At St. John Neumann Parish, our goal is not merely "religious education", but formation in the faith - ongoing conversion of each christian to be more like Christ. Jesus called his disciples and sent them out to proclaim the gospel of life and salvation. The most important lessons which the Lord taught were examples of love, mercy, compassion, forgiveness, generosity, and sacrifice. Our minds, hearts, and souls must be enlightened in these virtues. It is not merely an academic process, but an ongoing conversion - a daily turning over of oneself to the Lord. This process is not just for children, but for all people who call themselves christian. We do not become faith-filled by sitting in a classroom memorizing doctrine any more than we become a good baseball player by sitting in the locker room and memorizing the rule book. We are formed in discipleship by allowing our faith to form our daily lives and shape our contribution to the world in which we live. We must grow in knowledge and in action.

We take seriously our church's ancient tradition that the first teachers of the faith are parents: the most important classroom of the church is the family home and that family gathered in the Eucharistic assembly each Sunday. Our "Program" seeks to empower parents in that primary role of sharing faith with their children.