PREP

News from "The Hive!”

This past Saturday morning, the Second Grade Students in our Parish Religious Education Program received the Sacrament of First Reconciliation. They were introduced to the power and graces that accompany this Sacrament by Monsignor McAree and Father Abraham. No one likes to admit their sinfulness, but these children came to see the beautiful gift of Reconciliation as one more way of God expressing His endless love and mercy for them and for all of us. They understand that we all need our Heavenly Father’s forgiveness, and we must do our best in being examples of His mercy in our homes, schools, communities, and places of work. As an fyi for our Parents, Lenten Reconciliation is Monday, March 25 throughout the Archdiocese of New York. From 4-7 PM, we will have a Parish Priest available in our Church for anyone who would like to stop by for confession. The Lenten season gives us a wonderful opportunity to remind ourselves that the Sacrament of Reconciliation is the best way to prepare for the Joy of the Resurrection of Our Savior, Jesus Christ. Please make this Sacrament a special part of your Lenten observance. And, please keep these children in your prayers as they take the next step in their faith journey and prepare to receive First Holy Communion on Saturday, May 11th.


PREP Online Registration for the 2024-2025 School Year will begin on April 11th. Before then, anyone who is already enrolled in our Parish Religious Education Program will receive a hard copy and email from "Parish Giving" with information on how to register your child(ren). If you do not receive an email, please contact the PREP Office to confirm your email address. If you have questions, please contact The PREP Office at (845) 359-4014 or email to stcatharineprepoffice@gmail.com.

NEW FAMILY REGISTRATION
If you are new to our wonderful Parish and registering your child(ren) for the first time, please contact the PREP Office at (845) 359-4014 for more information and instructions to register.

Classes for Grades 1-6 are on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. Students will arrive by 4:45 PM and will be dismissed at 6 PM.

Our fee schedule remains the same and is as follows:
One student - $180
Two students - $255
Three students - $305
Four students+ - $355

Communion fee - $75 per child, and Confirmation fee - $100 will remain the same.

Thank you for making the commitment to provide your child(ren) with a religious education. Please be assured that the Staff at St. Catharine’s PREP, our Pastor, Priests and the Catechists in our Program are dedicated to helping your children grow in faith and be closer to God.

Each year we are graced with cooperative, collaborative and participative Parents such as you, who help make the PREP Program vibrant and dynamic. As Parents, you are the primary educators of your children and are their best teachers. Your children learn the most from the example you set when you pray together and actively participate in Mass and the sacraments as a family. It is an awesome responsibility to bring your children to mass each week and I know you are up to the challenge.

We encourage all our families to attend the 9:30 AM Family Mass on Sunday mornings, and to have your children celebrate the Liturgy of the Word in a way designed just for them.


The Hive is humming with excitement! Once again, I've based our School Year on a lovely, inspirational quote from St. John Chrysostom ... "The bee is more honored than other animals, not because she labors, but because she labors for others."

Father Abraham has been hosting "teaching" Masses for Grades 1-6. It has been a wonderful learning experience for all of us. Thank you, Father!

Our Gertrude Hawk Easter Candy will be delivered the week of March 24. All monies will be used to enhance our Religious Education Program. The funds are allowing us to add an extra special touch to our Program.

We ask that you continue to pray for the children in our PREP that they may "Open the door of their hearts to Jesus." God bless us, All! Your kindness, prayers and support throughout the year are very much appreciated. We feel blessed to be able to share our faith with your children here at the PREP.
Mrs. Bernadette Kowalchuk and the Staff of PREP



We have an exciting year planned for all of our Students which will include different themes for each month, music, crafts and activities that will develop and enhance our faith. Our overarching focus will be the Mass and the Holy Eucharist. We are very excited to "bee" together again!!



Letter from Msgr. McAree, Pastor, to Parents - August 2022

Msgr. McAree is very pleased to announce that Mrs. Bernadette Kowalchuk has accepted the position of Director for our Parish Religious Education Program, beginning this Fall. Many of you will likely know Bernadette – she has been a very active Parishioner of St. Catharine’s for more than 20 years. Long after her own children graduated from our Parish Religious Education Program, she continued on as a valuable member of our Catechist staff faithfully preparing our 7th Grade students. She has been leading our Bible Study, and is very active with St. Catharine's Rosary Group. She is also a Lector at our daily morning Masses, and a Eucharistic Minister at our Sunday 9:30 AM Mass. Anyone who knows Bernadette knows she is always ready to help anyone in need, always putting others ahead of herself. She is truly one who demonstrates how the Holy Spirit works through you and within you, and we are truly honored and blessed to have her here with us at St. Catharine’s. Please offer Bernadette your heartfelt congratulations and ask God to richly bless her as she begins this new chapter with us.

Letter from Mrs. Bernadette Kowalchuk to Parents - August 2022

Dear Families,
As the scriptures tell us, "There is a time for everything and a season for everything under Heaven" Ecclesiastes 3:1. As you have heard, it is time for Mrs. Angelini to retire from her role as the Director of our PREP program, a time which arrives after many years of dedicated service to the children and families of our parish. It is time for me to now begin a new path, one which I sense our Lord is inviting me to. After much prayer and with the blessing of my family, I have very humbly accepted the position as the next Director of St. Catharine's Religious Education Program, beginning this September. When the time comes for the new school year to begin, we will spend time getting to know each other.

In the meantime, I'd like to share a bit about myself. My husband Doug and I moved our young family to Blauvelt 22 years ago and have been parishioners of St. Catharine's since then. Our three adult children, Christopher, Matthew, and Danielle, attended South Orangetown Schools and have been Formed in their faith at St Catharine's. I was a stay-at-home mom for most of their childhoods. Later in life, I returned to academia and got a Master's Degree in Marriage and Family Therapy. Most of my career as a therapist has been spent serving individuals struggling with Eating Disorders, Anxiety, and Depression. I currently have a private therapy practice.

I have been involved with St. Catharine's PREP for most of the years I have lived in the district. I began as a hall monitor and quickly moved into the classroom. I have taught 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th grades.

Above all else, I have a heart for our Lord. My life has been transformed by our beautiful faith, and I can't wait for the time to come to share it with you.

May the Lord bless us as we prepare for this time of change. Mrs. Angelini has invited me to grow the program and make it better, a very tall order indeed. I look forward to our time together.
Bernadette Kowalchuk.


Thank you for committing to provide your child(ren) with a Catholic religious education. Please be assured that the staff at St. Catharine's PREP, our pastor, priests, and the catechists in our program, are dedicated to helping your children grow in their faith and be closer to God. Each year we are graced with cooperative, collaborative, and participative parents such as you, who help make the PREP Program vibrant and dynamic. As parents, you are the primary educators of your children and are their best teachers. Your children learn the most from the example you set when you pray together and actively participate in Mass and the sacraments as a family. It is a tremendous responsibility to bring your children to Mass each week, and I know you are up to the challenge.

Sunday Mass is the Centerpiece of Catholic Life. It is a beautiful gift to us. We receive many graces when we are in attendance. It is the opportunity to feed our spiritual souls when we participate in the Eucharist, we receive Jesus, the true Bread of Life. Please make every effort to bring your child(ren) to weekly Mass. Children learn by what is modeled for them. Let us work together to teach them how critical the Mass truly is. It is very important to keep ourselves strong in mind, body, and spirit, and that you remain faithful to our Lord by attending Mass each week. We encourage all our families to attend the 9:30 AM Family Mass on Sunday mornings, and to have your children celebrate the Liturgy of the Word in a way designed just for them.

To receive ongoing information regarding our Parish, please contact the Parish Office at (845) 359-0542 and subscribe to Flocknotes, our email communications system.

I ask that you continue to make prayer a top priority in your homes. Let us also remember that Our God is with us and with Him all things are possible! We pray for God's continuous blessing as we journey and work hand in hand in bringing about God's kingdom in our midst. It is the love and support from the St. Catharine’s Staff, Parishioners, and PREP Parents that inspires us all to carry on.

I have included some links to many websites which currently offer a wide variety of spiritually enriching opportunities for us to take advantage of.

https://www.catholicfaithnetwork.org/
https://www.catholicfaithnetwork.org/cfn-livestream-player
https://www.saintpatrickscathedral.org/live
https://us.magnificat.net/flipbook
https://archny.org/catechetical-resources
Young Adult Outreach: https://www.facebook.com/CatholicNYC/.


Formed.org
The Best Catholic Content. All in One Place. Formed.org provides the very best Catholic content from more than 60 organizations to help parishes, families, and individuals explore their faith anywhere. Supporting thousands of movies, children’s programs, e-books, audio, parish programs, and studies direct to your browser, mobile or connected device. We have just received a grant from an anonymous donor so that we may continue to have the formed.org Program for another year - that means it's free to us for another year! Just go to formed.org, and you’ll find the best Catholic Study Programs from renowned speakers such as Bishop Robert Barron, Scott Hahn, Tim Gray, and more; over 40 full-length Catholic feature films, audio presentations, and dozens of inspiring e-books, all just a click away, and all for free! All you need to do is register at formed.org., you no longer need a Parish Access Code. Access the truth, beauty, and meaning of the Catholic faith anytime, anywhere…with formed.org. Just go to the following link to sign up - https://formed.org/signup. Parish: St. Catharine Church 523 Western Highway

God's Little Giants
We are looking for a few volunteers with kind and caring hearts to help as Catechists with our God’s Little Giants Program. God’s Little Giants is a wonderful ministry that responds to the religious and spiritual needs of students in grades 1-8 who have physical, mental, or emotional challenges which may impair their participation in a regular classroom and necessitate their receiving instruction in a small group, one-on-one setting, or mainstreamed into the regular class with special assistance. Instruction is provided in small groups and parents are encouraged to join our Catechists at each meeting. Children will have the opportunity to participate in a variety of activities that include preparing for Sacraments, participating in Mass, singing, reading, and sharing. Special emphasis is placed on preparing for the Sacraments of Eucharist, Reconciliation, and Confirmation for those children who may not have received these Sacraments. If you have a child who you feel would benefit from this Program, please call Bernadette Kowalchuk at the PREP Office at (845) 359-4014 for more information. Also, please call the PREP Office if you are interested in joining our God Little Giants team as a Volunteer.

Catechists
The word "catechesis" means "to echo." Literally, we are to echo the good news of Jesus Christ to the world. Would you share your faith with the wonderful children of our Parish? God gives us amazing grace when we answer His call to carry on the joyful mission to "teach as Jesus did." We thank our dedicated parents and catechists who teach Jesus' Gospel and help the children grow in their faith and love of God and His Church. Our volunteers are one of our greatest assets, and we are very grateful for the gift of themselves, their time, and their talent. They enrich the whole parish. Do you feel called to be a messenger for Christ? We would welcome more of our parents, guardians, and teens to be catechists or assistants in our PREP program. If you are interested, please call Mrs. Bernadette Kowalchuk, Director of Religious Education at (845) 359-4014.

Catechesis or Religious Education is the process of communicating the beliefs, values and practices which make people Catholic Christians. It is the work of handing on, from one generation to the next, the faith that has come down to us from Jesus and the Apostles and the way of life to which that faith calls us. PREP assumes the responsibility of carrying out this mission to the children attending Public School.

The Parish Religious Education Program (PREP) has as its goals:
- To assist parents in imparting the Catholic faith to their children as a living and life-giving faith.
- To teach students what a Catholic believes and how a Catholic lives in response to that message.
- To involve students and families in the life of the parish, i.e., in worship, community and service.
- To encourage parents to continue their own religious development.
- To build a community of faith where all feel loved and respected.

PREP Forms & Documents

What to do in the Confessional
The Sacrament of Reconciliation
Community Out Reach Experience - Community Service form for 7th and 8th grade students.
Sponsor Form - Please use this form to register and become a sponsor for Confirmation.