Sacred Heart
of jesus
Religious Education | Catechesis of the Good Shepherd

“In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:16

In today’s culture, we as Christians are called to be a light in the darkness. To not hide our lights, but strengthen them and go out and share them. That is our focus here at Sacred Heart through our Youth Evangelization efforts. We, as supporters of parents who we consider the first educators of the faith to their children; look to see how we can bring children in our parish to see, know and love God personally and in those around them as well. We focus on how we can help them to grow in the knowledge of all the Catholic Church has to offer us about who God is, Scripture, the Sacraments, Virtue and so much more. All so that we build the body of the church up to continue to be a light to those around us in that all we do, all glory is pointed to God in heaven.

Our CCD and CGS classes are offered on the Sacred Heart of Jesus church campus located at 9377 St. Rt. 119, Anna, Ohio 45302 in our church basement as well as in our Parish Activities Center (PAC). We offer CCD for grades 1 - 12. These are broken up and held within 2 sessions on Wednesday evenings. Session 1 runs from 6:30 - 7:30PM for grades 1-5. Session 2 runs from 8:00 - 9:00PM for grades 6-9. All these sessions are located in classrooms in our church basement. Youth Evangelization for Grades 10-12 are located in the PAC on Wednesdays from 7:45 - 9:00PM. 

Level I, II & III Catechesis of the Good Shepard are offered on Wednesdays as well as Sunday mornings. You can click the button below to find more information about Catechesis of the Good Shepard.

Learn More about CGS

We currently use a mixture of Ruah Wood’s Theology of the Body and Sophia Press’ Spirit of Truth as our core curriculum for Grades 1 - 6. Ruah Wood’s TOB curriculum helps our students answer questions such as “Who am I? Why am I here? What does it mean to love?” They answer these questions by learning around the themes of personal identity and inherent dignity. You can learn more about Ruah Woods and their curriculum here. Sophia Press’ Spirit of Truth does a great job of giving a firm foundation to our students around the Sacraments, Scripture and other core teachings of the Catholic faith. You can review more about their content at their website. We provide the sacraments of First Reconciliation and First Eucharist in the 2 grade.

CCD for Grades 7-8 is focused on preparing students to receive their Confirmation which is done during the 8 grade at our church. Over the 2 years of Catechesis preparation they receive, they also use Ruah Wood’s Theology of the Body as well as Ascension Press’ “The Chosen” confirmation program. The goal of this curriculum is for students to embrace their Catholic faith and commit to it through the Sacrament of Confirmation and to go about being disciples of Christ as confirmed Catholics. It’s combination of video and book based curriculum that helps to provide students a new viewpoint of their faith and give them opportunities to ask questions. It helps by incorporating the lives of the saints into the program to help start giving them ideas of who to choose as a Patron Saint

CCD for Grade 9 is focused largely on discussing Theology of the Body as it relates to living out the virtue of chastity in today’s world. The grade is split and taught by gender. This allows for there to be more focused discussion for young men and women on how it looks to live out chastity and the other virtues in relation to the body being a gift from God and made in His image. It also covers how do we respect the other gender when it comes to living out physical chastity. This is largely guided by using Ascension Press’ “ You” curriculum. Once the program is finished in class, the rest of the classes are focused on teaching and discussion around various types of prayer that we as Catholics embrace in supporting our faith.

“The world offers you comfort, but you were not made for comfort. You were made for greatness.” Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI

Youth Evangelization

Daring Disciples

Youth Evangelization efforts are also offered through our Daring Disciples program for grades 7-9. These students meet together anywhere from 4 to 6 times per year in our PAC in place of their normal class. This allows the grades to intermingle a bit, learn together about what it means to be a Disciple of Christ and participate in some fun, youth group based activities. A portion of this time is also spent in small groups with adults from the parish who guide them in discussion questions around the topic for the night. They literally while learning about discipleship, get to receive it and see it modeled for them as well. Lifeteen’s Edge curriculum is often use for these nights.


Young Church 

Youth Evangelization for grades 10 through 12 is all together each week in our Parish Activities Center. This allows for a bigger group to be together. Our group/program is called Young Church and it helps to prepare these students who are confirmed to go out and be the Church itself. The hour and 15 minutes we have together is focused on a mixture of youth group activity, prayer, catechesis and small group discussion. This program also can use the LifeTeen curriculum and approach with students along with other various outside elements such as outside speakers coming in to share on their faith in the ways that God has called them to.

Youth Evangelization Activities - Summer 2026

  • Steubenville Youth Conference - June 26-28, 2026
  • $50 Deposit due January 28th
  • Catholic Heart Work Camp - July 5-11, 2026 in Huntingburg, IN
  • Damascus Youth Summer Camp (Scheduled on your own)
  • More information on local options are coming!

Sacrament Prep

  • First Reconciliation

    First Reconciliation is February 11th from 6:30-7:30PM for the CCD students (not CGS).


  • First Holy Communion

    First Communion Practice is Wednesday, April 22, 2026 from 6:30-7:30PM


    First Communion Mass is Sunday, April 26, 2026 at 10:00AM (Students and Parents should report to the old basement at 9:30AM).

  • Confirmation

    “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the Earth.” Acts 1:8


    Sacrament of Confirmation Background


    The Sacrament of Confirmation is the last of the 3 Sacraments of Initiation (Baptism, Eucharist, Confirmation). Confirmation is the sacrament by which the Holy Spirit, who completed the grace received at Baptism, is poured anew on the baptized Christian. While Baptism is the gateway to life in the Spirit, Confirmation is the “sacrament of growth,” completing the initiation and empowering the faithful to become active participants in the life of the Church⁵. Through the laying on of hands by the ministerial priest (Archbishop Casey) and the anointing with chrism, the Church seals the faithful with the “gift of the Holy Spirit,” giving them an indelible spiritual mark and the strength to live as mature witnesses of Christ¹. The Catechism explains that this anointing highlights the meaning of the word.


    “Christian,” which means “anointed,” and in the West the sacrament is called Confirmation because it ratifies Baptism and strengthens its grace². 


    The Effects of Confirmation (CCC 1303)


    1. It affirms our identity as children of God (“divine filiation”).

    We become Beloved Sons & Daughters.


    2. “It unites us more firmly to Christ.”

    The anointing imprints an indelible spiritual character, a “seal” that confirms the baptized more perfectly to Christ and marks them forever as members of the Church¹.


    3. “It increases in us the gifts of the Holy Spirit.”

    The sacrament bestows the fullness of the Holy Spirit’s gifts—wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord—so that the confirmand may bear witness to Christ in the world¹.


    4. It strengthens our “bond with the Church.”

    It also cultivates the fruits of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self‑control—allowing the Christian to “spread the good aroma” of Christ among men¹. It draws us closer to worship of God in Holy Mass and the reception of grace through Her sacraments.


    5. It strengthens us to “spread and defend the faith by word and action,” to be fearless witnesses to Christ and the power of the Cross.

    Confirmation perfects the grace of Baptism, enabling the faithful to grow in holiness and to fulfill the prophetic, royal and priestly mission given at Pentecost⁵.


    What Confirmation Is NOT


    Confirmation is in no way intended to be the end of your son’s or daughter’s spiritual formation; but rather the BEGINNING of a deeper, more mature, personal life in Christ. It gives way to the sacraments of Marriage and Holy Orders. It is not something that is “earned”, but as with God’s love and mercy - it’s a gift freely given.


    *Citation: Hallow AI: What is Confirmation? & Chosen Parent Guide



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Resources for Parents

ADULTS

  • Catholic Answers: Can help provide answers to questions you have about our Catholic Faith
  • Extraordinary Mission: Set of videos from Extraordinary Mission on how to bring faith into the home.
  • Ascension Press: Great Catholic publisher with lots of information related to the faith through dynamic speakers.
  • Augustine Institute: Another great Catholic publisher with information related to the faith. They also run the “Formed” app which is a media source with lots of dedicated shows that help to learn more about the faith.
  • Hallow: An app focused on prayer and so much more. Through this subscription based app, you can help set a more dedicated prayer routine, access the scriptures on your phone, music, homilies, audio books and so much more!
  • Dynamic Catholic: Another solid resource to help you grow in your Catholic faith, largely through their books.
  • The World is Noisy Podcast: A local source of great Catholic content that provides a personal touch through Julia Monnin sharing her knowledge of the faith through her own life.

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Religious Education Staff

Ashley Schroeder

Coordinator of Religious Education, 7 - 12th Grade at Sacred Heart of Jesus

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Theresa Jenkins

Coordinator of Religious Education, Gr. 1-6 at Sacred Heart of Jesus 

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