Welcome to the St. Joseph Religious Education Program!

We are grateful for the opportunity to accompany parents in their role as the primary teachers of their child(ren)'s faith

“Family catechesis precedes, accompanies, and enriches other forms of instruction in the faith. Parents have the mission of teaching their children to pray and to discover their vocation as children of God.” [Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2226]

Parents who enroll their child(ren) in either our Religious Education program or at a catholic school such as, Bishop McNamara Catholic School display a strong commitment to their child(ren’s) faith life by upholding those baptismal promises made (promising to “raise that child in the faith, so that, keeping God’s commandments, they may love the Lord and their neighbor as Christ has taught us.”, (the Order of Baptism of Children). The Religious Education ministry is here to assist parents in their important responsibility of passing on the faith. Working as partners with parents, we strive to nurture the faith lives of the entire family by offering a program that focuses on the four pillars of the catholic church: Creed; Mass/Sacraments; Prayer; and Christian Living as we provide:

• Engaging lessons and activities for children in grades K-8, focused on helping them learn more about their Catholic Faith and how to be a Disciple of Jesus.
• A variety of resources, tools, and opportunities to help parents grow in their own faith, so they can feel confident in passing that faith onto their child(ren).
• A strong sense of community where families can feel supported, strengthened, and inspired to deepen their relationship with Christ and one another. 

“Children in turn contribute to the growth in holiness of their parents." [Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2227]

We place a strong emphasis on trying to make the mass more meaningful and will once again offer our monthly Youth & Family Mass, where families can actively participate in a variety of ministries (Dates/Times TBD)

We will also concentrate heavily on helping everyone become more comfortable with reading and understanding God’s Word, with lessons and activities based on stories from the bible.
Some of the resources we are excited to be using this year are:

Pflaum Gospel Weeklies for Grades K-7
for First Reconciliation/First Eucharist

for Confirmation

We will be holding monthly In-Person Sessions with fun and engaging activities for Grades K-8, on Wednesdays (typically the 3rd Wednesday of the month) from 5:30-6:45 pm. Since we will only be meeting once a month and growing in faith is not a “once-in-a-while” thing, students will also have lessons and activities to do at home giving parents a chance to be involved.

As baptized children of God, we are all called to become better Disciples of Christ. This call to discipleship requires a daily personal commitment to live as active members of the Catholic Church, using our gifts and talents to give the best of ourselves to God and others. The St. Joseph Religious Education Program could not exist without those who answer this call, and we are very grateful to all help support our ministry.

Please consider how you might share your time, talent, and love for Christ with the youth and families of our parish by becoming involved with St. Joe’s RE or any of our other wonderful parish ministries. Your life will be blessed abundantly when you live as a true follower of Christ.

RE Co-Coordinators:
Brenda McLean (bmclean@stjosephbradley.org) and
Sandra Jefferson, Youth Minister (sjefferson@stjosephbradley.org)
RE Office: 815-937-9340