religious education 2020-21

If you would like to volunteer to teach or assist with teaching a religious education class in grades 1-8 for the coming year, please Anne Walker at awalker@olom.org or 301-365-1318 x206.  Sharing your faith with children is one of the greatest blessings you can imagine.  No theology degrees required - all you need is a desire to share your Catholic faith! 

Our religious education classes this year are specially designed to provide an excellent educational experience while protecting your safety – and your sanity – as we navigate through the pandemic together.

Overview
Through fifteen fun and easy class sessions spread out over the course of three trimesters, Mercy Fast Pass  leaders will coach and empower parents to share their faith with their children and to be partners in their faith education. 

Here’s how it works.

• Students, Parents, Coaches & Mentors
  • Students in Grades 1-8, and their parents, will participate in the program together.
  • Classes will be led by a team of Mercy Fast Pass  leaders, including Fr. Bill and Fr. Joe, Mercy staff, and volunteer catechists.
  • Mercy Fast Pass  leaders will mentor parents and help them to teach their children.

• In Person Classes 
  • The first and the last class of each trimester (six classes, in all) will meet in-person on the Mercy campus, on the sidewalks outside the school gym.  Families will learn together for a one-hour, fun-filled class. 
  • Each family (parents and all children in Grades 1-8) will sit in its own socially-distanced space, using its own chairs, blankets, etc.  Bring whatever you would like to use for seating.  
  • In-Person Classes will be led by veteran catechist, Shannon Lindstrom, and combination of Mercy Fast Pass  leaders.
  • If you are unable or unwilling to attend classes in person, you will have the ability to participate through at-home work.  

• At-Home Classes 
  • The other nine classes of the fifteen-class series will take place in the comfort of your own home!   
  • Each of these classes will begin with a 15-minute Zoom meeting between the parents and a Mercy Fast Pass  leader (Fr. Bill, another Mercy staff member, or a catechist).  The Zoom session will teach the parents what they will be teaching their children that week, and offer parents an opportunity to ask questions.  
  • After that, parents will use our course materials to teach the week’s lesson to their children at their own pace. 

• Sacramental Preparation
  • Students seeking to receive the Sacrament of First Holy Communion or the Sacrament of Confirmation this year will also participate in a supplemental Sacramental Program.  Details of these programs can be found under the First Communion and Confirmation tabs on our “Learn” page.    

• Classes will take place from October 2020 – May 2021.

• In-person classes will meet at Mercy on Sunday mornings from 10-11am.

• Zoom sessions for parents will meet on Saturday mornings from 9:30-9:50am.

Class Schedule
The tentative* class schedule for the Mercy Fast Pass  program is as follows:
Session 1
1.            Sunday, Oct. 18, 2020 – at Mercy
2.            Saturday, Oct. 24, 2020 – at home + Zoom for parents
3.            Saturday, Oct. 31, 2020 – at home + Zoom for parents
4.            Saturday, Nov. 7, 2020 – at home + Zoom for parents
5.            Sunday, Nov. 15, 2020 – at Mercy

Session 2
1.            Sunday, Jan. 10, 2021 – at Mercy
2.            Saturday, Jan. 16, 2021 – at home + Zoom for parents
3.            Saturday, Jan. 23, 2021 – at home   + Zoom for parents
4.            Saturday, Jan. 30, 2021 – at home + Zoom for parents
5.            Sunday, Feb. 21, 2021 – at Mercy

Session 3
1.            Sunday, March 14, 2021 – at Mercy
2.            Saturday, March 20, 2021 – at home + Zoom for parents
3.            Saturday, March 27, 2021 – at home + Zoom for parents
4.            Saturday April 10, 2021 – at home + Zoom for parents
5.            Sunday, April 18, 2021 – at Mercy

*Due to the unprecedented challenges of the pandemic, the specific class dates, times, and even the format of the program, are subject to change.  We will monitor the advice of our Archdiocese, State and Local authorities and adjust as needed throughout the year.