We have participated in the program since 1995.  It has helped us to be more rooted in our Catholic faith, as we teach our children at home and as they learn during community meetings.  It has helped us develop an appreciation for our clergy, as we pray for and support one another.  It has helped us to defend our faith in discussions with non-Catholics. 

     We only wish we had the opportunity earlier, when our oldest child, now 28, was attending CCD in the 1980s and early 90s.  She got quite confused about different points of view, because of the variety of ideas being taught at that time.  Examples were discussions of whether or not to allow women clergy or contraception.  Thus, our daughter decided she did not want to be confirmed and soon stopped going to church altogether.  We are glad that the Family Program encourages older children to be involved, as in helping with child care or community service projects.  Our 21-year-old daughter had the opportunity to teach preschool, which gave her a head start in finding a full-time job.  This is also the kind of environment that helps to foster religious vocations.

     The Family Program has helped greatly in preparing two of our children for the sacraments of Baptism and the Eucharist.  It has also given wonderful Life in the Spirit seminars to two of our teenagers.    We have been encouraged to study the Bible and the Catechism of the Catholic Church, as we prepared for lessons at home.  We have learned devotionals, such as the Rosary and the Liturgy of the Hours.  We have also enjoyed learning about saints and “Lexio Divina.”  We have had the benefit of several outside speakers to witness their faith, as well as annual talks by one or more of the priests from the parish. 

     We have had fun learning about our faith, and have seen the importance and gift that our faith is to us.  We are continuing to grow in our faith, and are developing individual personal relationships with Jesus.  Much of this growth can be attributed to the Family Program.  In other words, our family is immensely grateful for the Sainte Marie Family Program.

Growing up I was always in awe of the beauty of the Catholic faith and its’ traditions yet at the same time I was never able to fully embrace it as a result of ignorance.  After eight years of CCD and two years of Confirmation preparation I was deemed knowledgeable by my family and church and told to go out and live the Gospel.  While I had a basic understanding of what that meant I was not equipped to do it fully and I longed for more. 

When I gave my life over to Christ as a young adult I felt an overwhelming need to develop my understanding of my faith.  I searched, to no avail, for an adult catechist program, even inquiring into participating in RCIA courses but was turned away.  As I became a parent I knew that I wanted something more for my children and was thrilled to have Family Program as an option.  Little did I know that I would be the one to grow by leaps and bounds in the knowledge of the Catholic faith and traditions.  In Family Program I have found what my soul was longing for, a place to truly and deeply learn my faith.  I have been astounded over and over by how little I really knew and how many misconceptions I harbored.  Family Program has helped me to repeatedly fall in love with my faith and has strengthened my resolve to live that faith out and pass it on to my children.

For my children Family Program is their church community.  It is where they find community and friendship with other kids who share their values.  When we announce that we are going to do our lessons they practically fly to the table grabbing supplies on the way.  They too have fallen in love with their faith.  More over they understand their faith in a way that I never did as a child.  They are able to explain the teachings of the Catholic Church to their friends and teachers and do so with out hesitation because they have lived that faith and those teachings in practical day-to-day ways.  For them learning their faith is a natural and ordinary part of family life not merely something relegated to an hour at Mass and an hour in a CCD classroom. 

Family Program has also brought our family closer together by allowing us to focus on the Lord as a family.  It has strengthened our marriage by assuring that we are on the same page in our faith and giving us the tools we need to live that out in our daily lives.  We have been at this for nearly five years now and look forward to the next 15. After experiencing the benefits and reaping the rewards of family catechists I would never want to do it another way.  Family Program has built me up individually and has strengthened and united our family in the cause of Christ.

We have been married nearly 18 years and have 5 children (3 girls, 2 boys) aged 11 years to 3 years.  This year is our third year in the Family Program and we have been in the parish for 3 ½ years now, having relocated from another state.

As adults and parents, our lives have been profoundly touched by this program.  We have considered this as a true “ministry” which has benefited our family in various ways.  Some of which are mentioned below:

From our children’s perspective, we can see the benefits are more than just exposure to and knowledge gained of their faith - which has become evident to us - but it also shows them through the use of practical examples and instruments how our faith is truly “lived”.  It has made our faith more alive, to them and to us.  It provides us many opportunities to exploit the “teachable moments” that every parent experiences daily, and address them with direction based upon a particular lesson or activity or experience we have shared by doing this program together.

The 4-year cycle the program is based upon, gives us the opportunity to reinforce all the material at a higher level next time around with continuity and allows it to develop over the years: we’re looking forward to this aspect.

In short, we have been blessed as a family through our association with and our participation in the Family Program.  We have recommended it to others in our parish and would readily do so to others that might have this opportunity presented to them!

It is a pleasure and an honor for me to write to you of the benefits of being the Family Program.  We had heard so much about the Family Program through other parishioners and friends who were in it that we were very excited about joining.  Since Patrick was in the first grade when we started this, it made it a little less intimidating that we would become his Catholic education teachers.

We as parents and Catholic school students (old ones) have learned so much from the Family Program.  Some of the material has refreshed and renewed our minds awakening our Catholic teaching and some of the others sounded new to us.  As I would hear you give a presentation and read the material in the lessons, I would sometimes think “I don’t remember learning this when I was younger.”  I do not remember sleeping in school.  This has been very valuable to us in filling the gaps where our knowledge lacked.  Between reading the material and listening to your presentation via tapes, it helps us to grow in our understanding and richness of our Catholic faith.  It helps us to be better prepared for us to teach our seven-year-old son and to live out the fullness that God intended through our Catholic faith.

Our son, Patrick absolutely loves to do the Family Program.  He will ask, “When are we going to do the Family Program?”  He listens pretty well and we read different Bible stories or quotes and share the rest of the lesson with him.  It is always a time where he is free to ask any questions so we can help him to understand.  Being that he is very curious, he has asked many questions, many regarding how we live out our own faith in these ways.  He has gained a greater understanding and appreciation of the love of God and what God asks of all of us.  I find that being his parents and his teachers of the faith, that this gives us such a great opportunity to share OUR faith and how we work hard on living it day to day.  I think it is important for him to believe that no matter what age it is a conscious effort to seek God’s will and embrace that in our lives.  I would have loved to have had that with my own parents.  What a gift this is to our children.  They will get to know us as Christian men and women.  I am convinced this will help them with their Christian walk with the Lord as adults.  They will be able to reflect and remember that it was not easy, but it was very possible and very worthwhile.  That the fight was worth fighting and the battle was in God’s hands, so we could continue to persevere.

Patrick also enjoys the activities that go with the Family Program.  We work as a team to do the journey board by brainstorming ideas of how we could present things on our journey.  This has been a time of great joy and laughter for us, because no idea is silly or to far out during this time.  Then we decide which idea would better suit the needs for our journey to heaven.  We proudly display our journey board for all who come in our home to see.  It has been a topic of some conversations and Patrick has at times been so happy to explain any parts they may have questions on.  These activities are very well chosen to make the lesson more embodied in the minds and hearts.  It really helps to bring the point across to the children and well as the adults the points that are being made. 

The meetings we attend are always well thought out for creativity and again reinforcing for all what we are learning.  Everything we attend is so rich in teaching and helping us grow as Catholic Christians.  There is a wealth of information given on the teachings even including exactly where we can find this in the Catechism.  Even the skits are so much fun and we all learn from them.  We walk away with much to talk about.
 
One of my absolute favorites (because I have since benefited many times) is when we visited the Sisters nursing home.  The nun that we were to see was Sr. Carmilita.  What a great match for me?  We had so many things in common.  Our French heritage and speaking, crocheting, love of reading, enjoyment of sweet treats just made our visit fly by so quickly.  I was very touched by the twinkle in her eye and the love of the Lord, that during the visit I knew I definitely wanted to see her again.  Before leaving, I asked her if I could visit her again.  I was happy to hear her say, “I would like that”.  I have since visited and spent time with her.  I enjoy and appreciate this special connection.  She is 95 but still has so much to give and she models that by what she does now.  Thank you so much for letting God guide you in selecting Sr. Carmilita to be the sister we were to visit.  It was definitely a divine appointment coming from the Family Program.

Mary you had told us at the beginning of the year that God would send many teaching moments our way via ourselves and especially with our children.  I was looking forward to these times with anticipation and there were many.  We could be in a car driving around when questions or thoughts would come up with Patrick.  Sometimes Patrick would ask things I thought were beyond his years, but we always answered them or talked about them.  This has laid a foundation of freedom to ask any thoughts that he has regarding our faith and about God.  He is very inquisitive and the things he thinks of surprise me.  Sometimes as he asks his questions, I get the feeling that Jesus must just be so pleased as well laughing at Patrick’s thought process.  There have been times that I have had to call upon the Lord needing his divine wisdom to answer the questions.  However, these times even though challenging for us, really speak to our hearts as well.  It challenges us not to just blindly go through the motions of our Catholic faith.  It challenges us to think and there have been times where I have had to say to Patrick (our first grader) I will need to look it up or ask Fr. Marc. 

I feel it is appropriate that you thought of doing journey boards as a family activity.  It really makes us think about what we need to have on our journey and all that we do not need on our journey to heaven.  It puts many things in perspective without being preachy.  We plan on keeping all our journey boards so we can look back and see what we did and how we grew in our understanding throughout the years.

                                                                                               
The Family Program has been such a blessing for our whole family.  I was a little intimidated at first when I saw what we were teaching and what we were lacking in our past teaching, but with God’s help and grace, it has been such a wonderful rich experience.  God has been so faithful in helping us to teach our child the things he needs to grow. He has given us great examples and ideas to teach a specific point.  He has also anointed our son with questions that were not that easy to answer, but given us teachable answers that spoke to us as well as Patrick.  It has been us feeding Patrick biblical “solid milk” in his formative years.  We are working with God in building this solid foundation for Patrick and we pray he will never depart from it.  God asks us to assist him in setting the groundwork and he will do the rest. 

I would highly encourage anyone with children to join the Family Program.  It will inspire you, educate you, feed your soul and thirst, and it will ignite this in your family as well.  You will be in for quite a journey but a journey that you will always remember and treasure for years to come.  You will be putting imprints into your children’s hearts and souls that will bless and benefits them and for generations to come. How about being “Jesus with skin on” for your own children’s Christian education?

Not all of us are fortunate enough to be raised in a vibrant Catholic home.  When I came to Family Program, it was out of a sense of tradition and duty to, what seemed to me a powerful and intimidating institution on the one hand, and a yearning to understand my faith and communicate it to my children in a more effective and powerful way than it had been communicated to me on the other.  CCD was the only option for my catechesis and so dutifully I was sent and I remember little of what I was taught.  I had no skill in defending or understanding my faith, only a conviction that it must be right because we so often believe what our parents tell us without question.  However, questions arise as we grow and without solid reasoning and the Holy Spirit to guide me, my faith became weaker and weaker.  I continued to attend church because I felt God’s presence and because I wanted a tradition for my children.  I yearned to have support in my faith, I yearned to understand what I deeply felt must be right.  I knew I had only one chance to teach my children about God and if I did not fulfill this obligation it would have eternal consequences for them and for me.

We are truly blessed to have participated in family based catechesis for the past three years.  Not only have I discovered a renewed commitment personally to the Lord but I can now say I love my faith, I am fortunate to be Catholic, and I am inspired to teach my children about their faith with joy!  Our situation is somewhat unique in that my husband is not a practicing Catholic.  This has been a challenge in teaching the kids at home, but has also opened a dialogue between us that has deepened our relationship and improved our ability to communicate about faith.

Through the teachings of Family Program I am able to explain not only to our children, but to him, the teachings of the Church.  I have truly become a better Christian who lives my faith, albeit imperfectly, but with a firm conviction to rely on God’s grace to strengthen and inspire me every day.  Without Family Program as our mode of teaching our children about the Father, Son and Holy Spirit and the Catholic Church, I would still be floundering and my children and our family would not be growing in Christ’s love every day.  We have made Christ, through the rich traditions of our church, a part of our daily lives.  Every year I gain new insights and fresh resolve to learn more about the blessings of my faith and to teach my children the Truth.  The Lord is so good and we are so grateful to Him for guiding us to this program!

It has been a privilege and a blessing to be able to educate our children in the Catholic Faith using the Family Program.  The content of the program is complete and comprehensive.  Our oldest son has already completed 8 years of Family Program.  He has been well catechized in the Faith.  Tommy, age 15, is very knowledgeable in his Catholic Faith and he is very willing to defend his beliefs in our faith to adults and teens his own age.  Since Family Program is a family based program, and our children have been instructed by their parents, Tommy felt that he was able to learn more about the Catholic Faith because he learned it in a positive, supportive environment.  Learning his faith was not affected at all by peer pressure.  Our second son, Daniel, age 13, likes Family Program because we, as a family, can discuss the truths we learn more deeply and we can talk about how those truths relate to our own lives at home, at church, at school and in the community.  Peter, age 11, likes the fun things we do at Community meetings, like creating skits and acting them out.  Peter also likes doing the activities in the lessons, reading about the saints and coloring the saint pictures. 

Family based catechesis works!  All of our 5 boys enjoy participating in the Family Program.  In reality, Family Program is not just a religious Ed program that we are enrolled in, but FP is a way of life for our family.  We do have actual instruction time, but many of the lessons are taught as we are talking as a family at the dinner table or as we are discussing a problem that one of the boys may be having at school or when we have to discipline one of the children or when we are riding in the van together, talking as a family.  All of these situations have presented opportunities to share faith with our boys.

Matthew, age 8, likes FP because that is where he learned about Jesus in the Eucharist, and then was able to receive 1st Communion!  In FP, we are able to prepare our children to receive 1st Reconciliation as well as 1st Communion.  What an enormous blessing it is for parents to prepare your children to receive these sacraments and to see the joy on their face as they receive God’s loving forgiveness for the 1st time and to be able to bring your child to the table to receive Jesus in the Eucharist!

By participating in FP, our children have learned their faith.  That is not all.  As parents, catechizing their children, we have been able to share our personal faith with our children.  Through FP, our Junior High aged children have participated in a Life in the Spirit Seminar.  We have had the joy of seeing our boy’s faith transform from a faith of knowledge to a personal faith in Jesus Christ.  This program has not only aided us in providing knowledge of our faith, but is also has guided us, as parents, to be able to lead our children to a personal faith in Jesus Christ.

Tommy shared with me that LISS showed me that I can know God on a more day to day basis.  It was revealing but it was also fun and on a kid’s level.”  Daniel thought that by participating on LISS he had a “deeper understanding about God and the Holy Spirit.  It shows you how the HS can work in your life, even when you’re only 13.” 

As parents, Tom and I have received the biggest fringe benefits from FP.  When you participate in FP, the parents receive an adult level teaching each month about our Catholic Faith.  This has blessed us, as adults tremendously!  Because we have attended these teachings, we have learned so much about our Catholic Faith – the truths we should have learned as children, but didn’t.  These teachings have cemented our faith in the Catholic Church.  It has increased our love for the Catholic Church.  The teachings certainly have aided us in teaching the faith to our own children.  Another benefit has been meeting so many wonderful Catholic families that we now share our lives with.  Our boys love to go to FP because that is where their friends are. 

FP has helped us, as parents, to educate our children in the Catholic Faith.  FP has helped our family to participate more fully in our Catholic Faith.  Because the Ciccarello Family participates in the FP, each family member has a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ.

OUR JOURNEY OF FAITH

I can remember, to this day, attending the annual Family Program “Show and Tell” back in 1998, inquiring as to whether or not my then 5 year old allowed us entry into the program. Waiting a year was a lesson in patience!!  We have, consequently, been in Family Program since 1999 (8 years).
 
A brief family history may help here.  Currently, we have a daughter in 5th grade and a son in 7th, both of whom have been entirely catechized at home through the program.  My husband, new to the faith upon our marriage, had gone through RCIA.   I was raised Catholic, but am still trying to figure out what I did during my weekly CCD lessons throughout my grade and high school years!   I remain grateful to my parents for passing on the faith and ensuring I received the Sacraments, but I truly had very little knowledge or understanding of the Catechism.  It was in this light we entered Family Program when our son was 6 and our daughter 4.

I cannot say enough about the blessings Family Program has bestowed upon our family.  First and foremost, we have connected in a very special way as we have gathered regularly, working together on the lessons and activities.   The structure of the program affords the opportunity for us to spend intimate, meaningful time together, and opens the door for dialogue that would not present itself without this foundation. 

Being provided with accurate, clear-cut material to present the doctrine of our faith allows us to concentrate on introducing the teachings according to the individual needs and learning styles of each of our children, capitalizing on their areas of strength and weakness, interest and creativity. Flexibility is at its maximum – we have had both formal and informal sessions, in varied settings; around the table, in the car, on hikes, during Mass, even while out visiting.  “Teachable moments” are the rule, not the exception, as learning is a process that doesn’t end when the lessons do.  Communication about our faith is not an awkward, self-conscious experience, but part of typical conversation.  It is not unusual to have a lively debate in the produce isle at the grocery store, or an intense discussion in the waiting room at the Dr.’s office.  We are not only learning about our faith.  Through knowledge of Scripture, Tradition and the Magisterial dimension of Catholicism, along with the help of the Holy Spirit, we are learning how to live our faith in a very real and concrete way.

Community Meetings bring us straight into the heart of the Church; fellowship through the Body of Christ.  This affirms us in our faith and brings us to a deeper level of commitment.  Sharing all aspects of family life, from the joys to the trials, unites us as brothers and sisters, and calls us to be His servants to those in need.  Prayer is a powerful aspect of Family Program community, and vital link to our Almighty Father.  Through this ministry, we have developed close friendships and our children have been exposed to positive peer influences; young people with a heart for God, evident as Christ shines through them.  What better incentive for our children as they move toward a personal relationship with this same loving Jesus.

Sharing our faith walk as a married couple has drawn us together, despite the fact that we are in different places spiritually.  The beauty of God is that He takes us right where we are, and we have learned to nurture a similar respect towards one another.  Observing other families, strong in their faith, has inspired us to grow, while at the same time remain steadfast in our Catholic beliefs. 

Choosing to make catechizing our children a priority has added meaning and purpose to our relationship, as we work together towards a common goal.  It has also called us to the challenging task of being held accountable by our example (and our children are truly mindful of this at all times!!).  We have had “awesome” years, and not-so-fruitful years; we have felt both overwhelmed and over committed when adding Family Program to the constant demands of life.  We have thrived and we have struggled through many teachings, dealing with the inevitable “attacks”, from tempting distractions, exhaustion, a cranky preschooler or a rebellious adolescent (with ATTITUDE!).  We have succeeded and we have failed.  We have watched our children be persecuted, seen them stray, witnessed their coming back.  Through all the struggles we have learned to pull together as a couple and to rely more on God, and He has been performing a mighty work in each one of us.  We have remained in Family Program because we KNOW it is the only way (for our family) to provide the proper formation of faith for our children.  We do not profess that it has always been easy, but it has always been worth it.

On a very personal level, I have learned more about my faith in the past eight years than I have in my entire lifetime (and considering I’m pushing 50, that’s a good deal of living!).  Family Program has, and continues to, impact my life in countless ways.  I know, without a doubt, that it is my responsibility to form our children in their Catholic faith.   I do not take this lightly.  Yet in so doing, I have gained far more than I have given; God’s grace in action through my own spiritual growth. 

Despite the trials, I am never alone in my (often inept) attempts to catechize our children – God’s grace has indeed been sufficient, even in the most trying of times.  And His blessings have been abundant.

In a culture where truth is seen as relative, sin is watered down to nothing, morality has all but disappeared, and the sacredness of life is lost, our family is so fortunate to be given the opportunity to know the ABSOLUTE TRUTH!  Watching the Church being attacked from all sides is devastating, but connecting and sharing with other families experiencing the same challenges is a positive and essential factor in meeting those challenges. 

Living my life from an ‘eternal perspective’ has dramatically deepened my faith and calls me to give careful, prayerful consideration to the choices I make.

Finally, perhaps the greatest gift of all is my hunger for a closer walk with Him.  What has remained just beneath the soil, now cultivated with loving care, has been awakened, sprouted, and is taking root.  As I find myself reaching upward, I marvel at His love and I praise God that He has brought me on this journey with my family.  Before, I practiced my faith – today I celebrate and love my Catholic faith. 

What I Like about Family Program

Family Program is pretty cool, but I don’t recommend it for older kids (teenagers).  In the beginning I learned a lot about my faith.  And we did some fun stuff.  Lord’s Day was pretty fun.  I like doing skits and there was one Community Meeting where we turned the gym into a living room and people acted like a regular family.  It was really funny.  The wedding was the best because they had a DJ and at the end he played some rock music.

My mom loves Family Program, and I guess that is one way she shows me how much she loves me.  So I try not to complain too much.  I just think it was much better when I was a little kid.

Boy -- Age 14

Family Program is a really great way to get together as a family!  Even though sometimes I don’t want to at the time, I always like it once we get started (unless my dad and my brother are grumpy).  I have learned so much about being Catholic through this program.  I am surprised, too, because I go to a Catholic school, and lots of the kids don’t really know about some of the things I talk about.

In Family Program I have met many really good friends.  It feels like we are a big family!  Everybody cares about everybody else and Mrs. Mosher is very good at what she does!  She is like the head of the family, reminding us when we forget how much God loves us.  That is a good reminder.

My favorite things are – to read about the saints, look up Bible verses and read them (sometimes my mom lets me start the opening prayer or do the readings, and that is awesome!), and I like it when we go places, like visiting the Sisters and to Lord’s Day.  I also like the special activities such as the Advent Retreat and the Ice Cream Social!
Family Program makes learning about God fun and interesting, so I want to learn more.  Plus I think I understand things better and pray more now that I have been in Family Program for so many years.  It’s too bad everybody couldn’t be part of Family Program, like some of the kids in my class.

Girl -- Age 12