St. Philip’s
Elementary Faith Formation
Handbook
2014 - 2015
Helping our children
learn and grow in our Catholic faith
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Dear Parents,
Welcome to St. Philip’s Elementary Faith Formation!
We are grateful for the opportunity to partner with you in your responsibility in helping your child grow in their understanding of the Catholic faith and their relationship with Jesus Christ. Parents, you are the most IMPORTANT person in your child’s Faith Formation! They receive their faith formation first and foremost within their family. 75 minutes of class time once a week for 23 weeks in no way compares to what you teach by word and example the other minutes of their lives. What we do in the Elementary Faith Formation has little to no impact on those who are not living faith in the home. Yes, our lives are busy but let us try to take more time to be aware of God’s presence in our everyday family life. Parents, you are the most important part on your child’s journey to and with God. Parents, we strongly encourage you to consider what role you are going to undertake in your child’s faith formation. Listed in the Handbook are suggestions to help you in fostering your child’s faith journey.
The Elementary Faith Formation Handbook contains a wide variety of information. Please take the time to read through the Handbook and keep the Handbook in an accessible location. Please check the Church bulletin and the Church Website ( for any updated information.
We are very grateful to our catechists, assistant catechists, substitute catechists, office help, and all who generously give of themselves in helping our children and youth learn and grow in their Catholic Faith. Our catechists in addition to their weekly commitment spend many hours preparing for their classes. They are not paid but willing to volunteer their time and energy. We ask you to be kind to them, support them, pray for them and express your appreciation whenever possible. We invite you to join our ministry team, give us a call if you would like to be a part of this wonderful ministry.
St. Philip’s Faith Formation is here to assist you in the faith formation of your child. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us. Although we may not be able to accommodate your requests, we want to give you the opportunity to share your comments with us. Let us all work together to ensure that we faithfully pass on the Catholic faith to our children.
May God bless our program, our children, our families, and our community as we celebrate, pray, and grow in our knowledge of the Faith together.
God’s blessings on you always,
Fr. Chuck HuckFr. Don Braukmann
PastorParochial Vicar
Kris Jensen
Faith Formation Director
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FAITH FORMATION STAFF
Fr. Chuck Huck
Pastor
444-4262
Fr. Don Braukmann
Parochial Vicar
444-4262
Kris Jensen
Faith Formation Director and Safe Environment Coordinator
Preschool Sunday School, Children’s Liturgy of the Word, Elementary Faith Formation, Vacation Bible School and Young Family Faith Formation
Sacraments: First Reconciliation and First Eucharist
444-5849 e-mail
Paula DeClusin
Faith Formation Director and Director of Youth Ministry
Middle School Faith Formation, High School Faith Formation, EDGE and LIFE TEEN
Sacraments: Confirmation
444-4262 ext. 107 e-mail
St. Philip’s Faith Formation Office
(located on the 2nd level of the school, south end of the hallway)
620 Beltrami Avenue Northwest
Bemidji, Minnesota 56601
St. Philip’s Youth Ministry and Middle School/High School Faith Formation
(located in the Parish Offices)
St. Philip’s Parish Office
702 Beltrami Avenue Northwest
Bemidji, Minnesota 56601
Parish Website –
Diocesan Website
Faith Formation/Youth Ministry Committee
Cathy Lalli
Kari Gregg
Angie Nistler
Stephen Pfleger
Mark Studer
Jenny Djonne
Lisa Martin
Sue Hengel
Children’s Liturgy of the Word
held during the 9:00 a.m. Sunday Mass
See page for 13 session dates
Elementary Faith Formation
class sessions are held on
Wednesday evenings, 6:30 – 7:45 p.m.
at St. Philip’s School
See page 13 for class session dates
Middle School Faith Formation
class sessions are held on
Wednesday evenings, 6:30 – 8:00 p.m.
at St. Philip’s School Gym and Parish/School Rooms
See page for 13 class session dates
High School Faith Formation
class sessions are held on
Wednesday evenings, 6:30 – 8:00 p.m.
at St. Philip’s Social Hall
See page for 13 class session dates
LIFE TEEN Mass and LIFE Event
are held 1st & 3rd Sunday of each month
at the 11:00 a.m. Sunday Mass
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FAITH FORMATION REGISTRATION
Children will not be permitted to class unless a parent/guardian registers him/her. Keep in mind that late registration may result in a child not being able to enter a classroom due to lack of space. Registrations will be taken on a first come first serve basis.
CLASS FEE
No child will be denied access to Faith Formation classes
because of inability to pay the fee.
Faith Formation Fees
$45.00 for each child
$120 for families with three or more children
Checks should be made out to St. Philip’s Church. Fees may be paid all at once or in monthly/quarterly payments. The fees pay for materials used in Faith Formation.
Scholarship funds are available if needed. Please make sure to fill in the Scholarship Request on the Family Registration form or contact the Faith Formation Office.
Families requesting scholarship funds are encouraged to volunteer in the Faith Formation Programs. Volunteer opportunities can be discussed with the Kris Jensen.
LEARNING INFORMATION AND HEALTH INFORMATION
It is essential that parents indicate on the Family Registration Form or communicate to the Faith Formation Director; Learning Information (Does your child have an IEP through the School District) or Health Information (example – food allergies). We are then able to attempt to meet the needs of the child and Catechist in advance. Most of our Catechists are not professional educators and will need your assistance in working with your child with special needs; this may include having a parent assist with their child in the classroom. We appreciate the information that you provide that will help us in providing the best possible faith formation for your child. This information will remain confidential and will be shared only with adults that have contact with your child.
MASS ATTENDANCE
An integral part of our children’s faith formation is participation in Sunday Liturgy. While attending classes is important for the practical knowledge that is learned, faith should also be experienced. To be part of the parish family, to worship together each Sunday is to be part of faith in action. We expect that you will give your child both experiences – classroom and Church – so that he/she will be encouraged to practice and live his/her faith.
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ARRIVAL
Elementary
Drive-by drop off for children in grades 1 – 5 is not recommended.
Faith Formation classes for Elementary, Middle School and High School are all held on Wednesday evenings. It is very exciting to have all of us meeting at the same time, but it can also be a little intimidating for elementary children. In order to ease the congestion, elementary children and parents, should use the Church entrance on Beltrami Avenue, if possible, when arriving and leaving (door number 3). This entrance is locked until 6:00 p.m. The Beltrami Avenue entrance to the school is locked (door number 4). Parents, you should personally escort your child to his/her classroom. Middle School or High School siblings may escort Elementary siblings his/her classroom. In order that we might provide adequate supervision for the health and safety of each child, we ask that you do not bring your elementary child to his/her classroom earlier than 6:20 p.m. If a catechist is not present in the classroom, please wait quietly outside the door to their classroom, until the catechist arrives. Do not leave your child alone in the hallway.
If you cannot escort your child to the classroom, please contact the Faith Formation Office. Please note that there is no supervision for your child, until the catechist is in the classroom. It is the parent’s responsibility to make sure class is in session prior to dropping off the child.
LATE ARRIVAL
Please make the effort to have your child here on time. Make your child’s Faith Formation class a priority and have them here on time! We understand that some sports and extracurricular activities have practices until 6:00 p.m., however how many practices or time spent devoted to the sport/extracurricular activity does your child attend each week compared to one Faith Formation class held during the week. If a child enters a class just five minutes late, valuable time is lost. Contact the Faith Formation Office if your child will be late.
DISSMISAL
Elementary
Drive by pick-up for children in grades 1 – 5 is not recommended.
Parents, personally escort your child out of the classroom/Church. Class time ends at 7:45 p.m. for Elementary children. Children will not be allowed to leave their classroom or the Church unless a parent physically comes into the classroom/Church to retrieve them. This is done to ensure the safety of our children. It also gives parents the opportunity to talk with catechists. Parents, if you cannot come into the classroom/Church to pick up your child, please contact the Religious Formation Office to make arrangements.
If you are involved in a carpool, if your child will be leaving with someone other than a parent or sibling; please contact the Faith Formation Office to notify us who you are giving your child permission to leave with.
Elementary children will gather most Wednesday evenings for prayer at 7:30 p.m. at the Church. Parents and younger family members you are welcome to join us at the Prayer Service instead of standing in the Narthex during the Prayer Service!! Following the prayer service parents will have to come into the Church to pick up your child. Children will not be allowed to come and find you. Children not picked up by 7:45 p.m. will be waiting in one of the following areas: the Church, at the Church’s Beltrami Avenue entrance area or the Narthex. Please be on time to pick up your child.
Please Note: With Middle School and High School classes ending 15 minutes later, we expect parents to come and pick up their Elementary children at 7:45 p.m. and wait for their Middle School or High School child. Please wait for your Middle Schooler in the hallway by the bathrooms/Parish Offices or in the Narthex and remember classes are still going on in the Social Hall. If you wait for your Middle School or High School youth in the Narthex please be courteous by not talking in this area, as classes are being held in the Social Hall and Chapel.
Elementary children who are riding home with a High School sibling will wait either at the Church Beltrami Avenue entrance, Church or Narthex. The High School sibling must pick up the Elementary sibling.
EARLY DISMISSAL
We strongly discourage parents from taking their children from class time for athletic/arts/extracurricular events before the class has ended. We applaud parents who recognize that when their son/daughter is in Faith Formation class, he or she remains there without interruption. All else wait! It puts a priority where a priority needs to be in a world where “God things” often become second class!
With that being said in the event your child needs to leave class early, the parent must call the Faith Formation Office prior to the child leaving class, so we can notify the catechists.
Children in grades 1 – 3 who find it difficult to be up late, can leave class at 7:30 p.m. Please notify the Faith Formation Office if your child will be leaving early, before class begins.
ATTENDANCE
Attendance is essential for a child to experience growth in their faith. Children who are preparing for a sacrament, who are habitually absent from class may have the sacrament delayed. The Pastor and Faith Formation Director, along with the parents will make the determination. If you know your elementary child will be absent, please call the Faith Formation Office at 444-5849.
CLASS CANCELLATION
Faith Formation classes will be cancelled whenever the Bemidji School District #31 schools are closed, dismissed early, or have cancelled evening activities due to weather. If the weather is bad and the Bemidji School District has not closed early, the decision to cancel Faith Formation classes will be made by 4:00 p.m. The Cancelation Announcement will be listed on the Parish Web Site and local radio stations. Parents will be sent an email and text if at all possible. In order for us send you a text, please fill out the Texting Form in your folder. Contact the Faith Formation Office or the Parish Office if you are unsure. Parents you have the choice to keep your child home.
CONDUCT
All children are expected to exercise self-control and conduct themselves properly at all times. Children are expected to respect the authority of the catechist and the rights of other children. They are expected to respect the property of the school/Church, the classroom reserved for their use, and the teacher and student materials within the classroom. No knives of any kind are allowed. Chewing gum is not permitted either in the school building proper or anywhere on the premises.
Catechists are instructed that any child that is continually disruptive is to be sent to the Faith Formation Office. The Faith Formation Director will work to resolve classroom situations in a Christ-like manner.
The first time a child is sent out of class, the parents will not be contacted, the child may be allowed to return to class that evening after a period of time. The Faith Formation Director will establish an alternate learning environment for the child, for that class time, if the child does not return to class.
The second time the parents will be contacted to explain that there has been a problem; the child may be allowed to return to class that evening after a period of time or the child will not be allowed to return to class and the parents will need to pick the child up immediately.
The third time, the child will be removed from the classroom; the parents will be contacted to come and get the child. A meeting will be held between the parents, child, Faith Formation Director and the Pastor to discuss possible removal from the classroom learning environment.
Faith Formation classes are for children who want to learn about the Catholic faith and deepen their personal faith. Children who do not want to learn and grow in the Catholic faith should not attend Faith Formation classes.
BULLYING
Every child is expected to treat each other with respect. Any act of harassment or bullying, which has the effect of insulting or demeaning a child or group will not be tolerated and will be handled as seen fit by the Pastor and Faith Formation Director.
DRESS
All children are to attend class respectfully dressed as the Faith Formation classes are an extension of the Church and classes may be relocated to the Church or Chapel for (activities and prayer) special programs at any time. Clothing or accessories such as those depicting violence, profanity and/or are, suggestive, offensive or too revealing, advocate illegal or unhealthy behavior are not permitted. Hats of any kind should not be worn inside of the Church/Social Hall/School. The decision as to appropriateness of dress rests with the Pastor and Faith Formation Director.
ILLNESS
If your child stays home from school due to illness, do not send him/her to the Faith Formation class in the evening. Do not send a child with a fever, if he/she has vomited in the past 24 hours, or any other contagious illness. Please be considerate of the other children and the Catechist. Remember to call the Faith Formation Office to excuse the absence.
CELL PHONES
The use of cell phones is not allowed during Faith Formation class time (no text messaging or allowing the phone to vibrate). Cell phones will be asked to be turned off and possibly turned in to the Catechist at the start of class to be returned at the end of class. Cell phones used during class will be confiscated and returned at the end of class. Parents if you need to reach your child during class time, please contact the Faith Formation Office at 444-5849.
PERSONAL ITEMS/ELECTRONICS/TOYS/IPODS/ ECT.
Children are not to bring personal items, electronics or toys to class unless instructed to do so by their Catechist. Items will be confiscated and returned at the end of class.