The Parish Religious Education Program seeks to educate our children in the truths and practices of our Faith. St. John's Religious Education Program, along with St. John's School, is guided by the Archdiocesan Curriculum, Forming Disciples for the New Evangelization, a set of standards of knowledge and behaviors, which will help children and parents alike to have the courage, love and peace to live their faith in our world.  Copies of the Forming Disciples curriculum are available from the parish Religious Education Office.

Dedicated volunteer teachers staff grades pre-Kindergarten to eighth, each Sunday morning from 9:00 to 10:15 am, in St. John the Evangelist School. Classes are for all children attending public or private schools who are in need to further their education in the Catholic Faith.

Mass is offered before and after our Religious Education Classes and parents are encouraged to take their children either to the 8:00 am or to the 10:30 am Mass as part of our Religious Education Classes. 

Religious Education classes are held most Sundays during the school year beginning the Sunday after Labor Day in September until the end May.

God is proclaimed through the encounter between persons, with care for their history and their journey. Because the Lord is not an idea, but a living Person: his message is passed on through simple and authentic testimony, by listening and welcoming, with joy which radiates outward.”

Pope Francis
September 26, 2016

Holy Eucharist or First Communion

Preparation for the reception of the Holy Eucharist or First Communion spans a two-year period which usually takes place from 1st to 2nd grade.  Most children receive the  Eucharist during the second grade year, in the spring, or at the age of 7.  Parental involvement is invited and supported.  

Confirmation

The Sacrament of Confirmation is conferred on candidates of our parish in their 8th grade by a Bishop of the Archdiocese, usually during the Spring.  The minimum amount of preparation for this Sacrament, as required by Sacramental and Liturgical norms, is also a two-year period, 7th and 8th grade. 

Each grade from Pre-K to 8th has a special curriculum to help us reinforce those four pillars at a level that your child would understand. For additional information and to download the Parent Pages on what your child will be learning during the school year and how to get involved and help further his/her education, please click on your child’s grade:

Kindergarten First grade                      
Second grade             Third grade             
Fourth grade                           Fifth grade
Sixth grade
Seventh grade
Eighth grade

Religious Education Office, 10201 Woodland Drive, Silver Spring, MD 20902

For further information, you may contact the Religious Education Office at 301-681-7634 or the parish office.

CCD

CCD RegistRation Form
Registration form and online payment CCD FORMULARIO DE REGISTRO

The CCD calendar is here.

These are the topics covered by grade:
Kindergarten- is an introduction of the concept of creation and how things relate to God through using the things of creation to understand Someone (God) created all things and humans. All is Gift of God and is meant to bring us to Him.

Grade One- presents the concept of worshipping God. We all belong to the Community that worships the Creator and that all of us belong to that Community and need to live in such a way that we witness to those beliefs.

Grade Two- presents the preparation for the reception of First Penance, usually received on a Saturday in late January, and the reception of the Holy Eucharist for the first time, usually the First Saturday in May.  Parent Preparation evenings are held for parents in the months before the reception of these sacraments.

Grade Three- The text presents the Commandments that God gave us through Moses to teach us the expectations and description of living a Catholic life style.  

Grade Four- This year continues in showing the children how Jesus teaches us to reach beyond ourselves, to live out the Beatitudes.  Jesus calls His people to reach out to help bring comfort and hope to others as he did.

Grade Five- Children in this year study all the Sacraments of the Church.  For each Sacrament they learn the formal vocabulary used, the biblical connections, the sacramentals used in the conferring of the Sacrament, including the church vessels or oils, as well as the history and origins of each Sacrament.

Grade Six- In this year, the children are now able to understand the concept of a timeline, and therefore can comprehend the History of God’s plan for His people.  In this year, the History of Salvation is traced from Creation to the coming of the promised Savior, Jesus.

Grade Seven- Children in this year are mature enough to start grasping how they can put Christ's teachings into practice in their lives.  They are taught to look at their actions and the teachings of the Church and begin to comprehend how to apply those teachings to the real life issues of today.

Grade Eight- These young adults prepare to accept the responsibility of repeating their Baptismal Promises themselves, and receive anointing of the Holy Spirit, and the Gifts He brings, in their lives.