St. Nicholas Faith Formation

Faith Formation 2024-2025

Dear Faith Formation Families,

We are very excited to tell you about this year’s program! New this year: for grades 1-5, parents will join their children as we learn our faith as a community together. Our parent meeting was September 11th, but it is not too late to register. We begin this week, September 25th. Please call Father Tony VanderLoop at (952) 679-9415 or email him at frtonyvanderloop@gachaska.org or Viviana Sotro at (952-227-4010 or vsotro@gachaska.org. We’d love to tell you about the new things we have planned for everyone—parents children, and youth in grades 1-12 as well as the GA community. We have a printable registration form and photo release at gachaska.org under Faith Formation that has instructions of how to fill out and send in. Here are some details of our program: FOR GRADES 1-5, parents will join their children—first in the large group teaching, then leading their own family small group by grade level with the assistance of catechists. FIRST RECONCILIATION AND COMMUNION PREPARATION: In addition to the weekly Family Formation sessions, we will meet for four Saturday sessions. Parents work with their children at home between sessions. FOR GRADES 6-8, youth will meet in one large group, led by catechists who will teach the large group lesson, then facilitate grade level small groups. FOR GRADES 9-12, teens in Year 1 & Year 2 Confirmation Preparation will meet in one large group teaching, then break out into small groups by year, led by classroom assistants and small group leaders. ENCOUNTER is our parent formation. We want our parents to stay and continue to learn all about our Catholic faith in Jesus with other parishioners during the short time frame of a Wednesday evening class for your children or youth. We have small groups with trained leaders ready to lead in a format promoted by the Archdiocese. Parents of children in grades 1-5 are exempted since they will accompany their children in family formation.