St. Dorothea's Church 240 Broad Street Eatontown, NJ 07724 (732) 542-0148
 

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

"To love another person is to see the face of God"

- Les Miserables

St. Dorothea’s Religious Education teaches the Catholic faith to the young people in the Parish from Pre-K through 8th Grade. The program has four sessions and they are as follows:

  • Sunday 8:50 AM to 9:50 AM – Kindergarten through 5th Grade (plus one 7th Grade class)
  • Sunday 10:50 AM to 11:50 AM – Pre-K through 5th Grade
  • Monday 4 PM to 5 PM – 1st through 5th Grade
  • Monday 7 PM to 8 PM – 6th through 8th Grade

Registration Fees

  • $65 for 1 child
  • $100 for 2 children
  • $130 for 3 children
  • $150 for 4 or more children

In addition, First Communion and Confirmation students add $25. 6th Grade students add $8 for Bible.

Important Dates

  • Communion students:
    • First Reconciliation – Saturday, February 25 at 11:00 AM
    • Retreat – Saturday, April 22 at 3:00 PM
    • First Communion – Saturday, May 13 at 11:00 AM
  • Confirmation students:
    • Retreat – Friday, March 3 from 9 AM to 3 PM
    • Confirmation – Thursday, April 6 at 4 PM with Msgr. Eugene Rebeck presiding

What We Teach

St. Dorothea’s teaches its young parishioners by using a series of Religious Education books printed by the Sadlier Publishing Company. Grades Pre-K through 6th uses the "We Believe" series whereas 7th and 8th Grade uses books designed for them. Using these books we teach our students the following:

  • Pre-School – the students learn at a very simple level that God has given us some great gifts, such as:

    • His people
    • The world we live in
    • Ourselves – we are one of those great gifts
    • We belong to God’s family

    The year is a very simple introduction to who is God and who are we in relation to God.

  • Kindergarten – the students learn that:

    • that God gives us many gifts such as the light, the water, the land, and the animals
    • that God is our creator who made us and provides us with families and friends to help us on our journey with God
    • that God chose Mary to be the mother of Jesus who loves us and teaches us about God
    • that we are called by Jesus to pray and to care for others

    The year focuses on introducing the children to God as creator and to Jesus as His son who came to teach us about God.

  • First Grade – The students learn that:

    • Jesus came to us in order to teach us that God is our Father who has a very deep love for us
    • Jesus has many followers who as members of the Church serve the needs of other people
    • As members of the Church we celebrate the sacraments and we welcome new members to celebrate with us
    • We celebrate in a special way through the sacrament of the Eucharist

    The focus of the year is how much God loves us, and we share and celebrate this love by being members of the Church.

  • Second Grade – the students learn that:

    • Jesus is God’s son who gave us the Church and invited us to join the Church through Baptism and Confirmation
    • We also join the Church through the sacrament of First Communion and in preparation we celebrate forgiveness through the sacrament of First Reconciliation
    • Our celebration of the Eucharist is a vital part of who we are as Catholics
    • As members of the Church we are called to love others and to serve their needs

    The focus of the year is the preparation for the sacraments of First Reconciliation and First Communion.

  • Third Grade – the students learn that:

    • that Jesus has given us the Church to help us as we live our faith and learn about God’s love
    • the Church is our spiritual home where we can pray and find God
    • as members the Church we are invited to worship and thank God by participating in the life of the sacraments
    • we are called to be disciples of Jesus by doing His work of helping and serving the needs of others

    The importance of this year is for the students to learn that Jesus may not be physically present with us but is spiritually present with us through His great gift of the Church.

  • Fourth Grade – Religious Education covers a great many things that a 9 year old may know about but may not yet fully understand. For example:

    • the Ten Commandments – each week a different one is discussed, plus Bible versus that coincide with the commandment are studied
    • the Liturgical year is studied – this includes Advent, Christmas, Ordinary time, Lent, the Triduum, and Easter
    • in addition topics such as sin, conscience, penance, reconciliation, the Eucharist, and the Beatitudes are also examined and taught

    The emphasis of the year is that our lives should be guided by the laws given to us by God.

  • Fifth Grade – the students learn that:

    • Jesus shares His life with us through the celebration of the sacraments
    • of the seven sacraments, Baptism, Eucharist, and Confirmation fully initiate us into the life of the Church
    • the sacraments of Reconciliation and Anointing of the Sick help to heal us
    • the sacraments of Matrimony and Holy Orders call us to love and serve others as Jesus did

    The year is centered on the sacramental life of the Church, and how these sacraments help us to meet Jesus in different and special ways.

  • Sixth Grade – the students learn that:

    • many thousands of years ago God formed a special relationship, a "covenant" with the Jewish people in which He promised to help His people
    • God was present for this people when they were free and when they were slaves; when they were prosperous and when they were conquered
    • God was also present when His people were in exile and without a home
    • God ultimately fulfilled His promises in the person of Jesus

    The emphasis of the year is on studying the relationship between the Jewish people of the Old Testament and the Jewish people of the New Testament

  • Seventh Grade – the students use a book entitled "Morality: A Course on Catholic Living". The focus of the class is on living the Moral Life in the Catholic tradition. It integrates The Ten Commandments, Catholic teachings, and Scriptural references into a systematic whole that challenges the students to live a life that reflects our call as children of God. Among the topics studied are A life of Discipleship; Choosing Life; the call to Justice and Truth; and the power of the Moral Life. The focus of the class is to ask the students to begin seeing the moral dimensions to the lives they live.

  • Eighth Grade – the students use a book entitled "The Spirit Sets Us Free: Confirmation Preparation for Youth". The focus of the class is on preparing the students to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation which will complete their full initiation into the life of the Church. Among the topics studied are Baptism; the gifts of the Spirit; the Oil of Salvation; and the importance of being like Christ. The students are also asked to study in depth the life of one saint whose name they will choose for their Confirmation. Finally, in order to emphasize that being fully initiated into the Church means serving the needs of others, they are also asked to volunteer 20 hours of service to the community.