Elementary Ministry

Grades K-6

Important Faith Formation Kick-off Information: Please Read!

Welcome to St. Robert Faith Formation 2026–27! We are so excited to begin another year together.

Our first night of Faith Formation is Tuesday, September 15. To kick things off, we invite all families registered for Tuesday classes—including our Tuesday middle school families—to join us for 5:30 p.m. Mass as we celebrate the beginning of a new faith formation year.

Mass will be followed by dinner and an ice cream social in Newminster Hall. We’ll be serving hamburgers and hot dogs, along with individual bags of potato chips, lemonade, water, and a tossed salad. The salad will include romaine lettuce, sweet peppers, carrots, and cucumber, with grape tomatoes, croutons, bacon bits, ranch dressing, and Italian dressing available on the side.

There will be no middle school evening session this week. Instead, we invite all of our middle and high school students to join us for Mass and dinner.

We will follow the same schedule on Wednesday, September 16. Families registered for Wednesday classes are invited to attend 5:30 p.m. Mass, followed by the hamburger and hot dog dinner and ice cream social in Newminster Hall.

Whether it’s just your registered children and a parent or your whole family, everyone is invited to this family-friendly celebration of the year ahead!

To Recap: Faith Formation Schedule
Tuesday, September 15 & Wednesday, September 16

5:30 p.m. — Mass
6:15 p.m. — Dinner and ice cream social in Newminster Hall
No evening middle school program

Beginning the Week of September 22 & 23
Our normal Faith Formation schedule will begin the following week:

5:15 p.m. — Faith Formation classes for K–6th grade*
6:30 p.m. — Dismissal and pick-up for K–6th grade
6:30 p.m. — Drop-off and open gym in the Parish Life Center (PLC) for 7th–8th grade
6:45 p.m. — Edge Night begins for 7th–8th grade**
8:15 p.m. — Edge Night dismissal and pick-up

*Beginning Tuesday, September 29, Mass will be offered every Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. Adoration will follow Mass and continue until 7:00 p.m. Parents (and middle schoolers!), consider staying for Mass after dropping off your child for class and/or spending some time praying with them during Adoration after picking them up.

*Beginning Wednesday, September 30, Adoration and Confession will be offered every Wednesday while the K–6th grade students are in class. Parents, please take advantage of this opportunity for prayer and the Sacrament of Reconciliation!

A Note on Drop-Off & Pick-Up Procedures
K–6th Grade Faith Formation

Please walk your children into the building through DOOR G (see attached map) and sign them into class no earlier than 5:10 p.m.

Your child’s classroom number will be provided in a separate follow-up email. A hard-copy list of classroom assignments will also be available at this Tuesday and Wednesday’s Mass and dinner gatherings.

Additional general information:

For the 2026-2027 Faith Formation year, sessions for Elementary formation will be offered Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 5:15 to 6:30 p.m. starting Sept. 15 and 16.

Wednesday Community Dinner: There will be a community dinner offered on most Wednesdays from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. beginning Oct. 7, 2026 in Newminster Hall. Come enjoy dinner as a family and leave the cooking and cleanup to us!

For kindergarten through second grade students, we will be using the Pillars of Faith Catholic curriculum from Ascension Press.

Word of Life, by Augustine Institute is the Elementary Ministry Faith Formation offering for third through sixth grade students. We open our sessions with prayer, read Scripture together, discuss, play games, review what we learned using question and answer techniques to check for understanding, and close with prayer.

Our Reconciliation and Communion sacramental prep program for 2^nd grade and up includes weekly sessions along with some additional gatherings.

Volunteers Needed!
We are in need of volunteers to serve in our Elementary Formation sessions! You’ll be reading the Bible together, leading crafts and games, and helping children engage in their faith in a meaningful and age-appropriate way. Lesson plans and materials will be provided for you. Catechists must be age 18+. Assistants must be age 16+. Any volunteer over the age of 18 must complete Safe Environment training and submit to a background check. All registration fees are waived for weekly volunteer catechists and assistants. If you are interested in serving in this vital ministry, contact Michelle Ptak at (616) 676-9111, ext. 113 or email faithformation@strobertchurch.org.