Welcome to Elementary Faith Development at St. Thomas More! Thank you for sharing your children with us and for providing us with the opportunity to help support you in the formation of your children's Catholic faith. We pray that their time in Elementary Faith Development will be a time of growth in their faith, prayer, and love of Christ.
Catechesis is instruction and formation in the Catholic faith, both for those who are preparing to be baptized and for those who are already baptized but in need of continuing instruction and formation according to their age and their level of maturity in the Christian life. The Elementary Faith Development program:
Child and Youth Protection
Catholic Dioceses have made great efforts to ensure safety and security for all children and youth while in the care of Church personnel. St. Thomas More Parish abides by the Diocese of Raleigh's full Child and Youth Protection policies:
Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People
Policies and Procedures for the Protection of Young People
Code of Conduct for Church Personnel in the Diocese of Raleigh
Report Suspected Abuse
Ten Points for Protecting Children - from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
What Happens if a Priest is Accused of Abuse?
2019 USCCB Report on the Implementation of the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People
Prevent Child Abuse North Carolina
Therefore we require that all Catechists and anyone who will ever be alone with children undergo a criminal background check before they begin their work, and all parents and other people sign a “Personal Information Sheet” declaring that they have never been accused or convicted of child abuse. All parents will be asked to sign this 'yellow form' when registering their children. All catechists also have to participate in some training in Child and Youth Protection. Anyone who refuses to do this will not be permitted to be on the premises when children are present. We also expect all catechists and staff to exercise vigilance and care at all times to ensure the children’s safety and security. We ask – and have received – full cooperation from parents in this essential matter.
Catechists will assure children from time to time that their safety and security is very important, and the children are encouraged to confide in a trusted adult is somebody makes them feel unsafe.
In the blessings for the parents at the end of the Rite of Baptism it says, “May God bless the parents of these children. They will be the first teachers of their children in the ways of faith. May they also be the best of teachers, bearing witness to the faith by what they say and do, in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Therefore we suggest this “job description” for parents of children in Elementary Faith Development.
Parents are called to:
“Be My Disciples” is published by RCL/Benziger. It encourages liturgical catechesis and incorporates the four pillars of the Catechism of the Catholic Church -- creed, sacraments, prayer, and morality -- at every grade level. The program also integrates the Lives of the Saints, Catholic Social Teaching and Catholic Principles for Sexuality into regular lessons. Each child receives a Be My Disciples textbook, which is kept and used in the classroom until the end of the year, when the book will be given to students to take home. There is a tear-out page called "With My Family" every week, containing a summary of the lesson and family prayers, for students to take home and share.
The Be My Disciples website contains excellent resources for catechists, parents and children, and we encourage you to explore it.
Preparation for the sacraments of Reconciliation and First Eucharist is a two year process that normally takes place in First Grade and Second Grade, for children who have been baptized in the Catholic faith. It is essential to preparation for First Reconciliation and First Eucharist that families are committed to:
An important component of Sacramental Preparation is the family Retreats, for Reconciliation (in October and November) and Eucharist (in February and March).
Baptized Catholic Children older than Second Grade may prepare for the Sacraments through the special Sacramental Preparation program, and unbaptized children aged seven or more may prepare to become Catholics, through Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist, with their parents’ permission, through the RCIA Adapted For Children program. Please see the full Sacramental Preparation Policy.
Parents are asked to contribute towards the cost of the Faith Development program by paying annual fees of:
up to a maximum of $250. However, the parish does not wish to lay heavy burdens upon families for whom this sum is difficult to find. Families may apply for help in paying these fees by either spreading payments throughout the year, or reducing the total amount to be paid, or both.
In order to be considered for a scholarship, financial assistance, or a fee payment schedule, you must complete the Scholarship and Financial Assistance Request Form, available from the Office of Faith Development. You must be a registered St. Thomas More parishioner to be considered for this program. The Office of Faith Development honors stewardship in the form of time and talent as well as treasure. Therefore Full-time Catechists, Catechist Assistants, and Volunteers receive free tuition for their children. Please prayerfully consider sharing your time and talent with the children of our parish.
As Catholics, we believe that the Eucharist is the “source and summit” of our Christian lives. As parents, you are your children's teachers and witnesses of our Catholic faith. God has told us to keep the Sabbath holy so we as Catholics do just this by attending Mass on Sunday. Do not drop your children at Faith Development and attend Mass without them. It sends conflicting message to your children to have them learn about our faith and then see it not being practiced and you are denying them all the graces that come from the Mass. It is very difficult for catechist to help children understand the Mass and sacraments when they do not participate in church.
Children learn best in a well-disciplined setting. In a well-disciplined, faith-based setting, discipline is synonymous with respect and responsibility, and love of God, of neighbor and of self. Children in Elementary Faith Development at St. Thomas More are expected to show respect for self, others, and property by
Good discipline requires the establishment of guidelines and consequences for the classroom. Appropriate behavior will be acknowledged and encouraged; inappropriate behavior, especially behavior that is disruptive to others, will be addressed immediately and directly by the catechist, using suitable methods that model Christian love. The catechist may send a child to the Faith Development Office (in the Teachers' Lounge) if his or her approach is not effective. If a child continues to demonstrate disruptive or otherwise inappropriate behavior, the catechist and/or the Director or Assistant to the Director of Elementary Faith Development will contact the parents, who may be invited to sit with their child for one or several sessions to ensure good behavior.
We ask that parents and/or other responsible adults (not older siblings) bring children to and collect children from Faith Development in a timely and orderly fashion by honoring the following requests:
There is no need to call the office or the catechists. Please keep your child home from Faith Development. If he or she currently has, or has had within the most recent 24 hours, any of the following:
By following these guidelines, you will protect not only the health of your child, but also the health of his or her classmates and catechists.
Children sometimes have brought friends with them to Faith Development classes on Sunday mornings. These friends are welcome, but unregistered children present some concerns for several reasons: health, safety and legal issues, and the disruption caused to classes.
However, we wish to welcome a child who might genuinely be interested in joining the Faith Development classes, for whom the invitation by a friend could be the first point of contact. In this situation, please follow these guidelines:
Here at St. Thomas More, we believe that all children are created in the image of God, and therefore can know and love God and live as members of a community of faith. Our goal is to include and provide catechesis for every child in the parish. We are guided by the words of St. Paul, speaking of the Church as the Body of Christ:
"It is precisely the parts of the body which seem to be weakest which are indispensable, and those parts of the body which we think less honorable we invest with greater honor. ... God has so composed the body, giving the greater dignity to the weaker part, so that there may be no discord in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is given special honor, all rejoice together." (1 Corinthians 12:22-23a, 24-26)
Parents are therefore invited to bring their children with special needs to participate in the Elementary Faith Development program. We will do our best to assess the gifts and needs of each child, and we will work with parents, siblings, catechists and other children to enable your children to participate to the greatest extent possible. In particular, we will make every effort to enable all children to prepare for and celebrate the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist and Reconciliation.
For more information please see the Special Needs page.