Faith Formation

Youth Catechesis – Parish School of Religion (C.C.D. Classes)

Our Parish School of Religion program seeks to give your children a base of knowledge about their faith to build upon and grow for the rest of their lives. We also hope to instill in them the value of continuing education and faith formation. We strive to make your children’s faith becoming living, conscious, and active through our instruction. Saint Joseph Parish School of Religion works with the parents to help their children deepen their understanding of the Catholic faith and foster a personal relationship with the triune God and the Church. Sacramental preparation for Confession, First Eucharist, and Confirmation is offered through our Parish School of Religion.

PSR classes are offered to students in Kindergarten through Eighth Grade. Although the religious education program at our parish follows an academic model, with approximately 28 sessions a year, the truth is that our education and formation in the faith as Catholics follows a 52 week model. The most important part of both your own and your child’s growth in the faith and relationship with the triune God happens every Sunday at Holy Mass. On Sunday, the day of the Resurrection, the Universal Church gathers to give herself in worship to God; to be taught and formed more perfectly as members of our Lord’s body the Church, and to be nourished with nothing less than the Body & Blood of Jesus Christ. The Second Vatican Council said, even more clearly what we have always believed, that receiving our Lord in Holy Communion is “the source and summit of the Christian life” (Lumen Gentium – Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Second Vatican Council).

Classes are held from September through May, with registration occurring over the summer. To learn more about our catechetical programs or to register your children in our Parish School of Religion, please call the rectory office at (304) 525-5202.

Order of Christian Initiation for Adults (O.C.I.A.)

The Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (O.C.I.A.) is the process by which adults who were not raised in the Catholic Faith enter into full communion with the Roman Catholic Church.

Through a series of weekly sessions, inquirers are given the opportunity to learn about the one, holy, catholic [universal], and apostolic faith of the Catholic Church and deepen their relationship with God in prayer and worship at holy Mass.

Several one-on-one sessions throughout the process with the Parish Pastor will help those inquiring to discern God’s call and their individual readiness to either enter the Church through Baptism, or to reconcile with the Catholic Church if they’ve already been validly baptized. Then, all men and women entering the Church will complete Initiation with the sacraments of Confirmation and holy Communion.

The O.C.I.A. process finds its roots in the life of the early Church, when those seeking union were slowly and lovingly introduced into the Revealed faith of God in Jesus Christ and the rich sacramental, spiritual, and prayerful traditions of His Church with the help and support of the local parish community.

+ Unbaptized adults who wish to learn about the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the Catholic Church

+ Unbaptized infants and children;

+ Baptized non-Catholic Christians who wish to learn about the teachings of Jesus Christ in the Catholic Church

+ Baptized Catholics in need of the sacraments of Confirmation and Holy Communion.

Absolutely not. God has given each person the gift of free will and the Catholic Church respects that and will not pressure you in the slightest.

With the help of the Parish Pastor, you’ll be joined with a Catholic who will attend the O.C.I.A. sessions with you, attend Mass with you, and support you with friendship and prayer along your journey of discernment. You may also choose a Catholic who has helped guide you to the Church.

We offer ways for your child to be educated and formed in the Catholic faith and to receive the sacraments also. We will together come up with an approach and plan that is best for your child depending upon his/her previous formation, if any.

If you wish to learn more about the Catholic faith or to begin the O.C.I.A. process, please contact the Parish Pastor, Very Rev. Dean Borgmeyer at (304) 525-5202. More information about what the Catholic Church teaches can be found by visiting usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings.

Catholics Come Home

Have you felt a tug recently calling you back to the Church? Whether you’ve been away for a little while or for quite some time, pay attention to that tug you feel. That is your Heavenly Father reaching out to you to draw you back through the holy Spirit to an active life in Jesus’ Risen Body – the Church!

Those returning to a practice of their Catholic Faith after some time away are welcome to attend any Mass and to become actively involved in parish activities, but are encouraged also to contact our Parish Pastor, Very Rev. Dean Borgmeyer for assistance in their journey back to receiving Holy Communion, which normally would take place after a celebration of God’s love and mercy in the sacrament of Reconciliation.