God calls each of us in many different ways to serve Him. Your calling is to be a parent. The parish supports the parents’ responsibility as the primary educators of their children. As parents, you are the most influential agent of catechesis for your children. Catechesis given by parents to their family “precedes, accompanies, and enriches all other forms of catechesis,” as stated in the National Directory for Catechesis.
St. Joseph would like to welcome your family to the Religious Education program if you have a child that is within the age ranges of the 1st Grade through the 8th Grade. We would encourage you to enroll your child in the PSR this year and to maintain registration all subsequent years to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation, First Communion, and Confirmation.
Your family's participation in the faith life at St. Joseph through Sunday Mass, service to others, and dedication to daily prayer demonstrate your authentic profession of faith.
St. Joseph bases its curriculum on the Diocese of Columbus Graded Course of study for Religion and the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Our parish family promises to help you, as parents, foster your child/children’s faith, and assist you in your role of catechist for your children.
**** Important — Please Note ****
2024 Classes will begin Sunday, September 8th for the 7th and 8th grades and Monday, September 9th for the 1st–6th grades.
Religious Education Registration Window
• May 1–June 30: Registered St. Joseph Parishioners and current students enrolled in St. Joseph's Religious Education
• July 1–31: Open registration
Class Information
• 1st–6th Grade, Session I – Monday, 4:30 PM–5:30 PM
• 1st–6th Grade, Session II – Monday, 6:30 PM–7:30 PM
• 7th–8th Grade, Session I – Sunday, 9:40 AM–10:50 AM
Class size will be limited to between 10 – 13 students per class.
Fees for 2024-2025
• Religious Education fee for registered and contributing parishioners is $75/child (maximum of $150/family)
• Volunteers for the religious education school year are eligible to receive a discount for one child.
• Religious Education fee for non-contributing families and non-registered parishioners is $150/child for (no maximum) PLUS retreat fees 2nd grade is First Communion retreat $35.00, First Reconciliation retreat will be $35.00, and 8th grade NET Retreat is $65.
• Non-parishioner volunteering as a catechist, aide, or hall monitor will be given a half-price discount on one student’s registration fees. Non-parishioners must be enrolled in grades 1-8 consistently to receive the sacraments at St. Joseph’s. We reserve the right to remove any non-parishioner from our Religious Education program for any reason.
Click Here to Download the Religious Education Calendar
(updated 8/22/24 – subject to change)
First, read and review the following Parish and Diocesan Policies
• 2024-25 Religious Education Parent Handbook (subject to change)
• 2213.0 Code of Conduct for Catechetical Leaders
• 4110.0 Policy Civil Criminal Background Checks
• 4110.01 Curriculum Support for “Protecting God’s Children
• 4116.14 Code of Conduct for Catechists
• 4116.15 Harassment Policy: Personnel
• 5140.05 Harassment Policy: Children and Youth
THEN, please complete and remit the paperwork below with your payment to complete your registration!
Parishioner Online Enrollment with Online Payment
Login to My Own Church, select Religious Education Registration, select Online Registration
After registration is complete, there is an option at the bottom of the page to Pay Now
If your child’s information is not already in My Own Church, please use the registration form below.
For assistance to login, please select “Forgot Password” with the email address where you receive parish emails. Contact [email protected] for additional help.
Parishioner Paper Enrollment with In-Person Payment
1. 2024-25 Religious Education Registration Form (fillable)
2. 2024-25 Religious Education Signature Form
3. Mail-in or drop-off a check or cash.
NOTE: Registration is not complete and your child's spot is not guaranteed until your registration packet and payment has been received by the office staff. You can submit your registration and payment in person, by mail, or in the offertory.
Non-Parishioner Online Enrollment with Online Payment
Online registration form for returning Religious Education students
Non-Parishioner Paper Enrollment with In-Person Payment
1. 2024-25 Non-Parishioner Religious Education Registration Form (fillable)
2. 2024-25 Non-Parishioner Attendance Policy Signature Form
3. 2024-25 Religious Education Signature Form
4. Mail in or drop off a check or cash
NOTE: Registration is not complete and your child's spot is not guaranteed until your registration packet and payment has been received by the office staff. You can submit your registration and payment in person, by mail, or in the offertory.
Parent / Adult Volunteers
Please review the Adult Volunteer Paperwork. To be considered eligible to volunteer for Religious Education, it is required by the Diocese of Columbus that the individual be certified in “Protecting God’s Children” and have a current BCI (specific to the Diocese of Columbus), on file before volunteering. No exceptions. Please contact the parish office to inquire about registering for a “Protecting God’s Children” training session.
First, read and review the following Parish and Diocesan Policies
• 2024-2025 Religious Education Parent Handbook (subject to change)
• 2213.0 Code of Conduct for Catechetical Leaders
• 4110.0 Policy Civil Criminal Background Checks
• 4110.01 Curriculum Support for “Protecting God’s Children
• 4116.14 Code of Conduct for Catechists
• 4116.15 Harassment Policy: Personnel
• 5140.05 Harassment Policy: Children and Youth
THEN, please print, complete, and remit this paperwork to complete your registration!
All applicants need to submit one of the following:
• Aide Job Description
• Catechist Job Description
• Hall Monitor Job Description
and
• 2024-25 Religious Education Signature Form
• Diocese of Columbus Volunteer Code of Conduct
• Volunteer PSR Catechist-Aide Application
Catechist Resources:
• Tips for the Catechist
• Religious Education Class Format
• Discipline Guidelines
Please read and complete the following forms:
2023-2024 Confirmation Packet(updated 9/14/23)
Confirmation Service Hours Reflection
Formed.org
Free subscription for Catholic on-demand videos, books and audio resources – and it's also an app! Go to formed.org/signup and type in the St. Joseph Parish Code: RFTRYT
All Saints Day Resources and Reflections
The saints are some of the most beloved heroes of the Catholic Church. Read biographies and saint-inspired reflections to prepare for All Saints Day.
Find activities, prayers, biographies, and more, including the popular Which American Saint Are You? online quiz.
Pop-Up Catechesis: Setting Your Children on a Path to Sainthood
Prepare for All Saints Day with Joe Paprocki’s latest video. Pop-Up Catechesis videos appear each week to help families in living faith at home.
Celebrate the saints with printable saints figures. Featuring art and saints from Finding God Kindergarten, these figures are a fun and simple project to color, cut, and fold.
Saints for the New Evangelization
Reflect on how the saints are great examples of living with new ardor, methods, and expression—hallmarks of the New Evangelization—with help from this slideshow from Joe Paprocki.
Various Saint Resources
Saint resources organized by month and theme, with interactive maps from RCL Benzinger
Saint Card Game from Sadlier
Saint Printables and Worksheets by Real Life at Home
All Saints Day Activities for Children curated list by The Religion Teacher
11 Ways to Handle the Ongoing Stress of the Pandemic
Focusing on the things you can control, instead of what you can’t, brings a needed boost of optimism.
The pandemic keeps changing our plans. In a period of 24 hours we can be plunged into opposite situations: the urgency of organizing our children’s school activities at home, then putting the brakes on everything to quarantine; rushing out to do shopping so we’ll have plenty of food at home, then not being able to go out more than once in a while to get the most necessary supplies. It’s been a roller coaster ride, from day to day and month to month.
Concepts Your Child Will Learn in Religious Education
Resources for Older Children
Decode Another Message about Prayer
Resources for Families with Persons with Disabilities
7 Tips to Help Kids With Autism Cope During the Coronavirus health pandemic. From Temple Grandin
6 Mental Health Resources for Students During the Coronavirus Pandemic: From eSchool News Login necessary.
Each year we complete a few of the Work of Mercy. This year we will help the larger community by collecting items each month.
• Our Corporal Work of Mercy will be to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and visit the sick and imprisoned.
• Our Spiritual Work of Mercy will be to instruct the ignorant and pray for the living and the dead.
Please read our handout and share it with your children. Each month we are focusing on certain items. Please drop the items into the tub as you come to PSR or Mass.
Please let the students know that every time we go to Mass we are praying for the living and the dead. Also, when you find time to pray the rosary and the stations of the cross with your children, please have the intention be for the living and the dead.
At the end of the year, we will have parishioner Bonnie Chuha from DNA in town to come and speak to the children and thank them for their donations throughout the year!
Please let this be a great collection for the elderly, gifts for life, the prison, and the giving tree.
We are trying to utilize what we are already doing as a parish community but also fill in where the community needs extra help. Thank you in advance for your contributions.
Religious Media at Home with Formed.org
A free subscription for Catholic on-demand videos, books and audio resources – and it's also an app! Go to formed.org/signup and type in the St. Joseph Parish Code: RFTRYT
Do you open Formed.org and are not sure which content to listen to or watch? Open the following website for a guide of relevant media for the whole family.
Formed.org Content to Watch Based on Liturgical Calendar
Pick of the Week
Each week, Formed.org selects relevant content to highlight. Check back each week for new picks.