As Catholics, learning about God and Scripture are lifelong commitments if we want to grow in our relationship with God. For young children, ages 4 through 13, catechism is a wonderful experience -especially among children who do not attend a Catholic school.
Catechism teaches children about the wonders of God and all he did for us. One of the religious education teachers, Mrs. Ann Evans, teaches children ages 4-6, at Sacred Heart Catholic Church as part of their religious education program. Her curriculum consists of a morning prayer and discussion on topics about the Catholic faith. She engages kids in morning prayer by exciting them with all the wonderful things they will learn after prayer. Mrs. Evans said, “The best way to learn is to teach. I felt I was called to continue to grow in my own faith through educating others. When you instruct others, your own understanding increases. The resources I use to teach my young learners refresh and expand my knowledge.”
After prayer, Mrs. Evans hands out a booklet filled with activities to interest kids in learning about God and all of his gifts. She makes fun and creative games for the kids to play to intrigue them in learning about the glory of the Lord. At the end of the day, Mrs. Evans helps the students wrap up the day’s lessons and teaches them to clean up their space. The children leave with knowledge of God and his blessings.
Sacred Heart Church offers religious education classes every Sunday, right after the 9 a.m. Mass to students from Pre-K to Grade 8 who do not attend a Catholic school. The strength of the program lies, not only on having catechists who take Faith Fit Enrichment courses – Diocese of Orlando’s courses on the Catholic faith for teachers and catechists – but also on offering a rigorous, but fun curriculum based on the Religion Framework from the diocese. There is no boredom in what used to be called Sunday School. Religious education opens doors for children to learn the wonderful world of God’s Kingdom here on earth and in heaven. As Mrs. Evans said, “ God is a gift that can influence and grace a child’s life forever.”
Written by Quinn K., a seventh grade student at Sacred Heart Catholic School, New Smyrna Beach.