Family Formation

What is Sacred Heart's Vision for Families?

Sacred Heart’s vision is to equip you to be the first educators of the faith.  It is the church’s place to help parents.  We believe Family Formation is the best model for us to help both our church and school families.  

Watch this 4 minute video from the Church of Saint Paul where Family Formation has been their program for over 30 years.

Who is it for?   All parish families with children ages K-6

Families with children ages K-6 who are registered in the Family Formation program will meet at the church one evening each month.  During this meeting the church will equip parents to pass on a well-formed Catholic faith to their children. 

During the parent meeting the children will meet with a catechist.  There they will learn the faith with other children and have a foundation for the home lessons parents will share.

Once families are equipped they will go home with engaging materials to share with their children throughout the month.

What is our time commitment at church?  Beginning in September we will meet on the first Wednesday each month from 6:30-7:45 pm.

October 5

November 2

December 7

January 4

February 1

March 1 

April 12 (This is not the 1st Wednesday but the 2nd due to Holy Week)

May 3

Is there a home component and if so how do we make it successful?

Yes,  At each session you will learn more about a concept of the faith and share how to model it within your family.  You will  be sent home with activities to further the concept.  We ask you to find 1 hour each week to share these faith concepts.

We encourage you to give this a try.  Just imagine the new things your family will learn and share together in just one hour.  Knowing your friends and neighbors from Sacred Heart are sharing the same ideas will also create conversation when you are away from our church community

What if I don’t know enough about my faith to share?  When Jesus first called Saint Peter he was a fisherman and he was stubborn.  3 years after following him Peter still denied Jesus when he was crucified.  Peter later became the first Pope.  He died for his faith.  He was crucified upside down because he didn’t feel he was worthy to be crucified in the same manner as Christ.

God can do anything when you give your yes to him.  Little by little is how faith often grows.  The home materials can literally be read aloud.  Start that way until you find your comfort level.

I have children who aren’t old enough for the program.  What will they do? We will have childcare each month!  Yes, if your child is between the ages of 2-4 we welcome you to sign them up for childcare when you sign up as a family.

If you have a 0-2 year old we welcome you to bring them to the parent session.

My child is preparing for Reconciliation & First Communion.  Is this program for them?

Your child will be assigned to a  sacrament track.  Their time with their catechist will cover the curriculum for the sacraments.  You will also have home materials to further the conversation.  

My spouse & I feel we do a good job of sharing our faith with our family.  Would we get anything out of the program?  GREAT question!!  If you’ve been a parent for very long you know there are always unexpected bumps in our spiritual walk and parenting journey. During a recent homily, one of our own priests said, “I learn something new about my Catholic faith every day.” It is the role of the church community to share faith with one another and hold them up in times of difficulty.  We hope you will join us and make the community stronger.

kayla.richer@sacredheartwdm.org

chris.corrice@sacredheartwdm.org

I have a 7th & 8th Grader, what is available for them? We have a brand new middle school ministry designed just for them! 7th and 8th graders will meet most Wednesday nights during the school year at 6:30pm. You can register them using the same registration form or contact Julie Sokolowski at julie.sokolowski@sacredheartwdm.org