Family Evangelization and Faith Formation

  • Open to students in Kindergarten to Grade 12 and their parents.
  • Sessions are Sundays from September to June.
  • First Communion and Confirmation students attend on Sundays and extra days totaling 60 hours of instruction.
  • Typical schedule for Sunday sessions: 9:00AM Fellowship and Breakfast; 9:30 AM Family Catechesis; 10:00 - 11:15 AM Breakout Sessions; 11:30 AM Mass.
  • All students and parents/guardians are expected to attend Sunday Mass.
  • Basic curriculum are: Catholic Bible, Catechism of the Catholic Church,  Finding God (Loyola Press), supplemented by various programs on Formed.org.



Order of Christian Initiation of Adults

  • Open to unbaptized adults seeking to become Catholic through the sacraments of initiation - Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Eucharist.
  • Two paths: the catechetical path and the liturgical path.
  • The catechetical path is a series of encounters that are year round and are a hybrid of in-person and Zoom sessions. Instructional materials are: Catholic Bible, Catechism of the Catholic Church; Credo; and A Well-Built Faith.
  • The liturgical path is at Sunday Mass, with special rites administered by the Priest-Celebrant, followed by Breaking Open the Word (BOW) outside of Mass.
  • Duration of OCIA preparation depends upon readiness and commitment of the individual - typical length of preparation is ten to twenty-four months.
  • Preparation is highly individualized, as participants come from various backgrounds and experiences, thus have different needs.



Adult Faith Formation

  • Parent Class. Parents of children in religious education attend formation classes every Sunday while their children are in class. They prepare for Mass by praying the Sunday Gospel through lectio divina and reading the weekly bulletin. Afterwards, they share their 'family homework" accomplished at home during the past week.
  • Basic Catechist Certification Class: This class, offered each year at Our Lady of the Sierra, is an eight-session course designed to prepare prospective catechists for teaching the Catholic faith to children and adults.
  • Liturgy Training Classes: Lay volunteers who serve as liturgical ministers are trained by the Pastor on the particular services they provide. They include Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion, Lectors, and Altar Servers.
  • Classes for Adults: Content-specific classes are provided for adults, such as National Eucharistic Revival "Jesus in the Eucharist," and lectio divina,