Children and Youth Religious Education Programs

Home is the domestic church—the first and primary place where the faithful gather—where Christian parents cooperate wholeheartedly with the love of our Creator and Savior. While our children and youth religious educations programs are not designed to replace family, our primary goal is to aid parents in their vocation to educate their children. The following are programs we offer at St. John's.  Click on the links below to learn more about each program. 

2023-2024 CGS Offerings will run September thru May. Each session will meet on average three times a month.
  • Level 1 Sessions (children ages 3-6)*: Sundays 9:00-10:15am, Thursdays 3:30-5:00pm, Mondays 9:00-10:30am
  • Level 2 Sessions (children ages 6-9): Sundays 9:00-10:15am, Thursdays 3:30-5:00pm
  • Level 3 Sessions (children ages 9-12): Sundays 9:00-10:15am, Thursdays 3:30-5:00pm
*Children must be three years old by September 1, 2023, and fully potty-trained and independent in using the restroom.
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Register for our CGS Program: https://www.osvhub.com/stjohnsindy/forms/cgs23
Catechesis of the Good Shepherd for Ages 3-12
“The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a person took and sowed in a field. It is the smallest of all the seeds, yet when full-grown it is the largest of plants. It becomes a large bush, and the ‘birds of the sky come and dwell in its branches.’” Matthew 13:31-32

The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd was born from the joy of the children in their encounter with God and the witness of lives nourished by this joy. It has also been observed that children of the same developmental stage, even though belonging to different cultural backgrounds, respond to certain elements of the Christian message in the same way. Catechesis of the Good Shepherd acknowledges a deep bond between God and the child and this relationship produces, in the child, a desire to draw ever nearer to God.

Through years of observation, the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd program utilizes a specially prepared environment called an atrium. This unique setting allows scriptural and liturgical themes to develop and resonate with the child’s religious need according to his or her age level. This one of a kind program divests itself of any strictly scholastic character so as to become an experience of life, an education in faith, and a celebration of the encounter with the Father, in listening to Jesus the one Teacher, and in obedience to the Holy Spirit.

There are three levels of the Atrium based on the child's age.  Click here for more info on each level of the atrium.  (Level I - Ages 3-6, Level II - Ages 6-9, Level III - Ages 9-12). 

Click here for more information on Catechesis of the Good Shepherd or contact Caitlin Bedwell: ​caitlin.bedwell@stjohnsindy.org
The Sacraments of First Communion and Reconciliation 
Formal preparation for the sacraments of Eucharist and Reconciliation is primarily integrated in our Catechesis of the Good Shepherd religious education program for children. This unique expression of catechesis is a holistic approach to engage our children in the faith of the Church. Thus, preparing a child for Eucharist is not a one-time event. In addition to the child's time in the level 2 atrium, the child will attend monthly one-hour group parent/child Sacramental Formation sessions during October–April.

Note: Parents who wish to bring a child forward to receive First Reconciliation and First Communion, should be sure to enroll their child in Catechesis of the Good Shepherd in the year prior (if not before).

​Click here for more information on First Communion and Reconciliation or contact Caitlin Bedwell: ​caitlin.bedwell@stjohnsindy.org
The Sacrament of Confirmation for Ages 13-17
St. John’s Youth Confirmation Preparation Program is for teenagers between the ages 13-17. If you have received the sacraments of Baptism and Eucharist but have not been confirmed, we invite you to receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit that enables us to live out our faith in the fullness of grace.

​Click here for more information on Youth Confirmation or contact Bri Campbell: ​bri.campbell@stjohnsindy.org
Protection of our Children 
We take great care to protect the safety of our children. We place the highest level of protection of the innocent and vulnerable as a pillar of expectation in this parish and in our Church. We follow the USCCB and Archdiocesan standards given us through the Safe and Sacred Program and Circle of Grace. All employees of the church as well as all volunteers who have any interface with children are required to participate and complete Safe and Sacred as well as have a background check. You can learn more about these programs at the link below.  Father Nagel also addressed the abuse scandal within the church through a letter to the parish and a homily. 

Click here for more information on Protection of Children at St. John's.