Cornerstone

Follow. Guide. Lead.

Something for Every Age

Year 1

Year 2

Year 3

Mission:

Cornerstone strives to foster the total personal and spiritual growth of participants and their families, to invite them into active participation in the church, and to empower them to live as disciples.

Vision:

Cornerstone brings together the traditional classroom based model with the intergenerational model. There is a parish-wide theme for each month that is broken down into level-based teachings. 'Wee Families' is for 1-5 year olds and their families. It is a wiggle-friendly session that ends in cookies and milk based on parish theme. Cornerstone sessions are held from October-April for 1st-10th grade participants and their families. Week 1 families meet in the parish hall for a meal and an introduction to the month's theme. Weeks 2-3 are held in the classrooms at grade-based levels. Week 4 (and sometimes 5) are at home. The goal of Week 4 is to give families a time to have a meal together and talk about their faith at home. Helps are provided during the Week 1 session for how to bring the theme into our everyday life. 'Into the Deep' is a YouTube video based on the theme posted at the beginning of the month. Everyone is welcome to watch it and a discussion will be held towards the end of the month for those who want to go even deeper or have questions. Everything we do is based on the Mass and has it's source and summit in the Eucharist. There are no textbooks. Only the Bible, Catechism, YouCat, and Saint story books are used within the grade-based sessions.

Visio Divina

Visio Divina is the practice of praying with sacred art. It is sitting in front of a painting or other art form and asking what God is wanting to say to you through it. It is something everyone can do, no matter what age they are. This is why you will see it incorporated each month in every grade level's lesson plans.

Lectio Divina

Lectio Divina is the practice of praying with sacred scripture. It is reading a passage or verse over and over again while you meditate on a word or phrase that stands out to you. God continues to speak to us through his Word. We just need to spend time in silence to listen. Lectio Divina is present in our older grades each week, but is also present in our younger grades each week (but not with a worksheet).

Instead of Textbooks, Grades 7-10 Use:

BreakThrough Bible

This is the main "textbook" participants get to take home with them and bring back for each Week 2 & Week 3. They receive one from the program at the beginning of the 7th grade year (or whenever they enter the program), and keep it with them until the end of their 10th grade year. Encourage them to write in their Bible and take notes.

YouCat

The YouCat is used in the 7th-10th grade lesson plans. Each session needs enough for small group work. Ideally, these are used by the participants. If the program does not have enough money to supply multiple copies per room, have the catechist put the copy of the question and answers on a slide but make sure they add the proper citation on the slide.

Stories of the Saints

Each grade-based section of 7th-10th grade should have their own copy of "Stories of the Saints" (or multiple copies if preferred). For our homeschool families, I recommend sending a book home with them that they return at the end of the year or encouraging them to search the particular Saint's story online.

Instead of Textbooks, Grades 1-6 Use:

Catholic Children's Bible

This is the main "textbook" participants get to take home with them and bring back for each Week 2 & Week 3. They receive one from the program at the beginning of the 1st grade year (or whenever they enter the program), and keep it with them until the end of their 6th grade year. Encourage them to write in their Bible and take notes.

YouCat for Kids

The YouCat for Kids is used in the 1st - 6th grade lesson plans. Each session needs enough for small group work. Ideally, these are used by the participants. If the program does not have enough money to supply multiple copies per room, have the catechist put the copy of the question and answers on a slide but make sure they add the proper citation on the slide.

Discover the Saints

Each grade-based section of 1st-6th grade should have their own copy of "Discover the Saints" (or multiple copies if preferred). For our homeschool families, I recommend sending a book home with them that they return at the end of the year or encouraging them to search the particular Saint's story online.

All Grades use the Catechism of the Catholic Church

If you are reading this as a parent and not a parish faith formation leader, it would not surprise me if you have no idea what a Catechism of the Catholic Church is. To be honest, I spent most of my life not knowing this even existed. It took me working in parish ministry to be introduced to the Catechism. This book is AMAZING (but sometimes hard to understand - hence the YouCat and YouCat for Kids development). Each grade-based section should have at least one Catechism, if not more. Even though this is the entire Catechism (and not a synopsis like the YouCat and YouCat for Kids), it is my hope that participants and their parents are exposed to the Catechism as a resource they can look to (and learn how to use it).

The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) is a compendium of all Catholic teaching. Pope John Paul II wanted it made to be a resource for those in the church responsible for faith formation, but also for all of the Christian faithful. It is split up into four parts: Profession of Faith, Celebration of the Christian Mystery, Life in Christ, and Christian Prayer. If you are new to the Catechism, it has numbered paragraphs from beginning to end. If there is a specific topic you wonder what the Catholic church teaching is, you would go to the back of the book and find a word that relates to that question. Then you would reference the paragraph numbers listed by the word to find what the Catholic teaching is on the subject. Most paragraphs have references listed at the bottom of the page to find more information about what is written within the paragraph.

If you do not have the Catechism at home, that is ok. You can always reference this website that allows you to click on the paragraph numbers to read it. (Technology is so great!)

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