Here at St. Laurence we firmly believe that parents are the first and best teachers of their children in the ways of faith by what they say and do. The parish seeks to encourage, support, and equip parents and other loving adults to teach, pray, and celebrate the sacraments with the children God entrusted to their care. In this way our Catholic identity is strengthened in the current generation and is passed on to the next generation.
Since the needs of families vary widely, we offer several different models of faith formation hoping one will support your family. One such faith formation option is the St. Laurence Home Study Faith Formation program which supports each parent's vocation as the first and best teacher of their children in the ways of faith in a very intentional way. Parents who register for the Home Study Faith Formation program are provided with resources and support to assist them in facilitating lessons at home with their children. Additionally, these families are provided with weekly Lesson Outlines which support an easy to follow one-room schoolhouse approach means of teaching their K - 5th grade children simultaneously. Children in our Elementary Home Study Faith Formation program use the same materials as the weekly (in-person) Elementary Faith Formation children and are always invited (as well as strongly encouraged) to participate in any grade-level group faith formation activities when offered in person.
Families who choose to share faith formation at home in an intentional and systematic way have greater opportunities to share the Catholic faith and to grow deeper in their relationship with God, through Jesus, together.This is perhaps the greatest benefit of the Home Study Faith Formation program for families who are committed to its process. Families facilitating Home Study Faith Formation have also found an additional benefit, which is the flexibility of exploring lessons at their own pace and in accordance with their particular (and sometimes challenging) schedules. It is also a perfect opportunity for Catholic families to join together with others to form Home Study Faith Formation communities or groups for similarly aged children within their neighborhoods. The possibilities of Home Study Faith Formation are endless in terms of growth for not only your children, but also yourselves. As faith formation and practicing the Catholic faith becomes more deeply integrated into your family’s daily life you will experience the graces of strengthening your domestic church at home.
Please review and be sure to understand the document to the left outlining the Home Study Program Requirements & Dates scheduled the upcoming program year.These requirements apply to all Home Study children and teens in Grades Kindergarten thru 8th. Note that High School Home Study requirements are different than the lower grades. Also note that these requirements do not apply to any PREK3 or PREK4 Home Study Faith Formation participants. While those parents are invited to attend the quarterly Parent Checkpoint meetings outlined above, they are not required to do so.
The Home Study Program Requirements & Dates document explains the completion and credit expectations for all participant children/families, including the dates of the mandatory Parent Enrichment/Homework Checkpoint meetings throughout the formation year. These four (4) mandatory meetings each year serve as a critical checkpoint to assess a child/teen's progress in their faith formation content.A parent (or guardian) is required to attend each of these four (4) meetings. While children are typically welcome (depending upon guest speaker topic), they are not required to attend these checkpoint meetings with their parent.
As our Parent Enrichment/Homework Checkpoint meetings are conducted throughout the program year, we will post a link to the audio recording of our guest speaker below on this webpage, as well as a link to the meeting handouts. These will be posted within the week following the scheduled meeting. In order to receive credit for any missed meetings throughout the year, at least one parent is expected to listen to the audio, complete the handout discussion questions and then turn them in at the following checkpoint meeting along with their children's work. Make-up credit for the student will be limited to two (2) absences of the parent made up in this way for in-person Parent Enrichment/Homework Checkpoint meetings.
Additional information and instructions for Middle School Home Study Faith Formation participants can be found on the EDGE webpage of the parish website. High School youth interested in Home Study should go to: Registration for 9-12th grade
The registration deadline for all participants entering Home Study is
November 1st of every year.
After November 1st each year, families are invited to come in and obtain Home Study materials (which they pay for) if they'd like to begin faith formation at home. However, these participants would not receive full credit for the current formation year for purposes of sacramental preparation eligibility due to the amount of content that would need to be covered before the Home Study Faith Formation program year end in April. We have found over the years that it is not in the best interests of a child to attempt to cover a year's worth of content in this way as a means of satisfying the foundational year of faith formation required to begin sacramental preparation.
************************************************************************* Questions? Contact Your Child's Grade-Level Coordinator at: