Children 4-years-old through Kindergarten are invited to join the fun of L.I.F.E. programs. Through hands-on activities, stories and games, kids will learn about the awesome God who made them.

Session Times:

Sunday Morning  10:30 - 11:30   (during Mass )

                        for children without older siblings in LIFE programs

Sunday Evenings 6:00 – 7:30

Wednesday Aftrnoon 4:30 - 5:30

Wednesday Evening 6:00 – 7:30

Praise and Worship

Sunday and Wednesday Evening Sessions: Evening sessions begin with large group Praise and Worship. During this time, all members of LIFE programs join together in the sanctuary to celebrate with songs and entertaining activities such as skits and game shows through which participants will be introduced to the topic of the evening. Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten children, along with their parents, participate in Praise and Worship, teaching children from a young age the importance of coming together as community to love and serve our Lord.

Sunday Morning Sessions: Sunday Morning sessions will not have Praise and Worship. Children are to be taken directly to their House.

Wednesday Afternoon Sessions:   Participants are welcome and encouraged to participate in Praise & Worship at 6:00.

House Time

Following Praise and Worship, parents bring their Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten children to their House, or small group. During House Time, the small groups will continue to focus on the topic for the evening using hands-on activities, stories and games.

Parental Expectations

Parents, please carefully read the following list of expectations.

Mass

Sunday Mass is the source and summit of our Catholic life. It is expected that families participating in LIFE will make every effort to attend mass weekly

Praise and Worship

All children, Pre-K through 5 th grade, need to be accompanied by an adult during Praise and Worship.

House Time Drop-Off

Parents, or another authorized adult, are required to accompany their children, Pre-K through 5 th grade, to their House and sign them in.

House Time Pick-Up

Children, Pre-K through 5 th grade will not be allowed to leave their House until they are picked-up by a parent or another authorized adult.

Volunteering

The LIFE programs are growing and thriving because of the enthusiastic participation of so many adults.  When children see their parents participating, their faith can grow exponentially.   

In order to take advantage of the numerous skills and talents that are evident in our parish, there are a great number of volunteer opportunities available.  Please see “Volunteer Opportunities” to determine how your God given talents can be used to support your child’s faith formation.

It is expected that all parents will volunteer in some capacity.

Adult Programs

Parents are strongly encouraged to check-out the faith formation opportunities that are available for them during their children’s House time.

Image Use

From time to time, St. Michael’s may use a family’s or child’s picture for the purpose of “showing” the public what we are about. The pictures may be published in the community or local newspapers, the parish newsletter, the parish web site or at other various events.

The policy that we adhere to is as follows:

1. We will not associate any identifying information (last name, etc) with any image.
2. We will not publish an image of a single minor.
3. We will not use any image for any profit making, or political purposes.
4. We will not give or sell an image to any other organization.

Talking About Touch

The staff at St. Michael’s is dedicated to providing a safe environment for all children participating in L.I.F.E. programs. In response to “The Charter for the Protection of Children and Young Adults” published by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, the following procedures and programs have been implemented.

Adults - All adults who work with youth on a regular basis are required to complete a back-ground check and sign a “Code of Conduct” drafted by the St. Paul and Minneapolis Archdiocese. At no time will an adult be allowed to be isolated in a one-on-one situation with a child.

Children – Children will discuss the importance of personal safety with their parents and leaders at specific training programs. This information includes both proper and improper touch, and healthy and unhealthy relationships. Specific details concerning this training will be published on the web, as well as shared at L.I.F.E. sessions, as soon as they are available.