Faith Formation - Grades 1-8 | Our Lady of Victory Church

2023-2024 Faith Formation Theme:

"Come to me all you who labor and are burdened" -Matthew 11:28

Faith Formation for Grades 1, 3 – 8:

The faith formation program we are using is called "Gospel Weeklies." Pflaum’s Gospel Weeklies is a dynamic method of instruction that integrates faith formation lessons with the life of the parish community experienced in the Sunday Eucharist (Liturgical Catechesis). The content of the program flows from the Sunday Gospel. Our children learn, live and share their faith within the rhythms of the liturgical year: Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter, and Ordinary Time.

The whole family can easily share in the learning because all children are studying lessons based on the same Gospel proclaimed in church on Sunday. You can gather all of your children at one time to share what they have learned and to talk about it as a family.

Because the Gospel Weeklies do not use a textbook, they are very appealing to young people and easy to use in class and at home. Each child will receive a folder of the Gospel Weeklies lessons dated for each Sunday of the liturgical year and a “catechism handbook" called "What the Church Believes and Teaches." This folder will go home after each class for parents to see and talk about the lesson with your children. In between scheduled classes, parents are able to review the weekly lessons at home, so learning is continual.

The Weeklies follow the three cycles of the Gospel reading, (Year A,B,C) at each grade level.

Promise (Gr. 1 - Pre-Sacramental Prep)
Good News for Children (Gr. 2 & 3)
Venture (Gr. 4, 5 & 6)
Visions (Gr .7 & 8)

There are many free resources designed for catechists and families including Parent Teaching Pages, weekly videos, and other additional seasonal resources as well. All of these can be found at pflaumweeklies.com.

Children under the age of seven and registered in in Grades 1 & 2 Faith Formation sessions will be preparing for the Sacraments of First Reconciliation and First Eucharist in Grade 2.
Youth in Grades 9 &10 will be preparing for the Sacrament of Confirmation in Grade 10.
Order of Christian Initian for Children (OCIC): For Children/Youth that are baptized Catholic, over 7 years old in grades 3-8 and have not participated in any formal faith formation/religious education program and need to be prepared for and receive the sacraments of First Reconciliation and First Eucharist (Communion) please contact Caitlin Levine, Coordinator of Faith Formation and Youth Ministry @ [email protected]| (518) 273-7602 ext. 102

Please see the SACRAMENTS TAB for more details.

For more information please contact Caitlin Levine at 518-273-7602 ext. 102 or email [email protected].

Faith Formation Registration Info.:

You may also download the 2023-2024 REGISTRATION FORM AND PHOTO RELEASE and mail it or drop off to:

Our Lady of Victory

55 North Lake Avenue

Troy, NY, 12180

If registering by mail, remember to include the registration fee ($65 for 1 child | $130 for 2 children | $165 for 3 children | $170 for 4 or more children). If you have a child making a sacrament (First Reconciliation/First Eucharist or Confirmation) there will be an additional $25 Sacramental Prep fee.

WAYS TO COMMUNICATE

MyParish App

To stay up-to-date on parish information and reminders we encourage you to download the MyParish App on your smartphone by texting the word "APP" to 55321 then choosing Our Lady of Victory Church - Our Lady of the Snow Mission as your parish. For more information regarding the MyParish App please follow this link to our Parish App Page