Catechetical Curriculum
Jesus formed His disciples by making known to them the various dimensions of the Kingdom of God. He entrusted to them “the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven”; He taught them how to pray; He opened His “meek and humble heart” to them; and He sent them “ahead of him in pairs to every town and place He intended to visit.” The fundamental task of catechesis is to achieve this same objective: The formation of disciples of Jesus Christ. Jesus instructed His disciples; He prayed with them, He showed them how to live; and He gave them His mission. ~National Directory for Catechesis #20
Saint Joseph Grade School follows the Catechetical Curriculum Guidelines of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, which are designed to conform to the 2005 National Directory for Catechesis. Catechesis promotes knowledge of the faith; promotes knowledge of the meaning of the Liturgy and the Sacraments; promotes moral formation in Jesus Christ; teaches the Christian how to pray with Christ; prepares the Christian to live in community and to participate actively in the life and mission of the Church; and promotes a missionary spirit that prepares the faithful to be present as Christians in society.
The catechetical curriculum is built upon age-appropriate topics for each grade level. Each topic has a different goal, but one builds upon the other. Parent summaries are linked below.
- Kindergarten: God the Creator and Holy Family
- Kindergarten students also participate in Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, a Montessori-based religious education program, rooted in Scripture and liturgy, that allows children to nurture their relationship with God by using their hands to work with materials for meditation.
- Grade One: God gives His Son, Jesus
- Grade Two: Preparation for the Sacraments of First Reconciliation and First Eucharist
- Grade Three: Understanding the Church
- Grade Four: The Ten Commandments
- Grade Five: The Seven Sacraments
- Grade Six: The Old Testament
- Grade Seven – Three Units of the Tasks of Catechesis:
- Grade Eight – Three Units of the Six Tasks of Catechesis:
