Religious Formation K-5

Vision for Religious Formation K-5:

The Religious Formation K-5 Program at St. Thomas More Catholic Church meets on Sundays from 10:00 am until 10:45 am. The sessions begin in late September and conclude in mid to late April. For the 2018/2019 school year, the first class will be Sunday, September 30 and the last class will be Sunday, April 28. For the complete schedule, please refer to the RF K-5 schedule located on the website.

Parents have the primary role in educating their children about the Catholic faith. Catechists provide a supporting role to parents to assist in the children’s religious formation.   At St. Thomas More Catholic Church, the Catechists follow the Catechetical Curriculum set forth by the Richmond Diocese to help supplement the parents’ teachings at home. It is the Religious Formation’s vision to explore the 6 Key Concepts at an age-appropriate level for each student in a nurturing, faith-filled environment. The Key Concepts are:
1.    Knowledge of Faith
2.   Liturgical Education
3.   Moral Education
4.   Teaching to pray
5.   Education for Community Life
6.   Missionary Initiation

Registration / Fees for Religious Formation K-5

Registration for Religious Formation occurs the first two weekends in August. Registration Forms are made available on tables outside of the Nave in the Commons. The Coordinator of RF K-5 is also available on those weekends to answer any questions. Registration forms can also be found on the STM website, or on the bulletin board in the commons during the months of August through April. The fee for Religious Formation K-5, to help cover the cost of materials, activities, and special events, is $40 for one child, or $100 maximum per family. No child / youth will be denied Religious Formation based on inability to pay the registration fee. Scholarships are available. Please call Trish Pabis, Coordinator of Religious Formation K-5, to discuss your situation in confidentiality. Religious Formation Catechists who have children enrolled in the program will have their children’s registration fees waived. “Adult Helpers” in the classrooms with have their enrolled children’s registration fees reduced by 50%.

Ways to volunteer with the Religious Formation K-5 Program

There are several ways to be involved with the RF K-5 Program at St. Thomas More Catholic Church (STM). You do not need to have children enrolled in the program to volunteer.
Please keep in mind, in order to work with children, you will need to have had VIRTUS training as well as a background check. It is the policy of the Diocese of Richmond that any adult over the age of 18 years who is interested in volunteering and interacting directly with children is required to attend the Protecting God’s Children (PGC) course to become VIRTUS certified. PGC is a 3 hour course that involves watching a video and having participant discussion. VIRTUS training is provided in various locations throughout the Diocese of Richmond including STM. STM has two certified VIRTUS instructors who regularly schedule classes throughout the year at STM. Please refer to the Diocesan website (www.Richmonddiocese.org) for training dates and locations, or contact Trish Pabis to inquire more about this requirement.
A background check must be completed every 5 years. You will be notified by Coordinator of Religious Formation K-5 whenever your background check has expired and needs to be renewed. To receive another background check involves filling out a sheet of paper with personal information. STM will cover the costs associated with the background checks.

Volunteer Opportunities for VIRTUS trained adults

Volunteer Opportunities for Non-VIRTUS trained adults:

Lead / Assistant / Co - Catechist: In each RF K-5 classroom, there are 2-3 adults. The first two adults are called the “Catechists” and the third adult is the “Adult Helper.”
The “Catechists” are tasked with the role of understanding the curriculum’s objectives for that particular grade, preparing the lesson to meet the objective for the class session, and presenting the lesson.
The “Catechist” role can either be the: “Lead” – in charge of all the planning and presentation of the lesson; “Assistant” – assists the Lead Catechist in the way that the Lead Catechist and Assistant mutually agree; “Co-Catechists” – both Catechists are involved with the planning and presentation of the lesson, and as a team they decide how that partnership will work.
Classroom Assistant / “Adult Helper”: Attend the Religious Formation Class and be the “extra” adult in the classroom to walk children to bathroom, help Catechists have the class run smoothly by helping distribute / collect supplies during class time, assist / help students with craft projects during class time, and any other classroom duties mutually agreed upon.
Storyteller / Actor: Visit a classroom as a guest storyteller / actor for a specific class on a specific day. You would not be responsible for the entire 45 minute class period, just a 10-20 minute segment, to present a particular story related to the lesson for that day.
First Reconciliation / Eucharist Retreat: Help out with registration table, provide / serve snacks, assist with set-up and/or clean-up, craft helper, actor for a skit, or even a presenter.

Craft Assistant: Work with the Catechist to prep crafts / activities prior to class. This position is an at home position where you do not have direct contact with any youth.