Program Overview	GIFTS OF ANCESTRAL WISDOM
		Start by doing what's necessary; then do what's possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.
		St. Francis of Assisi

Aquinas Newman Center believes that family involvement and input is the foundation of effective religious formation. Our programs are developed to support and nurture the family’s role in the formation of children’s faith.

We are committed to providing faith formation programs for children, youth, and adults which foster a living, conscious, and active faith by:

• effectively proclaiming the Christian message;
• building community both in the parish and home environments;
• using formational models which incorporate age-appropriate cognitive (believing), affective (trusting), and behavioral (doing) lessons and activities;
• supporting and celebrating the role of the family in forming children's faith;
• challenging members to transform their relationships, environment, and society to reflect God’s kingdom;
• motivating community members to serve each other and the wider community;
• partnering with families, parish ministries, and the broader community who share common concerns about the state of our children and youth in our city, state, and nation.

Aquinas Newman Center offers a variety of programs in order to meet the diverse needs of our community. Beginning with age 3 and continuing into adulthood, our programs have been developed to assist those in our community experience God’s profound love and to experience our Christian community as a place where they are always welcome.

Communication

Successful partnering requires open and on-going communication between ANC and its member families. Kyle Kemp, Director of Religious Formation is available before, during, and after programs to meet with families or you can schedule an appointment by contacting him by phone (247-1094 x226) or email (kyle@aquinasnm.org). If you are in the neighborhood and want to drop in, Kyle is generally in the office Sunday through Thursday until 3:00 PM.
While we believe that the programs we offer can meet the needs of our community, if your family has special needs or scheduling conflicts, you are encouraged to meet with Kyle to discuss your options within current programming or to develop a personalized program for your family’s formation. Similarly, if your needs or schedule changes during the year, please let the office know so that we can meet your changing needs. We are a support network to help you form your children’s faith.

The office of religious formation publishes a monthly newsletter to help families know what is happening in the programs as well as the general parish. The newsletter, Formational Gifts (previously, News From the Journey) is sent out by email while a paper copy is available in the Gathering Space. The newsletter provides curriculum updates, a monthly calendar, and other pertinent news.

In order to avoid ever-increasing postage rates, email is used as the primary communication vehicle. In addition to the newsletter, email will occasionally be used to send out information and reminders on upcoming parent meetings, updates and changes to the schedule, and cancellations due to teacher illness or changing weather conditions. Recognizing that email is often and easily abused, our aim is to limit the number of emails sent out.

The ANC website is being redesigned to include the current newsletter, forms, links to program information, and other important information. In addition, the website includes the entire 2009-2010 program calendar for families who need to schedule future events.

Program Fees

Aquinas Newman Center believes in the importance of financially supporting the mission of the entire parish, rather than particular programs or ministries. Reflecting this belief, Aquinas Newman Center does not currently charge for any of the religious formation programs it offers.

The religious formation program depends on the financial generosity of its members through their contributions to the weekly collection. The money collected each week goes toward paying the costs of the various ministries that we offer, including formation.

Religious Formation needs to purchase books, materials, and supplies for each of its programs. Everyone in religious formation works hard at being a good steward of the parish’s resources. We buy our supplies on sale; negotiate with textbook vendors; we ask for donations; and find creative ways to meet our needs with minimal costs. Most important is the dedication and efforts of our wonderful and dedicated volunteers who give our programs their strength and vitality.
The Religious Formation area prides itself on its frugality because it realizes that whatever money it receives was hard earned and should not be wasted in the name of convenience or self-comfort. Yet, even as frugal as it is, it still needs you to support it through contributions to the weekly collection.