Pre-K through Grade 12

St. Mary's Press Discover!: 1st-5th Grade

Discover! Finding Faith in Life is an energetic and fresh approach to children’s faith formation that excites children, delights parents, and energizes catechists! Each lesson in Discover brings fun and unique activities to your kids. And maybe you’re wondering...why? We’re tapping into how children learn best – with engaging experiences that connect to what the children are learning and that they remember it. We're supporting catechists with easy-to-use and engaging lessons!


St. Mary's Press Catholic Connections: Middle School

Fostering the faith of young adolescents involves helping them to make connections between the Catholic faith and everyday life. It also means helping young people to strengthen their connection to the faith community. Catholic Connections aims to strengthen each participant's Catholic identity and inspire them to participate more fully in the Church's mission.

Using an active, hands-on approach to religious education, Catholic Connections is a comprehensive parish religious education program for sixth, seventh, and eighth-graders.

The program is flexible enough to work in a two- or three-year model and includes a student handbook, an online coordinator's manual, three catechetical guides, and additional online resources for coordinators and catechists.

Sophia Institute: 1st-5th Grade

Spirit of Truth provides interactive session plans for every week of your religious education program, including vivid sacred art reflections, stories of the saints, games, role-plays, and critical thinking questions, to help catechists capture and keep their students' attention.

Spirit of Truth covers the breadth of the Catechism in a rich and age-appropriate way, to connect with children of diverse backgrounds and differing familiarity with the Catholic Faith.

While it's important for your children to understand the Faith, Spirit of Truth is designed to help them internalize the Faith and apply it to their lives, providing ample opportunity for them to reflect on how everything they are learning applies to their own lived experience.

Sophia Institute: Middle School

Spirit of Truth provides interactive session plans for every week of your religious education program, including vivid sacred art reflections, stories of the saints, games, role-plays, and critical thinking questions, to help catechists capture and keep their students' attention.

Spirit of Truth covers the breadth of the Catechism in a rich and age-appropriate way, to connect with children of diverse backgrounds and differing familiarity with the Catholic Faith.

While it's important for your children to understand the Faith, Spirit of Truth is designed to help them internalize the Faith and apply it to their lives, providing ample opportunity for them to reflect on how everything they are learning applies to their own lived experience

Alive in Christ for Adolescents

These unique guidebooks are invaluable to families as they help youth become evangelizers through actual
practice in sharing their faith with others. Created by a team of experts in education, catechesis, and
theology. Alive in Christ Young Adolescents Faith Guidebooks incorporate the most trusted research on how young people learn, communicate, and grow in their faith.

Please contact Deacon Dan Wright.

St. Austin Catholic Parish welcomes all children and families as part of our faith commuity, and we especially want all children and families to feel welcomed in our faith formation, religious education, sacramental preparation, and youth ministry programs. Please let us know if your child has unique learning needs so that we can work together to provide the best opportunities for her or him to grow in faith. This also includes special dietary needs that impacts the reception of the Eucharist at First Communion.

Please tell us what adaptations your child may need and what barriers need to be removed so we will be ready for her or him.
 

Guidelines for the Celebration of the Sacraments with Persons with Disabilities
Catholic Charities Recommendations from the USCCB
Welcome and Justice for Persons with Disabilities from the USCCB

Please contact Rachel Vaughn

St. Austin Catholic Parish welcomes all children and families as part of our faith community, and we understand when families decide to delay a child's Baptism. If this applies to your family, we want to walk this spiritual journey and support you and your child.

The Catholic Church recognizes children over the age of 7 as no longer infants. While they are not teens nor adults, the Church recognizes that children at this age or older can understand the Sacrament and grace they will be receiving, and therefore the child will receive all three Sacraments; Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist, at one time.

Please contact the Faith Formation Director to learn more about this process and how we can walk with you through these Sacraments.

Every child deserves an unforgettable First Communion and First Reconciliation experience. And that’s what
you’ll give them with Blessed. Each of these short episodes brings the faith to life in a way no other
sacramental prep program has ever done before and inspires children to be lifelong Catholics.

Blessed is made up of a First Communion Program and a First Reconciliation Program. Each Sacrament has six sessions with different videos and questions to do as a family. The sessions include a PDF student
workbook, videos to watch and discuss, a concentrated area of focus, an act that parents can take to help guide their children during the Sacramental prep, and a prayer.

Blessed also offers a Parent Email Program that makes it easy for you to journey along with your child as he or she prepares for their First Reconciliation and First Communion.

As Catholics, we believe that every human being is created in the image and likeness of God. Each of us is sacred and our lives - body, mind, and soul - should be treated with respect.

• Called to Protect™ for Children is the safety education piece of our Ethics and Integrity in Ministry (EIM) program designed specifically for elementary grade students K-5.  It focuses on understanding rules, appropriate touch, boundaries, how to respond to uncomfortable situations and introduces technology safety.  Called to Protect for Children is not human sexuality education and is best described as age-appropriate safety education.

• Called to Protect™ for Youth gives our young people practical tools, in language and medium they can understand, to realize this fundamental teaching of our faith.This program is available to 6th through 12th graders in parishes and schools within the Diocese of Austin. The Diocese of Austin website provides parents with an overview of the program as well as additional resources.

For more about visit our Ethics and Integrity in Ministry page.