Catechism
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Catechism Program Overview
Fall 2026, St. Mary Catholic Church will host catechism classes on Thursday mornings from 9:00AM-10:30AM for children ages 3~14. Classes will be held in Father Bart Hall.
Following a pilot program last year, formation in Catechesis of the Good Shepherd Level 1 will be offered, beginning with our youngest children who have the reached sensitive periods for order, language, and movement. These children flourish in environments where these needs are met while each purposefully begins to interact with the world around them. Autonomy is fostered with meticulously organized child-sized spaces filled with materials that inculcate a sense wonder of and awe for our Catholic faith and the created world.
Level II Catechesis of the Good Shepherd will be offered for children ages 6-9. Children at these ages are ready to think and reason more critically with a greater interest for discussion and the ability to articulate their ideas and wonderings. The content at this level focuses on the Kingdom of God, exploring salvation history, moral development, and the True Vine, while inviting children to a deeper prayer life and stronger relationship with God toward the reception of First Reconciliation and First Holy Communion.
Children ages 9~14 receive catechesis instruction in a more traditional classroom format. Our Lady of Victory curriculum is unapologetically Catholic. The religion texts were all published before 1960. Our Lady of Victory curriculum "exclusively promote[s] the Traditional Latin Mass, the ancient rites of the Sacraments, a love of the Saints and Holy Mother the Church, as well as traditional devotions, such as the Sacred Heart and the Rosary in its original 15-decade form" (olvs.org/academics/our-philosophy/).