CCD

All Catholic parents have a serious obligation before God to raise their children in the Catholic Faith.  The goal is to raise God-fearing and family loving Catholics!  Parents are, in fact, the primary educators of their children.  St. Valentine & St. Mary Parishes are committed to aiding parents in this, their sacred duty, of forming their children to be Catholic disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ.

To this end, some parents may choose to enroll their children in our excellent local Catholic grade school: Peru Catholic School.  At St. Valentine Parish, scholarship assistance based on parish involvement is available through the Anthony J. Szott Endowment Fund.  For more information about this scholarship and about need-based diocesan and parish tuition assistance, please call the Pastor at 815-223-0315.

Other parents choose to enroll their children into our CCD program.  CCD stands for the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine.  It traditionally refers to the program of religious instruction for children of the parish who attend the public school.  Classes are held on Wednesday evenings at St. Valentine Church Annex building.

Finally, some parents also choose to home-school their children.  We are very much supportive of our home-school families.  If you are a home-schooling family, please contact the Pastor for information about sacramental preparation for your children.


GUIDELINES FOR CHILDREN ENROLLED IN CCD AT ST. VAL'S/ST. MARY'S PARISHES:

As a parent/guardian of a child (children) participating in the Religious Education Program of St. Valentine/St. Mary Parishes, I agree to the following:

†      To get my children to class in a timely manner (before class begins), with books and necessary supplies.  To notify the teacher in advance (if possible) when my children will be absent from class.  To pick up my children within 10 minutes after the end of class.

†      To ensure that my children will be in class for the purpose of learning Catholic doctrine and growing in Christian virtue.  To abide by the discipline policy of the program:

Disruptive and non-Christian-like behavior will not be tolerated.  A child that prevents others from learning is not helpful to the learning process.A disruptive or uncooperative child will be removed from the classroom and questioned (by the teacher or Pastor) regarding his/her behavior.

1.         If the disruptive behavior is not remedied by the next class, a conference with parents is expected.

2.        If there still is no remedy for the disruptive behavior, the child will be removed from the class setting for home study.

†      To fulfill my obligation as the first teacher of my children in the ways of the Catholic Faith; to instill in my children the truths of God and the Catholic Church, and by my good example, to lead my children closer to the Lord Jesus; to pray daily prayers with my children; and, to worship God at Mass regularly with my children on Sundays and Holy Days.

†      I understand that weekend Mass attendance and CCD class attendance are requirements of the program and that if my child(ren) fail in meeting these requirements, or if they don’t have sufficient understanding of this year’s material, they won’t be advanced to the next grade without extra study, to be arranged with the Pastor.

†      I agree to have my child sign-in for Sunday Mass each Sunday (or Saturday evening), and that if we attend Mass at a different church to have my child(ren) bring a bulletin from that Church signed by a parent.