Parents are the first and foremost religious educators of their child. Living day in and day out together, parents have the greatest opportunity to model the virtues of Christian living. St. Lawrence parish and staff, as a partner in the faith commitment made at Baptism, supports parents in this important formation role through the Parish School of Religion (PSR).
Elementary PSR classes are offered for children in kindergarten through 5th grade. Classes are held on Sunday mornings, Sunday evenings and on Wednesday nights. When registering for a sesion time, parents are encouraged to choose the time that would allow their family to worship together and then attend PSR and adult level programs after Mass. Parents are strongly cautioned to resist the temptation to just drop their child off for class or attend Mass while their child is in PSR. If your family cannot attend one of the three scheduled session times, home study is an option.
The Archdiocese requires two years of sacramental preparation for the celebration of First Reconciliation (Confession) and First Communion. Consequently, students need to be enrolled in PSR for 1st and 2nd grades in order to complete preparations for First Reconciliation (fall) and First Communion (spring) in 2nd grade. At. St. Lawrence, these sacraments are celebrated communally with the larger parish family. In addition, parents are required to participate in the preparation process. This includes attendance at parent meetings and participation in special family/class gatherings, and home activities.
Second grade uses Celebrating Our Faith published by Brown-Roa as its textbook. The other elementary grades us RCL's Faith First program. All students participate in the monthly Spirit Day, annual Rice Meal and May Crowning of Mary. Every month on Spirit Day, students and catechists wear their PSR t-shirts to class, turn in their recycling slips, and bring food for the hungry in our local community.
There is a registration fee (which can be reduced or waived if there is financial hardship) and families are expected to be registered members of this parish. For more information, please contact Beth Hodgson, PSR Coordinator at 770-962-2765 ext. 218. To register for PSR contact Vickie at 770-962-2765 after hours please dial x220 from the main recording to reach the Religious Ed Voicemail.
