Our Lady of The Cedars of Lebanon Church

Parents must be registered members and active parishioners in order to enroll their children in the Religious Education Program of our parish. The Church and the family, together, have a sacred duty, i.e., to afford children a solid Catholic religious education. Sunday school attendance is mandatory from kindergarten to the eighth grade. Parents who fail to provide religious education to their children may be unable to receive a letter of sponsor for the Mysteries of Initiation.

Attending Sunday Mass and fulfilling your Catholic obligation is mandatory. Missing Sunday Mass is a mortal sin. Parents are urged to participate in their children’s activities. Going to Sunday school and not going to Mass is inappropriate and it is an insult to the Lord himself. Besides, it does not help our children to grow spiritually. The goal is to keep our families praying together. Remember the words of Pope Paul VI: “The family that prays together stays together.” Parents and children, must together, attend the Qurbono (Mass) and worship with the parish community. This basically shows that parents have the intention of being a part of the local “Family of Faith.” Both the parents and the Church have a sacred duty, i.e., to provide an example of prayer and piety to the youths of the parish and to afford them the best Catholic education there is.

Children who are in the Second and Third Grade should enroll in a two-year, well thought-out, religious education program. Among other basic doctrinal teachings, students in the Second Grade learn the concept of right and wrong, and that of sin and forgiveness, thus the Mystery of First Reconciliation (Confession). In the Third Grade, they are taught the Mystery of the Eucharist, and the transformation of bread and wine into the Body and the Blood of our Lord, thus the Mystery of the First Holy Eucharist (First Communion). To be eligible to receive the First Holy Eucharist, students must attend two full years of classes at Our Lady of the Cedars of Lebanon Church.

Students transferring from other schools, in the middle of the year to enroll in our First Holy Eucharist program, must present a letter of completion of the Second Grade or the First Reconciliation from their previous parish or school. They will be treated on a case-by-case basis with the Pastor. Parents who wish to enroll their children in catechetical program of the parish should register, if not already registered, as members of the parish.