Welcome to Faith Formation at St. Mary's of the Lake!
Thank you for allowing us to accompany you in sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ with your family and helping your children in the practice of the Catholic Faith!
Our Mission
With your constant care, our mission is to help your children love the Lord God with all their heart, mind, soul and strength, and to love their neighbor as themselves, by teaching and living the Gospel message of Jesus faithfully handed down by the Catholic Church from the beginning.
We hope to exemplify a love of God that leads to Christian discipleship resulting in service to one another in the family, the parish community, and to the world around us.
2023-24 Class Schedule
Sundays: Confirmation 1 and 2 (alternating Sundays), Starts with 10:15am Mass and ends at 12:30pm
Monday: Grades 5-7, 6:15 - 7:30pm
Tuesday: Grades K-4, 6:15 - 7:30pm
Parent Guidebook
A link to our new Parent Guidebook is coming soon. This is a guide to your child’s faith formation experience at St Mary's of the Lake. This guide contains information about class logistics, registration and fees, Sacramental preparation, responsibilities and expectations, how to contact us, and more.
First Reconciliation and First Holy Communion
Faith Formation for second graders helps prepare children to receive the Sacraments of First Reconciliation and First Holy Communion. Preparation for these Sacraments truly begins in the home by sharing and practicing the Catholic faith. Our curriculum provides parents a guidebook to reinforce in the home what is being taught in the classroom. Students enrolling in the Sacrament class must have one prior year of formal faith formation. If your child does not meet this expectation, or if your child is older than 2nd grade and has not received these sacraments, please email us at stmarysfaithformation@syrdio.org. We can help!
For more information about receiving these sacraments, click here.
Confirmation
Baptism, the Eucharist, and the sacrament of Confirmation together constitute the “sacraments of Christian initiation”. The reception of the sacrament of Confirmation completes our baptismal grace.[1] The decision to seek Confirmation should be based on a person’s readiness to assume the responsibilities expected of a confirmed Catholic. Some signs of readiness include a personal prayer life, an appreciation of Sacred Scripture, an understanding of the need to repent of sin, participation in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, service to the family and community, and a sense Christian identity. Confirmation preparation at St Mary's of the Lake for those that show signs of readiness starts in 8th grade and is brought to completion at the Confirmation Mass in the springtime of the 9th grade.
For more information about receiving the sacrament of Confirmation, click here.
[1] Catholic Church, Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2nd Ed. (Vatican City: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1997), 325–326.
Volunteers
In order to provide Faith Formation for the children of our parish, we need parents or young adults to volunteer each year who are willing to serve as catechists, substitute catechists, and hall monitors. The curriculum we use is easy to follow and provides lesson plans for every class. We will train and provide support to volunteers. For additional info or to volunteer, email us at stmarysfaithformation@syrdio.org.