Religious Education
Preschool
Elementary Program
High School Program
Parental Involvement
Special Needs Children
Mass Involvement
Prayer Experiences
Registration & Fees
Absences & Tardiness
Inclement Weather
Sacramental Programs
Baptism
First Sacraments Program
Confirmation
Youth Programs
Youth Groups
Children's Choir
Social Activities
Other Activities
Discipleship Awards
Religious Scouting Awards
Saint Luke's Church is proud to be a strong parish in regard to Catholic education and blessed with good facilities needed to accomplish such a task. Utilizing both Notre Dame Schools as well as our own Fr. Francis Barrett Center the educational needs of our entire community can be met. For students in public and other private schools, regular classes in the Faith are held each Sunday as scheduled. Classes are offered for students from Pre-School through Grade Twelve. We also provide sacramental preparation for Reconciliation, First Eucharist and Confirmation to which you may refer to the sacrament section of this paper. The School year begins in September and continues through May. We also participate in Stroudsburg Council of Churches Vacation Bible School during the summer.
PRE-SCHOOL EXPERIENCE
During the normal schedule of our Religious Education program, a limited number of children are admitted to our Preschool program on Sunday mornings. Basic introductions to the themes of God and love as well as basic prayers are shared with the children. Preschool children must be potty trained for admittance into the program and be at least three years old.
ELEMENTARY PROGRAM THROUGH GRADE EIGHT All elementary classes are held Sunday mornings at 8:45, 10:15 and 11:30 in the Barrett Center. Student programs are each presented in conformity with the course plan of the Diocese of Scranton. Children are required to attend first grade Religious Education classes before being admitted to the First Sacraments Program.
HIGH SCHOOL PROGRAM Classes for High School students are necessary for the proper education of the student. Classes are held Sunday mornings and Tuesday evenings and require that the student register in the beginning of the year. A variety of topics and activities will be encountered providing a well-balanced program.
PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT Saint Luke's encourages parents to be involved in all aspects of their child's faith development. Parental involvement is so important that the Document on Education from the Second Vatican Council states, "Parents must be acknowledged as the first and foremost educators of their children. Their role as educators is so decisive that scarcely anything can compensate for their failure in it." Most of our teachers and aids have come from parents like you volunteering. In addition, our church will provide parents with instructions and instructional materials to better teach your children.
CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS Our aim is to best help all students, especially those with special needs. In the event that mainstreaming is not possible or profitable a special tutoring situation will be set up with the child under your consent. This includes learning disabilities, physical disabilities and language barriers.
MASS ATTENDANCE & SACRAMENTAL PARTICIPATION Religious Education does not take the place of attending regular mass. It is our expectation that all children will attend weekly mass to participate in the sacraments. The class setting is only a fraction of the learning experience compared to encountering the sacraments themselves. To deny children attending mass is to deny them the fullness of the Church.
Mass Schedule:
Saturday
4:00p.m.
5:30p.m.
Sunday
7:30a.m.
9:00a.m.
10:15a.m.
11:30a.m.
2:00p.m. in Polish
NOTE: RELIGIOUS EDUCATION IS NOT A PROPER REPLACEMENT FOR MASS. CHILDREN & PARENTS SHOULD ATTEND MASS EACH WEEK.
THE EXPERIENCE OF PRAYER
Prayer is an essential part of the religious education of students on all levels. Thus, each child will have the opportunity to participate in the planning and preparation for mass during all years of the program. Parents and children will attend these special events during Advent and Lent. Please see the full calendar for dates. All Masses will be celebrated at 7:15p.m. and refreshments will follow. All students and parents are expected to attend these evenings of worship. In addition, there will be monthly children liturgies where the children will have an integral part in the mass. Also other events will take place throughout the year to provide a variety of worship for the children.
REGISTRATION & FEES Registration for Religious Education classes takes place in the spring. All registered parishioners with school age children will receive the necessary forms by mail and additional forms are available in the Religious Education office. New families are asked to fill out the Parish Census form, provide us with the child's baptismal certificate and a letter from the last place of Religious Education. The determination of which session your child is in is based on a first come, first served basis during registration. When a class is filled in a particular session, no more students will be accepted into that class in order to keep a quality program. The fee for registration covers some of the costs of books and supplies and will be due no later than October 30th. Although these fees are normally required, money should not be a hindrance for the Religious Education of your child. If that should be the case, please see our Pastor Fr. McLaughlin or Scott Fabian, Director of Religious Education.
Fees:
$40.00 Regular Student
$50.00 First Sacraments class
$100.00 Confirmation class
ABSENCES & TARDINESS
Attendance is a very important issue at Saint Luke's. The curriculum that is set up is an ongoing learning process for the children. Absences will greatly diminish the program's effectiveness. If your child misses a class, we require a written excuse signed by you the guardian. Children with perfect attendance will be awarded at the end of the year. In order to keep a top notch program going, we ask you bring your child on time so class can start promptly. A tardy child not only effects his or her own learning but disrupts the entire class. Consistent tardiness will be addressed. A child that is fifteen minutes tardy will effect his or her attendance record.
INCLEMENT WEATHER
In the rare event that inclement weather would require us to cancel
classes, we will post a message on our website or you may call our church
office number 421-9097. There will be a message left
on the automatied phone system AFTER 8:00am.
BAPTISM
A copy of a child's Baptismal certificate is required for children to be accepted into our Religious Education classes and for further Sacramental preparation. In preparing for your child's baptism, Parents need to call our office to attend a class. In the event that your child has not been baptized in a Christian church, one can seek to do this through our RCIA program.
THE FIRST SACRAMENTS PROGRAM
Every effort is made in the program of the Church of Saint Luke to involve all parents in the preparation and the activity of their children while preparing for receiving of these most important Sacraments.
The Sacraments of First Reconciliation and First Eucharist are means by which the Faith of these children can grow and develop.
Parents play a vital and essential role in the educational as well as the formational aspects of these sacraments. Parents are asked and expected to become involved with the catechetical program by attending all required meetings and programs.
So too, parents are especially encouraged to attend mass with their children each and every week. Without such a visible sign of family support the human value of the sacraments may be diminished. The student and families are asked to participate in a family mass and attend six special prayer experiences.
THE CONFIRMATION PROGRAM
The program of Confirmation Preparation at Saint Luke's follows the guideline recommendations of both the Diocese of Scranton as well as the national recommendations offered by the Bishop's Conference.
Thus, candidates for Confirmation are required to have a two year program of activity in Religious Education for the reception of this most important sacrament.
The first year of preparation may be taken as part of the normal Religious Education at Notre dame Schools or in the program of the sixth grade at the Fr. Francis Barrett Center.
Students involved in the Confirmation Program are required to make a special retreat offered for them during the year, complete at least forty hours of approved community service and attend at least six special prayer experiences. Students are also required to demonstrate a clear ability to understand the materials of preparation by regular testing.
Parents are required to attend all of the scheduled meetings for this sacramental program and to actively support their children by attending mass and other Sacraments weekly.
Classes for the intensive Confirmation program year are offered only at the Parish facilities on Sundays.
The Church of Saint Luke is proud to provide many different opportunities for the children of the parish to be involved in parish life. The activities are announced monthly and can be seen in the weekly bulletin and the monthly calendar sent to all children fifth grade and up registered in the parish. These activities vary for the age groups and contain a variety of both religious, service and social aspects to help the growth of the child in our community.
YOUTH GROUPS
There are a number of different youth groups that are divided according to school grade level. The High School or Varsity Club, the 7th-8th grade or Junior Varsity and 5th-6th grade youth groups. In addition, there are various activities for the younger children throughout the year.
SOCIAL ACTIVITIES
Throughout the year, St. Luke's provides many social activities for the children of the parish to help improve our sense of community. They include: Halloween Party, Christmas Party, after school Drop-ins, Bowling, Tennis, Volleyball, monthly Dances, picnics, Ski & Beach trips and many more!
OTHER ACTIVITIES
There are other activities which also invite the children to participate in their church. Some of these are: the Festival, Blessing of Pets, St. Luke's Feast Day and the Christmas Pageant.
DISCIPLESHIP AWARDS
* St Luke Award: For the most Christian service hours overall.
* St Francis of Assisi Award: For at least one hundred hours of Christian
service.
* St Catherine of Sienna Award: For at least fifty hours of Christian service.
* St Peter Award: For the most service hours helping St Luke's Parish.
* St Paul Award: For the most service hours in the community.
* St Mary Award: For the most service hours for children.
* St Elizabeth Ann Seton Award: For he most service hours helping the poor & homeless.
* St Joseph Award: For the most service hours helping the elderly.
Please note: Forms are available in the Religious Education office. Students cannot get paid or compensated for their service. In addition, service for the family is considered normal family obligation.
RELIGIOUS SCOUTING AWARDS
St Luke's supports involvement in Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts. The Religious Education department will also try to facilitate the Religious Awards put out by the Scouts.
For the Boys:
* Tiger & Wolf cubs can earn the Light of Christ medal;
* Bear & Webloes can earn the Parvuli Dei medal;
* Boy Scouts can earn the Ad Altare Dei & Pope Pius XII medals.
For the Girls and Religious Education groups:
* Brownies can earn the Family of God medal;
* Juniors can earn I Live My Faith medal,
* Cadets can earn the Marian Medal and finally
* Seniors can earn the Spirit Alive medal.