As the Office of Faith Formation at Our Lady of Sorrows continues to serve your family’s faith formation needs, one of our goals is to ensure the safety of all in the parish. In order to do this, we facilitate a personal safety and abuse prevention program for students in PreK through 5th grade sponsored by the Archdiocese of Boston's Office of Child Protection. The date of this year's Safety Sunday program is Sunday, October 29, 2023.
The Virtus Teaching Safety curriculum for students in PreKindergarten through 5th grade, adopted by the Archdiocese of Boston, covers topics including:
Nurturing children’s self-esteem;
Building children’s confidence;
Enabling children to be assertive;
Helping children to identify and express their feelings; and
Helping children to distinguish between safe and unsafe situations and telling a parent or trusted adult about them
Children and young people are more likely to follow safety guidelines when they have multiple opportunities to practice and talk about safety with their parents and family. Please take time to discuss safety at home as well, such as what you do in your family to “stay safe.”
As a parent, you have the choice to opt your child out of the safety program. Please email Tzipora Stessman if you choose not to have your child attend the class.
Preparation for the sacraments of First Reconciliation and First Eucharist typically takes place during a child's second grade year. Students should enroll in the PreK-Grade 5 Faith Formation program where they will work with at least one parent and their catechists during their class sessions to prepare for each sacrament.
Click here to learn more about First Reconciliation and First Eucharist at Our Lady of Sorrows.
Parents of children who are older than second grade and who have not yet received this sacrament but would like to should contact Tzipora Stessman for details on how to complete their preparation. Questions about the program can also be directed to Monica LaFond, our Director of Faith Formation.