Registration for St. Joseph Children’s Faith Formation Programs (age 3 through Grade 7) for the 2025-2026 school year has begun!

In keeping with the main goal of evangelization in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, Father O’Hara is implementing a new family catechesis model called God’s Plan in Scripture (GPS), in addition to the existing, Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (CGS).

God’s Plan in Scripture (GPS)
As we are quickly approaching the new 2025-26 school year, we are excited to implement a family catechism through a “flipped classroom” model. The flipped classroom model delivers the instructional content outside the classroom and into the home.

The program we are using is from Ascension Press, God’s Plan in Scripture (GPS) with alternate programs from Ascension for sacramental years. Through fun and engaging activities and discussions your children will experience God as a loving Father with a great plan for them. They will also learn about the Biblical roots of the Sacraments and the Mass by
reading the actual Bible, not a children’s version.

Here are some benefits of our GPS family catechism:
● Delivers the instructional content outside the classroom and into the home
● Class time is dedicated to interactive activities, discussions, applying knowledge and promoting critical thinking skills
● Students have more opportunities to be actively involved in learning
● Students have more time to spend on the material, leading to a more profound understanding
● Catechists can provide more targeted support and feedback based on individual needs
● Materials can be accessed anytime, anywhere, students can learn at their own pace
● Parents and older siblings refresh their understanding of Scripture/Liturgy, strengthening their faith

A Brief Explanation of the Program:
● Home based, self-paced learning- All home based lessons are provided for families. Each lesson is about 45-60 minutes typically and can be completed at the child’s own pace, with parent’s help as needed to reinforce concepts. Your catechist will be your primary contact and will supply you with weekly/bi-weekly instruction and additional resources provided by the program.
● Monthly Family Catechesis Class- With content being covered at home, we can gather in multigenerational groups and engage in a more energetic, interactive learning environment. This gives us the opportunity to explore the teachings of the Church in dynamic and new ways which will help inspire a deeper love of Christ. Families will come together monthly, usually the 2nd Sunday of the month to gather as a community for group instruction/liturgy and also break off into smaller groups with catechists. At least one parent/guardian must be in attendance, all family members are welcome including siblings younger than the PREP grade levels. Our monthly meetings will start with the 9am Mass and end at 11:30am.
● Community and Volunteering Opportunities- To help foster a sense of community among our families and to ignite and inspire a passion for helping others, we will provide opportunities to volunteer in different capacities. We will also have special Masses to come together as a group, these dates are TBD.

In today’s world there are many distractions that easily pull us away from living out our faith authentically. Utilizing the GPS family catechesis program, we are hoping to inspire opportunities to help live out our faith on a daily basis. It might be helpful to know that a few of our local parishes have already implemented a flipped classroom for their Prep program. We are looking forward to a great learning experience with God’s Plan in Scripture and are excited to start this new year.

For questions regarding our Family Based Catechesis, please contact Emily Roseo at stjoesprep2@gmail.com or 610-416-1631.

May God bless you and your families!

Emily Roseo (PREP Coordinator)

Keeping Our Children Safe

Children who attend in class Religious Education will be scheduled to receive these lessons.  Parents will be notified and dates/times updated here once scheduled.  

You are encouraged to view the lessons at https://phillyocf.org/safe-environment/  and if you choose NOT to have your child participate, you must, PRIOR TO the lesson date, complete and hand in the PARENT FORM.

Volunteers please click below for Safe Environment information and requirements

Safe Environment Information and Forms