Religious Education News & Events

Classes begin on Aug. 21/22nd!
Please register now to get your first choice of day and time. See Registration link at left for forms and information.

Congratulations to Doree Kathol 'Catechist of the Year' and
Dawn Kane 'R.E. Volunteer of the Year'
Board of Education Catechist and Volunteer of the Year awards for
2011-12 were presented to Doree Kathol and Dawn Kane by BOE president Jeanne Meyer, BOE member Shannon Calpin and Fr. Jim Tiegs, pastor.

Doree Kathol has been honored as �Catechist of the Year� for 2011-2012. Doree has been a catechist for many years and has taught children in nearly every grade. Her daughter (Amanda), son (Trevor) and niece (Anna Kathol) have followed in Doree�s footsteps and are now catechists, too.

Dawn Kane has been recognized as �R.E. Volunteer of the Year� for her many years of dedicated service as a volunteer. Dawn is one of the behind the scenes volunteers who cheerfully serves by opening doors for catechists and anything else that is asked of her. Dawn�s dedication and joyous spirit brighten the day of all she meets.

Both Dawn and Doree were honored with personal plaque from the BOE, a Project Hope certificate for $50 and their names are now included with the names of previous winners on the permanent plaques that hang in the School Commons. Dawn Kane and Doree Kathol are just two of the many volunteers we rely on each week. Our thanks to Doree, Dawn and all of the wonderful catechists and volunteers who are the heart of our program!

2012-13 Registration and catechist sign-up
New this year- there will be a $300 family cap, so total tuition for a family with more than two children enrolled in Religious Education will not exceed $300. (Sacrament preparation and late fees, and additional fees for non-parishioners, are not included in the family cap.) See the Registration link at left for registration forms and information. If you have any questions about registration or about St. Stephen's R.E. program, please contact us by phone at 402-896-5683 or by email R.E. Office

Interested in sharing your faith with parish children and youth? We need you! We are currently signing up catechists for 2012-13 R.E. classes. Our catechists teach in teams of two with a class of 15 students. All lesson plans and materials are provided for you and tuition is waived for your children. We even have child care for your younger children. Please call or stop by the Religious Education Office to see what opportunities are available. We can help you choose the grade that is best for you!

Sky Totally Catholic
Vacation Bible School
For more information, see the VBS link at left!

Weather Announcements and Cancellations
Should icy or snowy weather occur, the Religious Education program observes the school closing policies of the Millard School District. If Millard Public Schools cancel classes or evening activities due to inclement weather, we will not hold Religious Education classes that evening. Occasionally, because of deteriorating weather conditions during the day, we will need to cancel R.E. classes late in the afternoon or early evening, even when Millard has held classes. Cancellations and plans for re-scheduling activities will be published on the �Weather Information� page of the parish web-site. Parents should use their discretion as to whether it is safe for their children to attend class. The safety of our children is our always our primary concern.

Advent Prayer Services and Baby Shower for Mary
R.E. students participated in weekly Prayer Services during Advent and celebrated with a �Baby Shower for Mary� on the last night of classes, Dec. 20/21^st. Students donated more than a thousand items to Essential Pregnancy Service (EPS) to assist mothers and babies in need.

During Advent, elementary students performed good deeds and spent extra time in prayer and wrote them on paper 'straw' to warm the manger of Baby Jesus.

Special thanks to Kaitlin Kueny for developing the Advent prayer activities and services as her high school senior project at Westside High School. The Catholic Voice ran an article about Kaitlin's Advent lessons (link below). Our thanks to everyone who participated in this very special Advent at St. Stephen's.

Catholic Voice- Jan. 6, 2012; 'High School student's project teaches children the importance of Advent.'

Thank you for allowing us to be part of your family�s faith formation!
New students are welcomed all year. We can help new children catch up on missed sacraments and become part of our faith community. Tuition assistance is available due to the generosity of many individuals and organizations in our parish. Registration information and forms are available on our Registration Information page (link at left). We offer Religious Education for children age 3 through High School. If you have questions or need additional help, please contact the R.E. Office.
Parent Handbook 2011- 2012

8th Grade Master Servers
We are excited to have several of our 8th grade R.E. students being commissioned as Master Servers: Laura Ecklund, Jakob Fontana, Madison Kalvoda, Trevor Kathol, Sarah Kreber, Erica Little, William Marble, Conrad Sandoz and Mary Ellen Turgeon. We also have 9th graders who will be commissioned as new Senior Servers: Kellie Ecklund, Kaitlyn Malesker, Taylor Novotny and Katie Schulz. We are so proud of these servers and their willingness to serve our parish through liturgies and mentoring younger servers.

Catholics Come Home
Have you or someone you know been away from the Catholic Church?
Catholics Come Home can help Catholics who have left the Church find their way back home, answer questions for those who are seeking to know God better and welcome those who are interested in becoming Catholic to the Church.
Please visit Catholics Come Home or contact Deacon Denny Dethlefs
at 896-9675 or d.dethlefs@stephen.org.

Is God calling you to get your family more involved in the Church?
There are many ways for children to be involved at St. Stephen�s. We offer a wonderful middle-school youth ministry (the Edge) that meets Tuesdays from 6:30 � 8 pm in the Dining Room. Children can also sing in the Children�s Choir, serve as altar servers at Mass, participate in Vacation Bible School and Parish Athletic League sports, as well as other family activities. For high school youth, we have a very active (and awesome!) Life Teen group that meets Sundays at 7 pm in the Parish Center. Please see the parish home page and Youth Ministry sites for upcoming activities and events.

R.E. Registration
We have new students join us throughout the year! If you are new to our community or just feel it is time to get your children involved in Religious Education, we are here to help.

In addition to providing religious education for our elementary students, we have a wonderful Sunday School program for children age 3-5, as well as a fabulous Life Teen program for our high school students. We also have two multi-age classes for our Special Needs students. Registration information and forms are available on the Registration page of the website. Tuition assistance is also available due to the generosity of many individuals and organizations in our parish.

Thank you for allowing us to be part of your family�s faith formation! If you have questions or need additional help, please contact the R.E. Office.

Life Teen
Life Teen meets on Sundays from 7:15- 8:45 pm in the Parish Center. To find out more about what is happening, visit the Youth Ministry section of our website. And for more information about Life Teen, visit www.lifeteen.com. Check out 'the Bible Geek' while you are there!

Take Stock in Youth!!
Find out some of the many wonderful things our youth are doing in our parish and community, and how you can help support their growing faith and good works.

Take Stock in Youth