Registration Opens August 1, 2021

*NEW FAMILIES: Before completing registration for Religious Education classes, please register as a family with the parish by contacting Cathy Gosselin in the main office @ 508-473-2000.

Our Religious Education sessions are scheduled to begin on Sunday, October 3, 2021. Those students preparing to receive Confirmation this November will begin their final six weeks of preparation classes on Sunday, September 20, 2021. We are happy to say that we will offer in-person learning this year but only for a limited amount of grades. Grades 3, 4 and 5 can ONLY be offered our Home Study Program due to a shortage of available catechists. Our Religious Education director, Kathy Moran, will coordinate all levels of in-person as well as the Home Study curriculum and will be in weekly contact with families via Flocknote and/or email. Please let Kathy know if you are not signed up to receive our weekly Flocknotes at kmoran@stmarymilford.org.

Families are invited to celebrate with us every week, at the 10:30am Mass. One Sunday a month, at our special Family Masses, we welcome you to stay a few minutes after to share some light refreshments and catch up with your parish community.  

We urge families to register online by using this link to our parish weshareonline site where you may complete a registration form and pay at the same time. This electronic registration and payment option is contactless for your safety and convenience.  If you prefer to pay by check you may fill out and submit the online registration form with this link https://stmarymilford.org/online-registration-form, then mail your payment to the Religious Education Office at 17 Winter Street, Milford, Ma. 01757. 

In-Person Learning

The following classes have catechists available to teach and will meet in the Parish Center. 

• First Communion Preparation-This is a two year program for students who are 7 to 10 years of age and have already been Baptized. Stundents enrolled in this program are preparing for two sacraments, First Confession and First Communion, which they receive in their second year of prep classes.
  • 1st Year Communion Prep classes meet two Sunday mornings a month from 8:45am to 10:15am. 
  • 2nd Year Communion Prep classes will meet once a month on Sunday mornings from 8:45am to 11:30am. This includes attending the 10:30am Mass as a group. Participation in two, half-day retreats is required.
    • First Communion Retreats: Students must attend the First Confession retreat on Saturday, March 12, 2022 and the First Communion retreat on Saturday, April 23, 2022. 
    • First Communion celebration dates, for students who have completed all assignments and requirement, are May 1, May 15 and May 22, 2022. Families are asked to notify Kathy Moran at (kmoran@stmarymilford.org) of the date they would prefer for their child's First Communion. celebration. 
• Confirmation Preparation-This is a two year and six week program which typically begins in the 8th grade. A Student's final six weeks of classes are completed in the Fall of their second or third year in high school. They are then confirmed in November of that year. Every student is required to complete 20 hours of community service. Participation in a full day confirmation retreat, usually in the second year of preparation, must be fulfilled in order to be confirmed. *Students who do not register or complete assignments and requirements, for these sacramental preparation classes, will delay receiving their sacrament a year.
  • First Year Confirmation Prep classes meet twice a month on Sunday mornings from 9am to 10:30am.
  • 2nd Year Confirmation Prep classes will meet once per month from 8:30am to 11:30am which includes attending the 10:30am Mass as a group.
  • Final Confirmation Prep classes will meet once a week for six weeks. These last six sessions are typically completed in the Fall of the student's second or third year in high school. They are then confirmed in November of that year. Date of celebration is determined by the Bishop of the Worcester Diocese in mid to late September. 
    • Confirmation Retreats: Students can choose from a retreat organized by our Religious Education office or one of the diocesan retreats available through the Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry in Worcester. Our office has scheduled two retreats with the Holy Family Passionist Retreat Center in West Hartford, CT. on September 11, 2021 (for students in their final prep classes who are being confirmed this November) and March 27, 2022 (for students in their 2nd year of prep classes). If your teen attends a retreat through the office in Worcester please forward a letter to our director Kathy Moran confirming their attendance at that retreat. Follow this link for more information on the diocesan retreats available: https://www.neworcester.org/retreats.
• Grades 6 and 7-These classes will meet two Mondays a month from 6:30pm to 8:00pm

Home Study Program 

The following classes, unfortunately, do not have catechists for this year. Although! students are able to continue their religious education with the guidance of their parents/guardians or maybe a grandparent through our Home Study Program. We will be using the Gospel Weeklies, a Pflaum Publication program, which consist of quarterly units with weekly lesson packets based on the Sunday gospel readings.  All hard copies of texts and materials will be available through the Religious Ed Office starting in the Fall. We will utilize Google Classroom to post assignments and assessments for each of the following classes.

• Grades K, 3, 4 & 5 will be offered our Home Study Program. All assignments and assessments will be completed in the convenience of your own home. Class day and time is determined at the families discretion. All completed work must be submitted to Kathy Moran in the Religious Ed office for review. 

Still have questions! 
Do not hesitate to call the Religious Ed office at 508-478-7440.