Faith Formation
Catechesis of the Good Shepherd
We are excited to announce that the parish, in partnership with three of our local Catholic schools, will continue to provide catechetical formation the upcoming 2025-2026 academic year through the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd! Classes will resume in the fall at the three off-site locations. The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (CGS) is a unique approach to the Christian formation of young children. It is deeply rooted in the Scripture and the Liturgy of the Church and finds its structure in the educational principles of Maria Montessori. In a prepared environment called "the atrium" the child encounters the essential proclamations of the Christian message through sensorial rich materials, which allow him to engage body and soul in God’s Word and in the Life of the Church. It is a place of prayer and profound joy seeking only to help foster in the child a deep and lifelong relationship with Jesus, the Good Shepherd and His Church. We invite you to learn more about the CGS approach to catechesis here and here.
Note: Level 1(ages 3-6). Level 2 (ages 6-9). Level 3 (ages 9-12).
Parish CGS hosted at JPGMA (768 Bowling View Rd, Front Royal): Dates/time forthcoming
Parish CGS hosted at St Edith Stein School (124 Luray Ave, Front Royal): Dates/times forthcoming
Parish CGS hosted at John XXIII Montessori Center (1401 Linden St, Front Royal): Dates/times forthcoming
For older children preparing to receive the sacrament of Confirmation (grades 6-8), we hope to continue to offer our Scripture-focused Confirmation preparation classes on Mondays from 4:30pm to 6:00pm to allow for WCPS students to attend after school. Confirmation class will begin on Monday, September 29, 2025. Please email David Wallace to enroll in Confirmation classes: [email protected]. (In the Diocese of Arlington, the normative age for Confirmation is 8th grade.)
Please note: the Level 2 atrium environment prepares children to receive both the sacraments of Penance and Eucharist.
Parents who wish to homeschool their children for catechesis are certainly welcome, even for sacramental preparation years!
We welcome you to consider My Catholic Faith Delivered, a catechetical e-learning platform to help you in homeschooling. We can enroll your child into our e-classrooms for a discounted rate. Please contact David Wallace: [email protected].
Catechesis is an education in the faith of children, young people and adults which includes especially the teaching of Christian doctrine imparted, generally speaking, in an organic and systematic way, with a view to initiating the hearers into the fullness of Christian life.
-St John Paul II, Catechesi tradendae 18
Education in the faith by the parents should begin in the child's earliest years. This already happens when family members help one another to grow in faith by the witness of a Christian life in keeping with the Gospel. Family catechesis precedes, accompanies, and enriches other forms of instruction in the faith. Parents have the mission of teaching their children to pray and to discover their vocation as children of God. The parish is the Eucharistic community and the heart of the liturgical life of Christian families; it is a privileged place for the catechesis of children and parents.” (CCC 2226)
Adult Faith Formation
We partner with the Catholic Biblical School based at Sacred Heart in Winchester for continuing Adult Faith Formation. Consider joining our adult formation and growing in your relationship with Jesus Christ.
Weekly Bible Study
Come read, study, and pray the Sacred Scriptures. Thursday mornings at 10:00am in Padre Pio Hall. Currently on hiatus. If you are interested in resuming this Bible Study (formerly led by Deacon Goldsmith), please contact Subdeacon David: [email protected].
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Director of Religious Education
Subdeacon David has been the DRE at St John the Baptist since 2017 (having worked for the Arlington Diocese since 2007), and is also the business manager and bookkeeper for the parish. He is an adjunct lecturer at Christendom College Graduate School of Theology and an occasional instructor for the Catholic Education Center’s catechist training courses utilized by the Diocese of Arlington. An ordained minor cleric ministering in the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia and preparing for diaconal ordination, he is married and has seven children.
