All our faith formation activities centre around the Holy Qurbana. The Sunday school sessions start with Assembly at 1.30 pm followed by Holy Qurbana for children. Here, children get the opportunity to be altar servers, sing in the choir, do the readings, and do the offertory collection. The children’s choir sings every 4th Sunday and special practice is given to the students. Explanation of Holy Qurbana is given by priests and by teaching the students the meaning of prayers and songs, their active participation in the liturgy is encouraged.
Students are given the opportunity to be Sunday Star and speak in the assembly to the rest of the school about a saint or about the liturgical celebration of the time or about what is happening in the Church that week. This helps the whole school to reflect collectively on a common topic and also boosts the confidence and public speaking skills of the children.
Children are encouraged to learn one Bible verse which is chosen and shared through the class WhatsApp group. After memorising it, they are asked to write it on a piece of paper with their names and bring it to church on the following Sunday. Two children are chosen by draw and they are asked to say the verse and a prize is given for saying the verse correctly.
Activity days are planned as part of the Catechesis Calendar and include sessions by external speakers, game days, outdoor activities etc. These sessions render learning in very enjoyable ways and are very popular with the students.
Special retreat sessions are arranged for children during the advent and lent seasons to help them understand the observances and to prepare for the great feasts.
The Mid-term exam is conducted in January and the final exam is in June. We follow the instructions of the Catechesis Commission in conducting both exams.
Catechesis Annual Day is celebrated during the Dukrana Thirunal. This is a wonderful opportunity for the children to share their talents with the whole community. Each class, from Reception to Year 12, has its own program in which all the children take part and there is usually a program by the teachers. Prizes are awarded for academic excellence and 100% attendance.
Faith formation camp is conducted during the last weekend of May. The activities and sessions are organised around a chosen theme each year and separate sessions are arranged for children in 4 groups (Y1-Y4, Y5-Y6, Y7-Y9, and Y10-Y12). Special care is taken in planning the sessions to ensure
Annual Sports Day is conducted in July. All the children who participate have a great time as many fun-filled games and sports events are arranged and competitions are based on the 4 groups- St Alphonsa, St Chavara, St Euphresia, and St Mother Teresa. It is wonderful to see the healthy competition among the groups to win the Overall Trophy.
Unit level Bible Kalotsavam is conducted in preparation for the Regional Level Kalotsavam. Special training is given to children for individual items and group items are organised and trained separately.
To encourage active participation of children in the beautiful tradition of crib making, a crib competition is held for catechesis students. Short video clips of cribs made by children are assessed and prizes are given.
We published our first catechesis magazine in 2018 “Voice of the Young Disciple”. It was a wonderful collection of writings and artwork by the Sunday School students. The next magazine is under preparation.
Staff meetings are held at regular intervals where discussions are held on current and future events. Teachers’ Training is organised by the Eparchy and all the teachers actively join the sessions as instructed. The teachers are also DBS certified and have received special training in safeguarding matters.
A unique Holy Qurbana book with translation and transliteration of the Syro Malabar Taksa was prepared and printed by the Catechesis Department in 2011. Our Catechesis department also played a major role in the publication of the prayer book, Lakhu Mara, by the Eparchy.
We have explored different ways to teach the children the meaning of Malayalam prayers so that they can follow what they are reciting and the liturgical celebration becomes more meaningful to them. We have used flashcards, printouts, and even the learning app Quizlet to help them with this. The effort is ongoing but we see steady improvement in the responses of children and are confident that with the support of parents, the children will learn and understand the prayers correctly.
We are very proud to say that all our classes have at least one Youth Catechist as a teacher. It is wonderful to see the youth who completed their Sunday school training take an active role in leading the younger students and are confident that the future of our catechesis is safe in their hands.