. May 6, 2020.  We will have a catechist in-service on Sun. Aug. 18, following the 9:00am Mass. 

We will be using textbooks from Our Sunday Visitor. Click here to explore the Alive in Christ/Vivos en Cristo materials and resources. For Pk4-5 and Kindergarten we will be using the Allelu! program, for grades 1st - 5th, we will use the Alive in Christ bilingual series,  Vivos en Cristo, For our children, in grades 3rd - 5th, who have never attended faith formation classes and are needing to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation and Eucharist], will be using Faith Fusion Elementary Edition also from Our Sunday Visitor. 

Following Diocesan guidelines, a child or teen should have a minimum of one year of catechesis in a parish faith formation program prior to receiving sacramental preparation for Reconciliation, Eucharist, and Confirmation.  Our second grade children will be in sacramental preparation to receive First Reconciliation and First Communion this year (provided they were enrolled in a 1st grade faith formation program). If your child is in the 3rd-5th grade and has not received the sacraments of First Reconciliation and Communion, please call the Faith Formation Office at 972-423-4715.

The listing of First Reconciliation and First Communion Parent and Child Meetings may be found under the "Documents" section of this website page as well as information on registration and fees. 

Loyola Press - Family Fun
Engaging questions to spark fun and creative family conversations, family activities and games, and hours of family fun and faith talk are just a click away at Loyola Press.  The Featured this Month section has Saint Stories for Kids, Helping People Pray, Leading Prayer and 10 Top Family Movies.

Tips for Helping Your Child Grow in Faith

Please note: If your child is seeking a sacrament, a copy of the baptismal certificate is required at the time of registration. If your child was baptized at St. Mark, please let us know, and we will obtain the information for you.

Home Based Catechetical Model for Individual Families: PK4 through the 5th grade

We encourage families to learn together and grow together in the faith as the “domestic church.” Materials and resources are available to assist parents in teaching their children the faith at home. The program allows all grade levels to be taught at the same time. If the child is receiving a sacrament, both the parents and child will be required to attend the necessary parent/child sessions at the parish.  Please read over the Home Based Catechetical Model for Individual Families document for information regarding materials, requirements, etc.

Children’s Liturgy of the Word

Children’s Liturgy of the Word (CLOW) is Liturgy of the Word suitably adapted to make it relevant to the lives and experiences of young children.  The children are present at the beginning of the Mass until the end of the Introductory Rites, when the priest invites them to leave for their own celebration of the Word until they are brought back into the assembly immediately after the Prayers of the Faithful by a member of the team.  Adult volunteers facilitate the weekly dismissals with the assistance of parents and teen helpers.  Facilitators meet regularly to discuss and prepare liturgies and to organize activities. Children’s Liturgy of the Word has taken place during the 10:30am Mass and when there are a sufficient number of facilitators. At this time, we are in need of a lead organizer and weekly facilitators.

Faith Formation for Families (Spanish)
[includes attendance at the 12:00 noon or 3:00pm Mass - depending on what session they attend.]

These intergenerational classes are intended primarily for families with older children, who were baptized Catholic and have not attended any type of formal faith formation classes, and are lacking First Reconciliation and First Holy Communion and their parents who may also need to receive the sacraments of Eucharist and/or Confirmation.   It is a 2 yr. sacramental preparation and faith formation class. Please call the Faith Formation Office for additional information.

Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults [RCIA/RICA]

The RCIA is the process the Church has given to welcome members into full initiation and communion with the Catholic Church. Initiation into the Christian community is not concerned with programs that come and go, but rather with the fundamental values of the Christian way of life –of living lives of justice, service and charity as witnesses of the reign of God - of being Catholic.  It is a personal and communal journey of conversion and transformation.  The RCIA process is for the un-baptized adult, the baptized adult in another Christian denomination, or the baptized Catholic adult who is un-catechized, and never celebrated Eucharist and/or Confirmation.  The RCIA process is also for children who are of catechetical age (7 yrs. or older) and are unbaptized.  We offer sessions in both English and Spanish.

Sunday:          9:00am-12:00noon [English] Adults - includes 9:00am Sunday Mass
Wednesday:  7:00pm - 8:30pm [English] Family -  includes  9:00am Sunday Mass
Sunday:        3:00pm-6:00pm [Spanish] Adults & Family - includes 3:00pm Sunday Mass
 

• for children who are 7yrs old and older who have NOT been baptized
• for children who were baptized in another faith tradition and want to become members of the Catholic Church
• it may be beneficial for baptized Catholic teens, who have not attended any type of formal Faith Formation classes, and have not received the sacraments of Reconciliation and Eucharist; please call the Faith Formation Office for details.

Faith Formation Staff:

Debbie Betz , Parish Catechetical Leader [RCIA, Adult and Elem. Faith Formation]
Ruth Sanchez, Coordinator of RCIA and Adult Faith Formation, Spanish
Peggy Theis, Coordinator of Elementary Faith Formation
Sandra Lopez, Faith Formation Ministry Assistant

Our Faith Formation Program is designed to challenge our young people to become more like Christ. With the help of hundreds of parish volunteers we lead our children and families in Prayer, Scripture and Tradition, Sacraments, and the Life of Christ. If you are interested in volunteering your time and talent as a catechist, aide, or facility monitor, please contact the Faith Formation Office. For the safety of our children, all volunteers must be safe environment cleared.