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Religious Education

Location
St. Joseph
670 W. Main St.
Plain City, Ohio 43064

God calls each of us in many different ways to serve Him. Your calling is to be a parent. The parish supports the parents’ responsibility as the primary educators of their children. As parents, you are the most influential agent of catechesis for your children. Catechesis given by parents to their family “precedes, accompanies, and enriches all other forms of catechesis,” as stated in the National Directory for Catechesis.

St. Joseph would like to welcome your family to the Religious Education program if you have a child that is within the age ranges of the 1st Grade through the 8th Grade. We would encourage you to enroll your child in the PSR this year and to maintain registration all subsequent years to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation, First Communion, and Confirmation.

Your family's participation in the faith life at St. Joseph through Sunday Mass, service to others, and dedication to daily prayer demonstrate your authentic profession of faith.

St. Joseph bases its curriculum on the Diocese of Columbus Graded Course of study for Religion and the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Our parish family promises to help you, as parents, foster your child/children’s faith, and assist you in your role of catechist for your children.

**** Important — Please Note ****

2023 Classes will begin Sunday, September 10th for the 7th and 8th grades and Monday, September 11th for the 1st–6th grades.3

Religious Education Registration Window

• May 1–June 30: Registered St. Joseph Parishioners and current students enrolled in St. Joseph's Religious Education
• July 1–31: Open registration

Class Information

• 1st–6th Grade, Session I –  Monday, 4:30 PM–5:30 PM
• 1st–6th Grade, Session II – Monday, 6:30 PM–7:30 PM
• 7th–8th Grade, Session I –  Sunday, 9:40 AM–10:50 AM

Class size will be limited to between 10 – 13 students per class.

Fees for 2023-2024

• Religious Education fee for registered and contributing parishioners is $75/child (maximum of $150/family)

• Volunteers for the religious education school year are eligible to receive a discount for one child.

• Religious Education fee for non-contributing families and non-registered parishioners is $150/child for (no maximum) PLUS retreat fees 2nd grade is First Communion retreat $35.00, First Reconciliation retreat will be $35.00, and 8th grade NET Retreat is $65.

• Non-parishioner volunteering as a catechist, aide, or hall monitor will be given a half-price discount on one student’s registration fees. Non-parishioners must be enrolled in grades 1-8 consistently to receive the sacraments at St. Joseph’s. We reserve the right to remove any non-parishioner from our Religious Education program for any reason.

Click Here to Download the Religious Education Calendar

(updated 12/7/23 – subject to change)

Parishioner Online Enrollment with Online Payment

Login to My Own Church

Login to My Own Church, select Religious Education Registration, select Online Registration

After registration is complete, there is an option at the bottom of the page to Pay Now
If your child’s information is not already in My Own Church, please use the registration form below.

For assistance to login, please select “Forgot Password” with the email address where you receive parish emails. Contact [email protected] for additional help.

Parishioner Paper Enrollment with In-Person Payment

1. 2023-24 Religious Education Registration Form (fillable)

2. 2023-24 Religious Education Signature Form

3. Mail-in or drop-off a check or cash.

NOTE: Registration is not complete and your child's spot is not guaranteed until your registration packet and payment has been received by the office staff. You can submit your registration and payment in person, by mail, or in the offertory.

Non-Parishioner Online Enrollment with Online Payment

Online registration form for returning Religious Education students

Non-Parishioner Paper Enrollment with In-Person Payment

1. 2023-24 Non-Parishioner Religious Education Registration Form (fillable)

2. 2023-24 Non-Parishioner Attendance Policy Signature Form

3. 2023-24 Religious Education Signature Form

4. Mail in or drop off a check or cash

NOTE: Registration is not complete and your child's spot is not guaranteed until your registration packet and payment has been received by the office staff. You can submit your registration and payment in person, by mail, or in the offertory.

Parent / Adult Volunteers

Please review the Adult Volunteer Paperwork. To be considered eligible to volunteer for Religious Education, it is required by the Diocese of Columbus that the individual be certified in “Protecting God’s Children” and have a current BCI (specific to the Diocese of Columbus), on file before volunteering.  No exceptions. Please contact the parish office to inquire about registering for a “Protecting God’s Children” training session.

First, read and review the following Parish and Diocesan Policies

2023-2024 Religious Education Parent Handbook (subject to change)
2213.0 Code of Conduct for Catechetical Leaders
4110.0 Policy Civil Criminal Background Checks
4110.01 Curriculum Support for “Protecting God’s Children
4116.14 Code of Conduct for Catechists
4116.15 Harassment Policy: Personnel
5140.05 Harassment Policy: Children and Youth

THEN, please print, complete, and remit this paperwork to complete your registration!

All applicants need to submit one of the following: 

Aide Job Description
Catechist Job Description
Hall Monitor Job Description

and 

2023-24 Religious Education Signature Form
Volunteer PSR Catechist-Aide Application


Catechist Resources:

Tips for the Catechist
Religious Education Class Format
Discipline Guidelines

Formed.org

Free subscription for Catholic on-demand videos, books and audio resources – and it's also an app! Go to formed.org/signup and type in the St. Joseph Parish Code: RFTRYT

Sign Up for Formed.org

All Saints Day Resources and Reflections

The saints are some of the most beloved heroes of the Catholic Church. Read biographies and saint-inspired reflections to prepare for All Saints Day.

All Saints Day Resource

Find activities, prayers, biographies, and more, including the popular Which American Saint Are You? online quiz.

Pop-Up Catechesis: Setting Your Children on a Path to Sainthood

Prepare for All Saints Day with Joe Paprocki’s latest video. Pop-Up Catechesis videos appear each week to help families in living faith at home.

Printable Saints Figures

Celebrate the saints with printable saints figures. Featuring art and saints from Finding God Kindergarten, these figures are a fun and simple project to color, cut, and fold.

Saints for the New Evangelization

Reflect on how the saints are great examples of living with new ardor, methods, and expression—hallmarks of the New Evangelization—with help from this slideshow from Joe Paprocki.


Various Saint Resources

Saint resources organized by month and theme, with interactive maps from RCL Benzinger

Saint Card Game from Sadlier

Saint Printables and Worksheets by Real Life at Home

All Saints Day Activities for Children curated list by The Religion Teacher


11 Ways to Handle the Ongoing Stress of the Pandemic


Focusing on the things you can control, instead of what you can’t, brings a needed boost of optimism.
The pandemic keeps changing our plans. In a period of 24 hours we can be plunged into opposite situations: the urgency of organizing our children’s school activities at home, then putting the brakes on everything to quarantine; rushing out to do shopping so we’ll have plenty of food at home, then not being able to go out more than once in a while to get the most necessary supplies. It’s been a roller coaster ride, from day to day and month to month. 

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Concepts Your Child Will Learn in Religious Education

Second Grade

Third Grade

Fourth Grade

Fifth Grade

Sixth Grade

Seventh Grade

Eighth Grade


Resources for Older Children

Reflecting on God at Home

Decode Another Message about Prayer


Resources for Families with Persons with Disabilities

7 Tips to Help Kids With Autism Cope During the Coronavirus health pandemic. From Temple Grandin

6 Mental Health Resources for Students During the Coronavirus Pandemic: From eSchool News Login necessary.

Each year we complete a few of the Work of Mercy.  This year we will help the larger community by collecting items each month. 

• Our Corporal Work of Mercy will be to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and visit the sick and imprisoned. 

• Our Spiritual Work of Mercy will be to instruct the ignorant and pray for the living and the dead.

Please read our handout and share it with your children. Each month we are focusing on certain items. Please drop the items into the tub as you come to PSR or Mass.

Please let the students know that every time we go to Mass we are praying for the living and the dead. Also, when you find time to pray the rosary and the stations of the cross with your children, please have the intention be for the living and the dead.

At the end of the year, we will have parishioner Bonnie Chuha from DNA in town to come and speak to the children and thank them for their donations throughout the year!

Please let this be a great collection for the elderly, gifts for life, the prison, and the giving tree. 

We are trying to utilize what we are already doing as a parish community but also fill in where the community needs extra help. Thank you in advance for your contributions. 

Religious Media at Home with Formed.org

A free subscription for Catholic on-demand videos, books and audio resources – and it's also an app! Go to formed.org/signup and type in the St. Joseph Parish Code: RFTRYT

Do you open Formed.org and are not sure which content to listen to or watch? Open the following website for a guide of relevant media for the whole family.

Formed.org Content to Watch Based on Liturgical Calendar

Pick of the Week

Each week, Formed.org selects relevant content to highlight. Check back each week for new picks.