Religious Education Registration for Grades K-7 is now open for the 2025-2026 school year. 
 
 As Catholics, we know that parents are the first teachers of our Faith. It is through the family, the domestic church, that we first learn who God is and prayerfully seek His Will for us. Our Religious Education program is designed to support the domestic church and enhance these teachings with further instruction and experiences geared to make well rounded Catholics.

St. Oscar Romero Parish offers families options for Religious Education for students in kindergarten through Grade 7. For children in Grades 1 through Grade 7, we use the Alive in Christ Series from Our Sunday Visitor for both our traditional on-site classes and our Home Study program. Alive in Christ features a unique spiral scope and sequence based on seven essential doctrinal themes:  Revelation, Trinity, Jesus Christ, The Church, Morality, Sacraments, Kingdom of God. Age-appropriate content for each theme is presented at every grade level as the child grows and develops. This series provides solid content and a foundation of faith and love of Jesus Christ. It also provides a valuable tool for parents and catechists featuring free downloadable activities and teacher resources.  
With this series, the child will…

• • Grow in their knowledge of the Catholic Faith
  • Develop a vibrant Catholic identity
  • Prepare for the Sacraments of First Reconciliation and First Communion
  • Undertake service projects for Church and Community

Religious Education for Kindergarten through Grade 7
St. Oscar Romero Parish offers both traditional onsite classes and a Home Study option for families. Students in both traditional setting and in Home Study have the opportunity to participate in program-wide sacraments, service projects, and events. Though we welcome kindergarten students to both our traditional onsite and homeschool programs, it is not a required year and optional for families.

Traditional classroom setting:
For children in grades Kindergarten through Grade 7, offer traditional classroom instruction: Sundays from 9:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.  Classes have approximately 20 students, taught by wonderful faith-filled volunteer catechists. All classes are in the Faith Formation Building (formerly St. Patrick School).

HomeStudy option for all grades Kindergarten through Grade 7:
Our Home Study program takes advantage of our wonderful series, Alive in Christ from Our Sunday Visitor.  Kindergarten students will use the Allelu! text, also from Our Sunday Visitor. Home Study is taught by a catechist not by the parents. Each child will receive a physical textbook as well as be able to access the textbook online. The class is housed on a platform called Flip!, which is a private site owned by Our Sunday Visitor, who is the publisher of our textbook. The catechist will send the assignment to the email you provide on the registration form. The catechist will ask a few questions for the child to answer. Typically, the child answers the questions through a video link that you will be sent. This is all done in Flip!, the secure site. The child does not have to be online at the same time as the catechist. The catechist will send the assignment on the weekend, and the child will have a week to complete the lesson and the video. The children in the class have the opportunity to interact with each other on the Flip! site.

Religious Education and Sacrament Preparation
 Our sacramental preparation for First Reconciliation and First Communion are included in the Religious Education instruction. As required by the Diocese of Pittsburgh, to obtain these sacraments, students requesting to receive First Reconciliation and First Communion need to attend an established Faith Formation/Religious Education program or a Catholic School for two consecutive years. (Grades 1 and 2 for First Reconciliation and First Communion). Please see the Sacrament tab for further details.