RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
FAITH FORMATION

Religious education or faith formation is an ongoing process for every baptized individual. At St. Bernadette, we provide many avenues that you can continue your faith formation or begin your Catholic journey by joining the Christian Initiation process commonly known as RCIA for adults and RCIC for children.
We provide faith formation for kids from 3 years old to kindergarten age at Sunday School. The grade school children recieve their faith formation either at St. Bernadette School or through the religious education program better known as CCD. We offer the Godparent Program for teenagers who attend High School.
We do not forget the adults. They receive informal faith formation as they bring their children to one of the sacraments either Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist and Reconciliation. The parish is now encouraging adults to join Renew. In the past we have offered faith formation for adults during lent such as talks on Eucharist. Adults can participate in the fourth period of the RCIA which is know as Mystagogia

CCD
This program provides instructional classes for students attending public schools, grades 1-8. Classes meet Wednesday evenings from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. in the school building.

Students are prepared for the Sacraments of Eucharist and Confirmation corresponding to the 5 day schools. Celebrations of these Sacraments are combined with school. During the year, opportunities are given for celebrating the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

Teachers in this program volunteer their talents and service, but are required to work toward Archdiocesan Certification, for which classes and opportunities are provided.

The office of the Director for Religious Education is in the Building housing the Parish Office and the Child Care Center. For more information, please call the Director at 731-9421.

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GODPARENT PROGRAM
We offer the Godparent program for students attending either a public or Catholic High School. The teenagers meet once a week at a family's place and spend about an hour and a half. This time is spent with teachings, sharings and having fun. If you are interested in helping or have your child participate, please call the Parish Office at 731-4694 or the Director of Religious Education at 731-9421.

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SUNDAY SCHOOL
We will also have Sunday School for three, four, and five year old children during the 10:30 Mass beginning in the Fall. It starts the Sunday after Labor Day. Check the bulletin for registration time or call the Parish Office.

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CHRISTIAN INITIATION - RCIA/RCIC
Christian Initiation has four periods and three steps. The four periods are:- Pre-Catechumenate, Catechumenate, Enlightenment and Mystagogia. The steps for the process are namely Acceptance in the Order of Catechumens, Election and Celebration of the Sacraments of Initiation. The process of initiation for the adults is referred to as RCIA and for children as RCIC.

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Pre-Catechumenate
Pre-Catechumenate is the time that one is inquiring about the faith. The seeker is responding to the call of God within his or her heart. The call to faith is incarnated through the Church in her mission of evangelization.

The seekers who want to deepen their search for the Catholic faith will either celebrate the Rite of Acceptance into the Order of Catechumens if they have not been previously baptized, or the Rite of Welcoming if they have been baptized but previously uncatechized adults or adults from a different christian denomination. They will be prepared for Confirmation and Eucharist and for reception into the full communion of the Catholic Church.

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Catechumenate
After a period of discernment, those seeking to enter the Catholic Church would enter the second phase, which is structured. The inquirers are committing themselves to attend weekly classes that are usually held at St. Bernadette on Tuesdays from 7:00 -9:00 PM. The formal catechumenate starts with the combined Rite of Acceptance and the Rite of Welcoming, which is usually held on the first Sunday of Advent. However, the classes start in September. From the beginning of September to the Combined Rite of Acceptance and the Rite of Welcoming, the seekers are part of a more formal pre-catechumenate phase. The seekers are still discerning whether they want to become members of the Catholic Church.

During the Catechumenate process, the seekers receive the basics of the faith through formal catechesis but they also experience the breaking of the Word of God. The readings of the Bible help in one's faith formation.

Paragraph 75 of the Rite gives the directive about the four ways by which the formation of the Catechumens is achieved.

Paragraph 78 of that same Rite says “ The instruction that the catechumens receive during this period should be of a kind that while presenting Catholic teaching in its entirety also enlightens faith, directs the heart toward God, fosters participation in the liturgy, inspires apostolic activity, and nurtures a life completely in accord with the spirit of Christ.”

Thus at St. Bernadette, Christian Initiation would have both a scriptural emphasis as well as dogma. The seekers will meet on Tuesdays for acquaintance with dogma and precepts of the faith. To develop a life of prayer and a familiarity with the Good news, the seekers will also meet on Saturdays or Sundays for the Weekend liturgies. They would be sent forward after the homily to deepen their understanding of the Word of God.

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Enlightenment
The celebration of the Rite of Election of Catechumens and of the call to continuing conversion of candidates who are preparing for confirmation and Eucharist and for some, reception into the full communion of the Catholic Church happens sometimes during the first week of Lent.

At this point after many weeks of catechesis, those desiring to enter the Church formally declare their intention. During the season of Lent, the elect would experience a period of purification, which we know as the scrutinies.

The Elect would then complete their initiation at the Easter Vigil by receiving Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist while the candidates receive only Confirmation and Eucharist as they were baptized. The scrutinies are meant only for Catechumens.

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Mystagogia
Mystagogia is a Greek word for understanding of the mysteries, which are primarily the sacraments. The formal period of the mystagogia begins at the Easter Vigil and ends with Pentecost. However mystagogia is also understood as ongoing faith formation. It is the continuous process whereby one deepens one's faith through Biblical studies, deeper catechism class or other forms of Adult education. Every baptized need ongoing faith formation as it reflects what someone said “we learn from the crib to the grave. “

However this part of the Christian Initiation is the responsibility of the pastor or his representative. They are to seek how they can help this ongoing formation of the people of God at St. Bernadette.

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RCIC
Children interested to enter the Catholic Church go through the process called the Rite of Christian Initiation of Children, this process is comparable to the one used for adults, the RCIA. This program also follows a weekly schedule of classes generally from late summer to the following Easter. It is for children, second grade and up, who have not been baptized, and/or have not been attending church and not receiving catechetical instruction. This process also includes several rituals which are observed at weekend Parish Masses. Ideally, this process works best when at least one parent accompanies the child/children, and when possible, having Catholic families as companions/sponsors.

If you are interested to know more about the Christian Initiation process, call the Parish office at (402) 731-4694.

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