“Let the children come to me” Matthew 19:14
Mission Statement
The mission statement of the Youth Faith Formation and Evangelization program of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish is to assist our parish families in bringing the fullness of Jesus Christ and our Catholic faith to our youth. We do this in a loving, joyous and inclusive manner recognizing the individual gifts and inherent worth of each child. We embrace the importance of Scriptures, Mass, Prayer Life, Sacraments and Evangelization.
Importance of Parents
The Baptismal ritual states that parents are “the first teachers in their child in the ways of faith”. This is echoed in the words of the catechism: “parents have the responsibility for the education of their children” (ccc2223). Our Parish family, and especially the trained catechists in our Faith Formation Program, are here to assist parents and guardians in teaching your children in their Catholic Faith, prayer life, virtues, and most importantly, their personal relationship with God through His Son, Jesus Christ.
General Information
Class schedules, Yearly Calendar, Class Policies and Fees can be found in the Youth Faith Formation Parent Handbook. Please note that Families need to be registered parishioners of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish and a copy of each child’s Baptismal Certificate needs to be supplied, upon registration, to the Youth Faith Formation Director whether child was Baptized at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton or at another parish.
Parish Registration forms can be found at the back of the Church, as well as YFF Parent Handbook and YFF registration (please see Sacristan before or after Mass) or at the Parish Office. You can also register online at the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish website https://www.stelizabethcs.org/about-us/parish-registration/.
SACRAMENTS
HOLY EUCHARIST
The preparation for the Sacraments of Reconciliation and First Holy Communion run during the school year for 2nd grade children enrolled in Faith Formation. To ensure a child is properly formed for the sacramental life they must have been in a catholic school or parish faith formation program the entire previous school year prior to the school year when they begin sacramental preparation. These children also must be attending weekend Mass every week.
Our Sacrament preparation involves parents working with their child during our group meetings throughout the year. Parents get a chance to spend quality time with their children and be refreshed in knowledge of their faith as well as engage in prayer experiences that will renew their relationship with Jesus.
RECONCILIATION
Children prepare for the Sacrament of Reconciliation as part of their 2-year preparation for the Sacrament of the Eucharist. It is important that each person receive the Eucharist worthily (1 Corinthians 11), and so the formation of conscience is an important part of this preparation. Each child who is ready for their First Reconciliation may do so with the pastor of the parish in a very welcoming and sensitive way, so their encounter with the forgiveness of God is a life-giving experience of God’s unfathomable mercy.
As a person matures, this same development of conscience can be nurtured by frequent reception of the Sacrament, with the counsel that the priest provides. Many great materials are available for individual reflection and examen in preparation for confession.
CONFIRMATION
Preparation for Confirmation should aim at leading the Christian toward a more intimate union with Christ and a more lively familiarity with the Holy Spirit – his actions, his gifts, and his biddings – in order to be more capable of assuming the apostolic responsibilities of Christian life. To this end catechesis for Confirmation should strive to awaken a sense of belonging to the Church of Jesus Christ, the universal Church as well as the parish community. The latter bears special responsibility for the preparation of confirmands.(Catechism, 1309)
Thank you for choosing to participate in St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish’s Confirmation Preparation Program! Your willingness to commit yourself to completing the program and receiving the sacrament of Confirmation conveys to the entire faith community how much you value both your faith and your community. Your faith formation throughout the course of the two-year Confirmation preparation program will both assist you in identifying the gifts and talents you possess and challenge you to put these gifts and talents to use in our community. You will be invited to take responsibility for your own faith formation, as well as to assist others in that same endeavor.
Resources
We are here to help support you in the formation of your children’s faith! In a world that is increasingly digital, and even invasive on the internet, our phones with their access to so many voices, and the messages of our social media and movie industry – we hope to bring a beam of God’s Word and Light to your family to help you.
First of all, available to you is the wealth of movies, e-books, study programs, and even daily reflections in FORMED.org. Our parish has purchased a subscription for you – free of charge!
- Go to www.signup.formed.org –
- Use our parish zip code (34434) to locate St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish
- Register with your name and email address.
- Check that email account for a link to begin using FORMED.
We are here to serve your family! Check out Strong Family, Strong Faith Initiative, recommended by our diocese – great source of prayer and ideas for families to grow stronger together!
Faith Formation is a life-long process and we look forward to another successful and exciting year with our children. For more information contact the parish office at (352) 489-4889 or email st.elizabethyff@gmail.com.