Dear Sacred Heart Parish Family,

As the summer is drawing to a close, we are getting ready to welcome the children back to CCD for another year of religious education. We always look forward to seeing their smiling faces up on the hill! The first Saturday morning class for K-4^th Grades will be September 10^th, and the first Tuesday night class for 5^th-8^th Grades will be September 13^th. The full CCD year calendar will be emailed to all registered CCD families later in August. So please go ahead and register your children now!

The registration form and payment information are up on our parish website on the School of Religion webpage under “Faith Formation.” If you have any questions as you begin to register your children, please contact our Director of Religious Education, Jessica Ptomey at (301) 262-1221 or ccdsacredheart@gmail.com.

In the spring we received updated religious education guidelines from the Archdiocese of Washington, and we have updated aspects of our curriculum accordingly for the coming school year. You may review the Archdiocese’s Curriculum Guide PDF document on our School of Religion webpage. We have also updated various CCD policies, including attendance and registration fees, in our CCD Policies and Parent Information document, which is posted on the website as well. I ask that all parents take a few minutes to review this information.

In the desire to strengthen our parish community and sacramental preparation, we are now requiring all children in the parish to participate in both 1^st Grade and 2^nd Grade CCD years in preparation for 2^nd Grade sacraments and 7^th and 8^th Grade CCD years in preparation for Confirmation in 8^th Grade. Please register your 1^st Grade and 7^th Grade students this year as part of their preparation for the sacrament years. Given the fact that we are coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, we will make exceptions this year for 2^nd and 8^th Grade students who did not participate last year but have maintained their religious education. If you have questions or concerns about your child’s readiness to receive sacraments, please contact Jessica Ptomey.

Finally, I am very pleased to announce to you all that our CCD building has been beautifully renovated this summer. All classrooms have been freshly painted, and beautiful religious artwork and saint portraits are being hung in the classrooms this month. We invite all our parish families to attend our CCD open house on August 30^th at 6:30 p.m. (light refreshments will be included!) to preview your children’s new classrooms and hear a short presentation from Jessica Ptomey and Joni Seith on the wonderful new additions to our program this year.

We are thanking God for his provision and goodness in this past year’s CCD program. We ask that you all join us in prayer, anticipating the same gifts from our Lord in the coming school year!

God bless,