Religious Education

General Info

Director of Religious Education, Bridget Rao, 978 475-0050 x28, brao@staugustineparish.org

Administrative Assistant, Lisa Evans, 978 475-0050 x38, levans@staugustineparish.org

Ash Wednesday is February 22nd which falls during school vacation week. We ask that you please make every effort to observe the start of Lent by receiving ashes to mark the beginning of this 40 day penitential season. See the schedule on the right for receiving ashes at St. Augustine.

Talking About Touching and Keeping Children Safe | Calendars, Forms, Policies | Easter Project

Program Information

The Religious Education Office of St. Augustine Parish offers a complete and comprehensive basic religious education program for students in grades one through 10. The program serves over 1300 students which reflects the involvement of nearly 800 families. The goals of the program are four-fold:

to teach the message of Jesus
to build up the community of Catholic believers
to develop authentic lives of prayer and worship
to foster a spirit of service to others within the Christian community and beyond

Over 150 volunteer catechists minister to the youth of the parish each year. They are supported by a staff which consists of a director and coordinators for grades 1-3, grades 4-6, grades 7 & 8 and for Confirmation preparation. Catechists meet regularly to discuss curriculum, teaching strategies and enrichment. Efforts continue to offer professional development opportunities to each teacher via Archdiocesan certification programs.

Ever cognizant of the fact that parents are the first catechists, the program is designed to make connections between what is taught in the classroom and its application to living a true Christian life. Parents are urged to take full advantage of the life of the parish by attending Sunday Liturgy with their children.

For parents who are considering home schooling their children for Religious Education, please thoroughly and carefully read the Archdiocesan guidelines. If after, thoroughly reviewing these guidelines, you would like to home school your child(ren), please contact the Religious Education Office to make the appropriate arrangements.

Please note that there is absolutely NO parking in the emergency drive-through lanes next to the Center for Education and Ministry.

Talking about Touching & Keeping Children Safe

The United States Conference of Bishops has issued a Charter for the protection of Children and Young People. The charter mandates that all dioceses in the United States will establish “Safe Environments” programs. Besides training programs for adults in how to identify and prevent child abuse, these programs are also to include training programs for children and young people that include age appropriate materials pertaining to personal safety – including information about improper touching and when they should seek assistance from trusted adults.

The program for adults, Virtus – Protecting God’s Children, has been running in the Parish for the past seven years. For students in the Religious Education program, Talking about touching (TAT) the program for Grades 1- 3, and Keeping Children Safe (KCS) the Program for Grades 4-8 is now in its third full year of implementation.

Knowing the sensitivity of the material a meeting is being held for parents of all students on Thursday, October 13th at 5:30pm. The program, and how it will be taught, will be discussed and the material will be available for viewing.

Easter Project - “Halleluiah Hams”

Easter is a time for rejoicing and this year the students in the Religious Education program and the Parish Community will help people who need our support to celebrate with an Easter Meal. With the assistance of the St. Augustine St. Vincent De Paul Society and Lazarus House we will see that local families are able to gather together around a table to celebrate the Risen Christ. We are asking all our students to bring in their contributions to class throughout Lent and for anyone in our parish Community to bring a ham to the Parish Center on Wednesday April 4 (8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.)