Eighth Grade Moving Up TC \l2 "

Religion Curriculum

 

During Eighth grade, students enter into the immediate preparation for receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation.  If they chose to be confirmed in the Catholic faith, reception of the Sacrament will take place either on Friday night, April 7 or Saturday morning or afternoon, April 8.  The students take part in several parish preparation events such as a retreat with Sean Forrest, a retreat with St. Rose School, an evening Candlelight Liturgy with their parents and Confirmation sponsor, and an evening focusing on the Spirituality of Human Sexuality.  Students will also have the opportunity to attend an evening presentation on the healing power of forgiveness given by Detective McDonald, NYPD.  Students will be invited to St. Rose Youth Group events, including an opportunity to learn about and experience the wonder and awe of Eucharistic Adoration.  All these activities are designed to foster a deeper spiritual relationship with Jesus. 

Eighth grade students are asked to serve their parish, school, neighborhood, or Newtown community.  Although the required number of service hours is 15, the attitude of Christian service is that it is a life-long, ongoing obligation to reflect the Spirit of Christ, who came to serve.  Parents can help their children identify their strengths and talents that could be used for service  (ie, if a student loves to be with the elderly, perhaps visiting residents at Ashlar would be a wonderful service project).  Mrs. Janice Gerry is the Parish Coordinator for Confirmation, and she would be happy to share resources on various opportunities to serve.

Summer is a time of rest and relaxation and peaceful reading.  Reading about the saints would help students identify a saint’s name that they would like to pick for their Confirmation name.  The upstairs library at the Religious Education Office has a wonderful selection of books on the saints.  You are welcome to visit the library at any time.

The classroom curriculum for Religion in the eighth grade has three components:

·    Church History

·    Confirmation Preparation

·    Family Life

May God bless your summer months with peacefulness and relaxation, and we look forward to our time together in the fall.

Mrs. Arsenault