WELCOME TO ST. BONIFACE RELIGIOUS EDUCATION...

Hi, Everyone! This is Deacon Tom, the Coordinator of the St. Boniface Religious Education Program, and I'm here on this webpage to offer some insight as to what we're all about. I guess we could say that our main reason for this program is to assist you, the parents of our parish children, since you are the primary educators of the precious children that God has entrusted to you. You know, the Catechism of the Catholic Church says that membership in the Catholic Church, via Baptism, is one of the child's basic rights, just like receiving food and water. To help you instill in your child a knowledge of and love for this wonderful Church that Christ Himself founded, we are here to instruct for eight short years (plus kindergarten if you so choose). Along the way, your child receives the Sacraments of First Penance and Holy Communion in grade 2, and Confirmation at the conclusion of grade 8.

SO HOW ARE WE ORGANIZED. YOU ASK?

We are a small program, with five classrooms. For the past 20 years or more, we have taught grades kindergarten through 5 on two afternoons a week, with families choosing one day or the other. Then the older children, grades 6 through 8, come in on the same evening, again by family choice, for their instruction. Currently, the days we use are Tuesday and Thursday; therefore, the schedule looks like this:

Tuesdays, 4:15PM to 5:45PM, grades K-5; 6.45PM to 8:15PM, grades 6-8. Thursdays, 4:15PM to 5:45PM, grades 1-5; 6:45PM to 8:15PM, grades 6-8. We limit our class enrollment to 20 students in one section; therefore, if you register your child after this quota has been achieved, you will be assigned the alternate day. During the 2006-2007 year, no class achieved the quota of 20 students; everyone had their first choice granted.

PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS: WHAT DO WE NEED YOU TO HELP US WITH?

Our policies are published on this website in a separate sheet immediately following this message. But let me briefly outline some of the more important policies that Fr. Grace and Deacon Tom have agreed upon:

We have 30 sessions during the school year, from September to late May. We require that your child attend a minimum of 24 of these sessions, regardless of the excuse. If your child goes over the absences, he/she can make up the missed session by coming for an extra class on the alternate day.

The Archdiocese of NY stipulates that sacramental preparation be a minimum of two years. That would mean grades 1-2 for First Penance/First Communion and grades 7-8 for Confirmation. However, Fr. Grace requires that every grade either be attended or made up with a project. So, it is not acceptable for your child to attend grade 1-2 and then not be seen again until grade 7. We do work with parents who have special needs at special times in their children's lives; however, disappearing for 5 years between sacraments is not acceptable.

We require that all students take a final exam in grades 1-8, and pass it. For those who do not pass it, there is a makeup exam on a Saturday in May, at which time child and parent retake the exam together. We have a grading system of 1-5, with a 1 being high and 5 failing. We require that all students avoid getting a grade of 5, or two grades of 4.

So, to sum up, promotion from one grade to another depends on three factors:

1. attending the minimum number of classes, for this year 24;
2. passing the final exam;
3. receiving a final report card with no grades of 5 and no more than one grade of 4.

In addition, students in sacramental grades must have their Mass attendance verified each week and for Holy Days of Obligation. We send home in September, to parents of grade 2,7 and 8 students, a packet of Mass verification cards, to be used during the year. In addition, the teachers in grade 6 also use these cards in their Bible study course. While these cards have never been all that popular among adults or students, it is important to remember that our Catholic Faith requires that we all assist at Mass each Sunday and Holy Day of Obligation. It is not an option! And besides, our pastor, Fr. Grace, wants this practice to be continued.

Another practice that we need to be continued is that all families of students in our program must be registered in the parish and use the envelope system at the offertory of the Mass. We need you to be active supporters of St. Boniface parish in order to keep the tuition for our program from rising. You can register for the parish at the same time that you register for the Religious Education Program; or you can call the parish secretary at 354-7307 to arrange parish registration.

SO. DEACON TOM. WHAT IDEAS ARE THERE FOR THE FUTURE?

I'm glad you asked! For one, we are in the process of forming a parents' committee to look over several issues: do we need 2 sections of every class? Should we use more than the Tuesday - Thursday schedule that we use now? Do we need to schedule the evening classes earlier, and if so, how would that affect your supper hour? There are always questions to be asked and concerns to be brought up; so why not join us - or at least, let us know what your opinions are on any issue relating to religious education. We'd love to meet you in person and not just on this website!

Deacon Tom also envisions one day re-starting a program for students who are in grades 9 through adult, in which we examine the Catechism of the Catholic Church in detail. You know, the Holy Father organized the document into four major parts; so why should we not examine one part each year for a four-year program? If you are wondering right now why we are not mentioning a Bible study program, the answer is that the parish already has that going on Saturday mornings at 8AM.

In the Fall of 2007, we will increase our sessions to an hour and a half, because of a mandate from Cardinal Egan. Our committee will work on how to implement this mandate into our schedule. In the Fall of 2008, we are mandated to add another 5 hours of instruction, this time instruction that includes families of our students, or what the Archdiocese calls "intergenerational catechesis." You will hear more from us on this during the 2007-2008 year. Stay tuned!

We have a fine core of Religious Education teachers and support staff to assist your child in learning the basics of our Catholic Faith. We are currently encouraging our catechists (that's what teachers of religion are called) to take courses and become certified by the Archdiocese. In addition, all of our teachers have successfully passed inquiry through our Archdiocesan Safe Environment Program. They are so dedicated to their work here at St. Boniface; they really put their hearts and souls into their teaching, and would do anything possible to assist you and your child.

CONCLUDING REMARKS...

So there you have it, an overview of what our Religious Education Program is all about. Remember that when we have to close for weather related reasons, we make our announcements in three places: WHUD, 100.7 FM on the radio; WRCR, 1300 AM also on the radio; and on cancellations.com on the computer. We are sorry to report, but we cannot use this website for weather related closings, as the service is too slow!

So, if you and your children are not yet a part of the St. Boniface Religious Education Program, come and visit us. We are located on the lower level, underneath the rectory, with a separate entrance at the extreme right hand side of the building as you approach.

Other documents pertaining to our program are also on this website, immediately after this message. So browse away, and enjoy! We hope to see you in person very soon.

Deacon Tom Colton, Coordinator of Religious Education. 845-354-7039 at the office; 845-354-1539 at home.

St. Boniface Church, 5 Willow Tree Rd., Wesley Hills, New York 10952 * (845)354-7307

Webmaster-Bob Chamberlain n2kbc@aol.com