St. Benedict Faith Formation & 

Sacramental Preparation

FAITH FORMATION INFORMATION – PRE-K – GRADE 8:

Thank you for your patience as we worked through the kinks prompted by the pandemic this year! We are offering two options for Pre-K - Grade 8 Faith Formation this year.

OPTION 1 - Because we are unable to gather in person this year, we will be providing families with a text-based faith formation program to be studied at home with the help of parents/guardians. Information about the texts for each of the grade levels can be on our website. We are looking to begin Faith Formation in October, but will need families to register by filling out the form distributed via Flocknote or available on our website by September 30th so that we can organize our team of catechists and order materials. Catechists: Though we will not be meeting in person for classes, a catechist will still assist at each grade level. The catechist will be available to help guide parents/guardians by providing them with information and guidance from their Catechists’ Manuals. This guidance may be through communications such as emails, Flocknotes, Zoom sessions, etc. Supplementary materials: In addition to the guidance provided by the catechist assisting each grade level, families may receive supplementary materials from the Faith Formation Advisory team in the form of links to videos, prayer resources, Zoom sessions, activities, games, crafts, etc. Important note: For this model to “work” successfully, families need to make a commitment to working together to grow in their faith and each family should to decide how they will best carve out some dedicated time not only to work through the week’s lesson, but to attend the Sunday liturgy. If attending Mass is not an option for your family right now, you can still “attend” Mass by watching it on video. While there is a dispensation from attending Mass, the 5:30pm Saturday Mass at St. Mary’s is being recorded and posted on the parish website. It can be accessed each Sunday morning by visiting https://stbenedictonline.org/. Cost: $40 per child or $60 per family. This can be dropped in the collection baskets at Mass in an envelope labeled "Faith Formation" or can be mailed to the Parish Administration Center at 95 N. Main Street, Canandaigua NY 14424. Checks should be made out to St. Benedict Parish.

OPTION 2 - Families can wait and participate in a summer intensive program using the same materials as option 1. The content will likely be covered in one or two weeks of intensive programming over the summer, in a format to be determined. The cost for this option will be the same as option 1. Note: this option is not preferred for those students wishing to prepare for a Sacrament this year. Please note that if your children attend St. Mary's School or another parochial school, private school, or homeschool program and they already get Religious Education classes, you can still use the registration form to enroll them in Sacramental Prep only and opt out of Faith Formation, if you wish.

FAITH FORMATION INFORMATION – GRADES 9-12:
Overview: We are preparing to have Youth Group (in a format to be determined) begin in November. Please use the registration form that was sent via Flocknote or available on our website indicate that you wish to have your child(ren) in Grades 9-12 included in a Faith Formation/Sacramental Preparation this year by September 30th. We are expecting Youth Group to begin meeting (in a format to be determined) in November.
Cost: There is no cost for Youth Group only, but if your child is participating in Sacramental Prep, we will be collecting payment to cover the cost of materials. The cost $40 per child, but we are capping it at $60 per family. This can be dropped in the collection baskets at Mass in an envelope labeled "Faith Formation" or can be mailed to the Parish Administration Center at 95 N. Main Street, Canandaigua NY 14424. Checks should be made out to St. Benedict Parish. Thank you.

St Benedict Parishioner, but not St. Mary’s Student

What do we need to do if we want our child to prepare for First Penance and/or First Eucharist this year?
 Register for Faith Formation by September 30th by filling out the registration form on our parish website. Faith Formation will begin in October. Note: the summer-intensive program is not the preferred option if your child will be celebrating a Sacrament this year.
 Register for Sacramental Prep (on the same registration form) and attend prep sessions, to begin early in 2021. A schedule will be published in the near future.
 Pay the material fee ($40 per child or $60 per family)
What do we need to do if we want our child to prepare for Confirmation this year? Note: Confirmation, Year 1 typically begins in 8th grade or older and Confirmation, Year 2 typically begins in 9th grade or older.
 Register and participate in Faith Formation (grade 8) or Youth Group (grades 9-12) by September 30th by filling out the registration form on our parish website. Faith Formation will begin in October and Youth Group will begin in November.
 Register for Sacramental Prep (on the same registration form) and attend prep sessions, to begin in November. A schedule will be published in the near future.
 Pay the material fee ($40 per child or $60 per family)
 Plan on your candidate attending least one 5-hour Confirmation Retreat this year.
What do we need to do if we want our child to prepare for First Penance and/or First Eucharist this year?
 Register for Sacramental Prep by September 30th and attend prep sessions, to begin early in 2021. A schedule will be published in the near future.
 Pay the material fee ($40 per child or $60 per family)

Note: Because St. Mary’s Students receive Religious Education classes at school, it is not necessary to enroll your child in the parish Faith Formation program (although they are welcome to attend, if you choose!)
What do we need to do if we want our child to prepare for Confirmation this year?
 Register for Sacramental Prep by September 30th by filling out the registration form on our parish website, and attend prep sessions, to begin in November. A schedule will be published in the near future.
 Plan on your candidate attending least one 5-hour Confirmation Retreat this year.
Note: Because St. Mary’s Students receive Religious Education classes, which includes information about Confirmation at school, it is not necessary that SMS students/Confirmation candidates attend the Confirmation Prep sessions that the parish offers (although they are welcome to attend, if you choose! If they do choose to attend the parish prep sessions, please pay the material fee of $40 per child or $60 per family).
*Note: The September 30th deadline ensures that an appropriate number of materials will be ordered for this year.