Family Faith Formation Registration
Registration is open for the 2024-2025 School Year!
We have exciting things in store for our parish this year. Our team plans to introduce a new full family formation program based on the teachings found in the Catechism of the Catholic Church that is available to each and every parishioner. Every Catholic is called to lifelong learning and discipleship, and we are all called to form community, particularly in our parish. To best support the families of Mary Our Queen in their call to discipleship, we will offer weekly refreshments, fellowship, and catechesis between the Masses for parishioners of all ages. We will still offer age-appropriate break-out times for the teachings each week and a nursery for our little ones so that any adult who would like to join us is able. We will provide a full calendar and more information very soon!
1st WEEK OF CLASSES – Sunday, September 8th
Please complete our registration form below. If you have a child in a Sacramental year, please select your faith formation program of choice AND the Sacrament they will be preparing for. After submitting the registration form, be sure to process a payment for your applicable tuition rate. If you have questions, please contact the Office of Faith Formation HERE.
Tuition Rates:
Per child: $100
3 or more children in Pre-K – 5th grade: $250 family max
3 or more children 6th – 12th grade: $250 max
Pay online through our website HERE
Family Faith Formation Registration
Faith Formation Contacts and Calendar
Faith Formation Contacts
Director of Religious Education: Leigh Anne Butrum
Elementary Faith Formation: Leigh Anne Butrum
First Reconciliation & First Eucharist: Leigh Anne Butrum
Safe Environment: Leigh Anne Butrum
Youth Minister: Lindsey Martin
Confirmation: Lindsey Martin
Adult Faith Formation: Todd Coury
Christian Initiation (RCIA): Todd Coury
Baptism Preparation for Parents: Todd Coury
First Reconciliation & Communion
The Eucharist is a gift that is given to the child as they grow in their faith. Our Pflaum Gospel Weeklies “Together in Jesus” prepares the child to receive this gift through faith formation groups and retreats. First Reconciliation and First Communion normally happen in 2nd grade. A child must have completed First grade faith formation or Catholic school with good attendance to be eligible for these sacraments.
To be eligible for the sacraments of First Reconciliation/First Holy Communion, please follow the below guidelines.
Each child registering for these Sacraments will need to:
1) Supply a copy of the Baptismal Certificate with registration for First Penance and First Holy Communion.
2) Be a registered, active family member of the parish
3) Be in 2nd grade or above having satisfactorily completed the previous year of Faith Formation.
4) Be registered to attend one of the following:
1) Mary Our Queen’s Faith Formation classes
2) Catholic School Religious Education classes
3) Accredited Home School Religious Education program
In addition, parents are expected to attend the following with their child:
1) First Reconciliation Prep will be made up of 3 classes plus a retreat.
First Reconciliation Classes (Student only) – November 7, 14 , 28 and December 5 at 6 – 7:30pm
First Reconciliation Retreat (Student and parent) – January 20 at 9:30am – 12:30pm
First Reconciliation – Saturday, January 27 at 10:00am
2) First Communion Prep will be made up of 3 classes plus a retreat.
First Communion Classes (Student only) – March 4*, 12, 19, and 26 6-7:30pm
*This class has been moved to Monday due to the Mass and Veneration of the relic of Saint Jude
First Communion Retreat (student and parent) – April 27 9:30am – 12pm
First Communion Rehearsal – Saturday, May 18, 10:00am
First Communion – Sunday , May 19, 11:00am Mass
Children who haven’t received the Sacrament of Baptism and/or are entering the church as an older candidate for First Penance and First Holy Communion will need to work directly with the DRE through our Christian Initiation program.
Confirmation
“Confirmation is a special outpouring of the Holy Spirit like that of Pentecost. This outpouring impresses on the soul an indelible character and produces a growth in the grace of Baptism. It roots the recipient more deeply in divine sonship, binds him more firmly to Christ and to the Church and reinvigorates the gifts of the Holy Spirit in his soul. It gives a special strength to witness to the Christian faith.”
From the Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church #268
The Sacrament of Confirmation confers a permanent (indelible) mark on the soul of the recipient, gifting the recipient with the fullness of God’s seven-fold Gifts, which in turn produce great fruits in the soul of the believer (see below).
Normally in our diocese, children receive this Sacrament in or around 10th grade. In order to receive Confirmation, a child must attend two full years of religious instruction in our parish’s Youth Ministry program, attend Catholic school, or an approved homeschool program. All students seeking Confirmation should register for the Sacrament in their 10th grade year.
Catholic School/Homeschool:
Families registered at Mary Our Queen with teenagers in Catholic school or an approved homeschool program must register their child for Confirmation in 10th grade. All 10th graders will be required to complete the Confirmation program requirements for each year.
Adults who did not receive this Sacrament as a child and who would like to receive this most important gift of God may enroll in our RCIA program.
Read More information about Confirmation HERE
Faith Formation at Mary Our Queen
Grades PreK4 to 5: Our Elementary Faith Formation program is named for the City of David where Christ entered into the world in the city of His ancestors. Bethlehem is where Mary first held her Son and the Light of the World radiated from a star above leading the three kings to be the first to come to worship. It is our hope that the children of MOQ will be introduced to the Light of Christ through our Bethlehem program We hope they will share in the encounter of the three kings who first worshiped and responded to the Lord with gifts, great joy, and found peace in His presence. They will move from Bethlehem, a place of joy and peace, to Antioch where they will discover and learn more about the fundamentals of Christian life.
Grades 6-8: Our middle school program, ANTIOCH, takes its title from the city where, as tradition holds, the first Gentile church was founded and the followers of Christ were for the first time called “Christians”. We hope that by their participation in our program our youth will come to a deeper discovery of their identity as Catholic Christians and accept their missionary call to discipleship. By developing their faith during these formative years, they will be better prepared to move on from this Christian community and serve the world in charity and truth.
Grades 9 – 12: Our High School program, ZION, takes it’s title from Mount Zion, known for many magnificent and powerful events in ancient Christianity. It is a place of encounter with God, representing both the historical Jerusalem as well as the prophetic New Jerusalem to come – our heavenly homeland. We are called to “mount the heights of Zion” in praise to the Lord, bringing Him our highest worship and offering ourselves back to Him. Our high school program, ZION, is designed to lead our youth from Antioch, where they are formed in faith, on “to the heights” of holiness. The teens move from studying Catholicism and learning who Christ is to truly encounter the Triune God and going forward to proclaim the good news of the Gospel.
Contact Us
Bethlehem (pk4 to 5th grade)
Leigh Anne Butrum, Dir. of Religious Education
Antioch (6th to 8th grade)
Lindsey Martin, Youth Minister
Zion (9th to 12th grade)
Lindsey Martin, Youth Minister
Loretto Homeschool Ministry
We welcome you to Mary Our Queen’s Loretto Ministry!
REGISTER HERE!
Loretto is a new Mary Our Queen ministry where North Georgia Catholic families come together and plan shared events for their children, themselves, and others. Made up of primarily home-school families, Loretto organizes wholesome, family-friendly, and virtue-building activities around our faith affirming the Catholic Church’s time-honored teachings.
Through Loretto, Catholic families share resources to provide their children with faith-filled experiences. Loretto reaches out across parish boundaries, but also within our parish, to share our faith and to build a stronger Catholic life in our community.
Offerings will include informational sessions, resource sharing, family-friendly events around the liturgical calendar, field trips, teen events, mother support, and family events. We often join efforts with Holy Family TORCH to provide our families with more opportunities. Please see the contact for TORCH information below.
Questions about our ministry? Please contact Lori Snowberger, Loretto Ministry Leader, at loretto@maryourqueen.com
GA Intent to Homeschool Form– Required to be filed at the start of each school year.
Catholic Curriculums Available
Seton- https://www.setonhome.org/
Catholic Heritage Curricula- https://www.chcweb.com/catalog/
Kolbe- https://courses.kolbe.org/
Mother of Divine Grace- https://modg.org
Classical Education Supplemental Program
Catholic Schoolhouse of Atlanta: https://atlantaga.catholicschoolhouse.com
Catholic Schoolhouse of Jasper: https://jasperga.catholicschoolhouse.com
Support Homeschool Communities
Holy Family TORCH: https://holyfamilytorch.com/ – Most of our homeschool families are members of this group. We host many of their events at MOQ. Membership is $25/yr.
Adult Bible Study & Resources
Adult Formation
Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA)
Do you want to learn more about the Catholic faith?
In the Christian Initiation process at Mary Our Queen we endeavor to assist participants in knowing the truth of the saving work of Jesus Christ so that they can grow in love with him and come to the place where they desire nothing but to do his will in their life. For non-Catholics that means helping them to embrace the fullness of the Christian faith by entering Christ’s Mystical body; his One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church. For Catholics that means helping them to finish what God began in their baptism, when they were born again of water and the Spirit, by completion of the sacraments of initiation.
If you are interested in finding out more, please contact Todd Coury (tcoury@maryourqueen.com or 770-416-0002 ext. 106).
Who should participate in Christian Initiation?
Non-Catholics
- Interested in becoming Catholic
- Youth (7-17) or Adults (18+)
- Never baptized (or are baptized, but not in the Catholic Church)
Catholics
- Baptized Catholic
- Never received First Communion and/or Confirmation
- Youth (7-17 & Grades 3-12) or Adults (18+)
Volunteer | Safe Environment Requirements
The Archdiocese of Atlanta requires that all adult volunteers (18 years old or older) working with children, youth, and/or vulnerable individuals must complete the Safe Environment training (VIRTUS) and undergo a background screening before they start volunteering.
As an adult volunteer, please provide your legal name and current email through the online form below. We will happily send you the information to complete per the Archdiocese of Atlanta.
Volunteer Guidelines & Applications
In addition, volunteers must be familiar with the Reporting Child Abuse Guidelines. To view these guidelines, CLICK HERE.
Volunteers who are 13 years old or older should complete the Volunteer Application for Minors with their parent’s permission, and the School Reference for Minors form. Homeschooled minors must provide three references (non-family members).
If you have any questions, please contact our Safe Environment Coordinator, Leigh Anne Butrum at labutrum@maryourqueen.com.