"Sing praise to the Lord, you his faithful ones, and give thanks to his holy name."
(Psalm 30: 11)
We need Catechists, Aides and Substitutes in all programs.
Please prayerfully consider this invitation to serve the children of our parish and grow in your own faith!
“Every baptized person, precisely by reason of being baptized, has the right to receive from the Church instruction and education enabling him or her to enter a truly Christian life.” (John Paul II Catechesis in Our Time)
PREP is a faith formation program for those students in grades 1-8 who attend public or private schools who desire to receive a Catholic Religious Education and participate in the sacraments of initiation. PREP is also for any Catholic School students (outside of our own ICS students)* who do not receive Sacrament Preparation in their private Catholic School. We offer a variety of programs allowing for some flexibility in how your child is educated, and together we will find one of the programs that suit your needs. As their parents, you are your child(ren)’s primary Catechist, and while we are here to support you, the foundation and priority of all our Religious Education Faith Formation Programs is weekly Mass attendance and active participation in the sacraments. Please see our main parish page for current Mass and Confession schedules.
*Note: While Sacrament Preparation is provided in our own private Immaculate Conception Catholic School, sacraments are a parish function and responsibility, and as such the Parish Catechetical Leader in the PREP office, in close collaboration with the Pastor, oversees all additional Sacrament Preparation outside the ICS classroom such as parent meetings, retreats, service hours, etc. which are required of ICS students, as well as, PREP students.
We look forward to journeying together with you in faith!
908-735-0478
908-735-0742 (fax)
prep@iccannandale.org
Office Hours
Monday 9:30am - 7:30pm
Tuesday - Thursday 9:30am - 4:00pm
CLOSED FRIDAY
(Note: Limited office hours mid-April to Sept.)
WHO WE ARE
Catechetical Leader
Coleen D'Amato
cdamato@iccannandale.org
Assistant Director
Eileen Gronwald
egronwald@iccannandale.org
Administrative Assistant
Maryann Procopio
mprocopio@iccannandale.org
Our First Reconciliation and First Holy Communion program is a two-year preparation which begins in first grade and is completed at the end of second grade. The children receive these sacraments during the second grade year. In conjunction with their regular Religious Education Classes, there are additional preparation meetings in second grade, for both PREP and ICS students, including a parent meeting, and a mini child/parent retreat. At ICC, traditionally, First Reconciliation is celebrated in January and First Holy Communion is celebrated in May.
Confirmation is a two-year preparation which begins in the seventh grade and is completed in the eighth grade. In addition to their regular Students of both Parish Religious Education Program (PREP) and Immaculate Conception School practice Catholic life by fulfilling service hour requirements over two years, attending mini-retreats, and additional faith formation through the PREP programs. At Immaculate Conception Parish, traditionally Confirmation is celebrated in the spring of eighth grade as the Bishop's schedule permits.
Click HERE for Confirmation Service Form
All families must be registered in the Parish and in PREP in order to participate in our programs.
Our registration begins in the winter months and concludes on September 1. Please contact our office for more information.
If you are currently enrolled in Religious Education in another parish, and are transferring from that parish during the school year, you are welcome to register and transfer into our Weekly PREP program at any time; please call our office. If the school year has concluded, you must register before September 1 for the upcoming year.
For returning students, our registration occurs in two waves via email and begins in the winter months. Our first wave is registration is for Summer PREP, typically in later January or early February. Our second wave of registration is for Weekly PREP, as well as Monthly Family PREP, and begins in March and ends in April. For exact dates, please check your email and watch the bulletin for information. After June 1st, $75 late fees go into effect; re-registration is accepted only up until mid August.
Our traditionally weekly program runs for 28-32 weeks from mid-September through April.
As of September 19, there will be two class times to choose from:
Monday afternoon: 4:30PM to 5:45PM
Monday evening: 6:30 to 7:45PM
This condensed model program meets on a monthly basis and offers instruction for students in Grades 1 through 7; at least one parent is required to attend with their child(ren). Home study is required. There are nine monthly sessions held on Wednesday evenings, September to May, from 6-8PM; two identical sessions are offered to accommodate our many families who participate in this course of study, While at their assigned session, children participate in grade level learning with their peers taught by a Catechist in the classrooms, while their parents simultaneously attend adult education presented by clergy, an outside speaker or the Parish Catechetical Leader. Additionally, during the evening, all families gather together for a faith based family activity.Parents are required to volunteer in a variety of roles in this program. Due to the condensed nature of our monthly Family PREP program, no absences are permitted without a doctor’s note. Additionally, due to limited space within the classroom, switching sessions is not permitted.
Our Summer Religious Education program is a condensed model program which is an intensive two-week course of concentrated religious study which begins upon the completion of the school year in June. This program is offered to students in grades 3 through 7 from 9AM – 12:30PM for nine consecutive week days. Due to the condensed nature of this program, no absences are permitted; students must attend every day of the program for the full length of time in order to receive credit for this program. Space is extremely limited and every applicant is determined via a lottery each year.