2024-25 Religious Education Program Overview

St. Elizabeth of the Trinity Religious Education Mission

Our mission is to support the faith formation of the children, parents, catechists, volunteers, and anyone who wishes to deepen their relationship with the Lord.

We are re-structuring the upcoming Religious Education curriculum so that it provides the proper resources and training for Catechists and volunteers. This will then allow for the children to receive the best catechesis possible.

The goal of the program is to assist you, the parents, in the faith formation of your family but also your own.

We know how difficult it is to instill the Catholic Faith in our little ones so we want to help you through our RE program.

We will also provide adult faith formation ideally once a month, at the same time as our RE scheduled programming. Please know that we are here to assist the entire family in their journey towards God’s Love.

We also know the curriculum and content that is used for RE is crucial. That is why we placed a special focus and research on obtaining a curriculum that is accessible to children and the adult catechists. The curriculum will come directly from Sophia Institute – a highly respected source of catechesis amongst Catholic circles.

We will use their “Spirit of Truth” curriculum which was written by Catechists and former teachers with the aim of providing sound faith formation to the youth while making sure the content is easily navigated by the Catechist; especially 1st year Catechists.

Students that journey through our RE program will receive the Sacraments (First Reconciliation, First Communion and Confirmation) and leave with faith that will be solidified in their heart and mind.

Sacraments

Students enrolled in our RE program have the opportunity to receive First Reconciliation, First Communion and Confirmation:

- First Reconciliation and First Communion are given in a TWO year program
  - There is a MANDATORY retreat for children and their families in preparation for First Communion
- Confirmation is given in a two year program at the end of 8th grade
  - There is a MANDATORY retreat for Confirmandi candidates in preparation to receive the Sacrament

Religious Education Curriculum : Sophia Institute – Spirit of Truth

Our program will use the “Spirit of Truth” K-8 Parish Edition from the Sophia Institute. The program is on the “Conformity Review List” from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and is in conformity with the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

- Spirit of Truth covers the breadth of the Catechism in a rich and age-appropriate way and is designed to solidify the faith formation of the youth with sound catechesis delivered through engaging lessons and activities.
- This program provides the children with a workbook that’s faith oriented and engaging as well as providing the catechists with a guide edition to lead the youth effectively and in an engaging manner.
- Catechists will receive training and support directly from Sophia Institute to help them navigate resources and deliver sound catechism to the children.

Religious Education Schedule & Calendar

- There are a total of 24 sessions which take place on Sundays from 10:00 am to 11:30 am, following the 9:00 am English Mass
- Our RE program runs from September 15, 2024 to April 27, 2025 with approximately 3 Sunday RE sessions per month
- Click HERE to view the full Religious Education Calendar for 2024-25
  Any changes to the RE Calendar will be messaged to families promptly via email/flocknote.
  Certain dates are tentative pending approval.

Parent Handbook

Please click on the Link Below to View the 2024-25 Religious Handbook. We encourage you to review the handbook and share it with your R.E. student(s).

Link to 2024-25 R.E. Education Program Handbook

Class Location

Classes are held on Sunday mornings from 10:00 am – 11:30 am (after the Sunday 9:00 am Mass) in the St. Elizabeth of the Trinity School next to the Church. Enter through Door 3.

Absences

Children are expected to attend ALL sessions. We understand absences might occur, however, too many absences would lead to the child being dropped from the program for that year.

We expect children in RE to miss no more than 3 classes.

Registration and Enrollment Form (Online)

If you’d like to enroll your child(ren) in our RE program, click on the following link: https://forms.gle/hANaQoQsGwGDf9387
Register before RE classes begin
LAST DAY to Register is September 30, 2024 (strict cut-off date)

Fees & Tuition

Tuition is $250.00 per child and $75 per additional child

Sacramental Fees paid during the Sacramental year:

- First Communion Fee: $75 per child
- Confirmation Fee: $100 per child

Payments can be made by:

- Cash or Check (made payable to St Elizabeth of the Trinity)
- ONLINE with Faith Direct using this link: https://membership.faithdirect.net/IL795
  - Click “Make a One-Time Gift”
  - Scroll down to “RE Tuition”
  - Provide the necessary card information
  - You must do this separately for each Sacramental Fee

RE Tuition and Fees are DUE by September 30, 2024

Financial Assistance is available to those going through financial hardships.

Contact Hugo Munoz, Director of Lifelong Formation & Religious Education by email at hhmunoz@archchicago.org.

R.E. Contact Information

Hugo Munoz
Director of Lifelong Formation and Religious Education
(773) 763 – 8228 ext. 2114
hhmunoz@archchicago.org