Scripture is at the core of every lesson in all grades.
Grade 1:
“For through faith you are all children of God in Christ Jesus.” Galatians 3:26
Our focus for First Graders is to teach them about Jesus. We teach students that God made everyone and made everyone special, and God made Jesus. Jesus is God’s Son. We define Jesus in the Holy Trinity and in the Holy Family. We define Jesus through what he did in Bible stories (healing, teaching us to love others, teaching us to pray) and through his stories (parables) showing us how to live and serve others, how to make good choices. We end the year talking about how Jesus died for our sins, to bring us to Heaven, to be our Savior.
Grade 2: Sacrament of Reconciliation
“Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” Ephesians 4:32
The 2nd Grade is focused entirely on the Sacrament of Reconciliation. We talk about what it means to be grateful, to share your blessings, to be the best version of yourself. We teach about the commandments, temptation, sin, and conscience, how Jesus’ life and death leads to our Salvation, and what it means to forgive and heal. Then we prepare them for their first Reconciliation. After their first reconciliation in March, we dive into the prayers of penance.
Grade 3 in 2025-26 CCD Year:
“I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit…” John 15:5
With peers and community becoming more important at this age, we introduce the Church, the people who hear about Jesus and believe in Him. Topics include prayers said in church, different roles in the church, what are the different parts of the mass, what are the 4 marks of the church, and what the church has accomplished over time.
Grade 3 in 2026-27 CCD Year and going Forward: Sacrament of First Holy Communion
Jesus declares, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” John 6:35
3rd Graders will focus on First Holy Communion this year. We will start the year learning about mass, the 3rd commandment, and dive into how the Eucharist is food for our souls, that receiving the Eucharist means Jesus is in you. We will talk about what happened at The Last Supper, and we will practice, rehearse, and prepare for the celebration. We will find out that
receiving Communion means Jesus will always be with us and how we can be like Jesus in our Parish Family and in the world.
Grade 4
“This is my commandment: love one another as I love you.” John 15:12
The Moral Life – We start out the year talking to 4th Graders about caring for their planet, what it means to have faith (Abraham, covenants), keep the commandments (Moses), and to live as Jesus teaches (Beatitudes). We define sin, dignity, responsibility, and consequences. We dive into how your conscience guides decisions, how to make good choices, how to show God we love our neighbors, and how to put God first in our choices. We teach that we are called to serve God, the church, and our community using the many gifts God bestows on us; we are called to be saints. Then we start to uncover what that looks like in the church at masses, through the Sacramental touchpoints and celebrations in our lives.
Grade 5:
“The water I shall give will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” John 4:14
Grade 5 is focused on a study of the 7 Sacraments and the gifts of the Earth used in the sacraments as signs of God’s presence and power. These signs draw us closer to God in our journey of faith and what that journey entails (prayer, worship, a life of virtue and examples of those like the Blessed Mother Theresa) show we are a living sign of Christ. As part of the signs, the mystery of the Trinity, the Paschal Mystery, the church and church leaders (Pope, Magisterium, bishops) are discussed. Students will dive into the Sacraments of Initiation, of Healing, and of Service and how that relates to the life we are meant to live and how God will decide where we spend our eternal life.
Grade 6+7:
“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand.” Romans 5:1-2
Articles and discussion points are tied to the liturgy messages in the gospels each week. This program develops the skills needed to answer and to live the following question: What difference does faith make in my life? The Gospel Weeklies cover the life of the Church, help students embrace the moral demands of the Gospel, and provide a foundation to understand and appreciate our faith. Faith transforms a person’s life by reconciling them to God, fostering a new identity in Christ, providing strength in challenging times, instilling hope, and leading to a life characterized by love and good works.
Grades 8 & 9:
“I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6
In Grades 8 and 9, we prepare for the celebration of the rite of Confirmation.
Grade 8 starts out specifically calling upon The Holy Spirit, breaking down all the aspects of Confirmation from accepting God’s call to making a difference as a disciple of Jesus. The unit
shows how the 7 Gifts of the Holy Spirit become strengthened as they forge a deeper connection with God through prayer, the church, and the Sacrament of Confirmation.
In Grades 8 and 9, we find out where happiness comes from, the proof of how we know God is real, that Jesus rose from the dead, and that there is a heaven and hell. We examine our religion as the True religion, the history behind the Catholic Church. We again look at each Sacrament in detail. We establish how God helps us in our times of troubles, how the Holy Spirit guides us, and that each person is chosen for a specific purpose. How to pray through intercessors like Mary, how to live like Jesus wants us to live, how to build the Kingdom of God on earth.
All Grades:
Each CCD year, the Archdiocese requires a Safe Environment lesson, empowering God’s children to protect themselves from evil in the world. The VIRTUS Children’s Program is a comprehensive suite of materials to provide lesson plans for all grade levels. Although it is the role of adults to protect children and youth from sexual abuse, we must also give children and youth the tools they need to partner with us. This program assists dioceses and organizations in providing safe environment messaging to children, in an age appropriate manner.