Frequently Asked Questions

What is GIFT?

GIFT stands for Growing In Faith Together. It is the basic lifelong faith formation program offered by St. Mary's Parish for adults and children in pre-K through grade 10. See the Welcome to GIFT! page for a complete overview. The registration form (downloadable at right) also contains an "at a glance" summary of the program.

How do I register for GIFT?

Fill out a registration form and turn it in to St. Mary's Parish, 1303 W. Broadway, Winona, MN 55987. Include a check for your $20 program fee and any curriculum materials you may wish to order. Registration forms are available from your parish office, or may be downloaded by clicking on the link in the right-hand column.

Must my family attend all GIFT sessions?

No. You may attend whichever GIFT sessions work best for your family. For example, one family may wish to attend both GIFT for Families sessions, GIFT In Depth, and Jubilee Kids. Another family may only attend the GIFT In Depth sessions, or the sacraments track of GIFT for Families once a month.

May we attend sessions for which we haven't registered?

Once you have registered, you may attend whichever sessions you like. We ask that you specify your attendance intentions on the registration form for our own planning purposes.

What if I am unable to afford the program and materials fee?

Submit your registration form and note that you are unable to pay the registration fee at this time. We may be able to supply curriculum materials at a reduced cost for families in need, depending on availability.

I am a parent who is unable to accompany my child(ren) to GIFT for Families. How can my child(ren) participate?

Parents are strongly encouraged to participate in the faith formation of their children. Unlike other subject areas (math, science, etc.), faith formation is less about imparting information and more about inviting people to a way of life centered on discipleship in Jesus Christ. Children respond to this invitation most effectively when it comes from their parents, and when a Christ-centered lifestyle is lived out at home as well as at church.

Circumstances sometimes prevent parents from attending GIFT with their children, however. If this is your situation, you have several options:

• You may send your child to GIFT for Families with another adult who knows your child: a grandparent, aunt or uncle, godparent, Confirmation sponsor, family friend, adult sibling, etc.
• You may contact the St. Mary's Parish faith formation office to request help in finding an adult mentor who will attend GIFT for Families sessions with your child(ren). It may be that your family knows another family attending these sessions, and your child could attend with that family.
• You may work on the GIFT for Families curriculum independently. Contact the St. Mary's Parish faith formation office for a copy of the session materials, and sign up for the GIFT Extra! e-newsletter.
• Cathedral of the Sacred Heart will be offering traditional grade-level classroom-based catechesis; you may contact the Cathedral faith formation office to register your child with that program.

Why is there no meal during GIFT this year?

A variety of factors led us to drop the meal this year. The increased workload caused by recent staff reductions made it difficult to devote time and energy to planning and providing a meal; the cost of meals increased the registration cost to prohibitive levels for some families; and the meal lengthened the time of the session, making it difficult for some families to attend. We hope to find other community-building opportunities to replace the meal.

Why is there no children's faith formation this year?

Children no longer separate from their families to attend faith formation classes with their peers. Instead, children participate in faith formation activities with their families during the GIFT for Families sessions, and at home, using the suggested home study materials. This coached family catechesis approach has numerous advantages over a classroom-based approach. See the bottom of this FAQ for more information on this approach.

Will there be children's faith formation offered during the adult GIFT presentation (GIFT In Depth)?

No; however, childcare and fun activities will be offered for children through grade 6.

Will childcare be offered during the GIFT for Families sessions?

Childcare will be offered for children under age 3.

Why has the GIFT schedule changed this year?

The session was broken up into several one-hour segments, and the family-oriented portion of GIFT moved to Wednesday nights, in order to make GIFT accessible to more participants. The results of a survey we did last year, as well as individual comments, indicated that many families were unable to attend GIFT for scheduling reasons.


What is coached family catechesis?
All of our children’s faith formation programs (JUBILEE KIDS, GROWING UP CATHOLIC, GIFT FOR FAMILIES, CONFIRMATION PREPARATION) are designed around a coached family catechesis approach. (Catechesis is the Church’s word for religious education.)

Coached family catechesis is an approach first developed by The Resource Center for Catholic Life and Faith for their Growing Up Catholic sacrament preparation program. In this approach, parents (or other adult caregivers) accompany their child (or children) to the faith formation session, and serve as their child’s main teacher during the session. Parents get help in this role from two sources. First, they receive “Parent Pages,” step-by-step instructions that tell them what to say and do for each activity during the session. Second, one or more trained catechists serve as “coaches,” guiding the parents and their children through the session and providing help as needed.

Besides working together during the faith formation session at the church, parents work with their child on additional activities at home.

This approach has several advantages:

• A wealth of research shows that parents have significant influence on the faith development of their children. Coached family catechesis takes advantage of that influence.
• Parents are naturally the primary catechists of their children; they accept responsibility for raising their children in the faith when they have them baptized. Coached family catechesis respects the role of parents as the first teachers of their children in the faith.
• Unlike other subjects such as math or history, the subject of catechesis is discipleship in Jesus Christ—in other words, it is a way of life. Coached family catechesis provides parents with the opportunity to “bring home” (quite literally) what their children have learned during faith formation, and to put it into practice.
• Coached family catechesis provides children with one-on-one, individualized attention during faith formation sessions, from a teacher who knows their strengths and weaknesses, their gifts and needs, better than any volunteer catechist could.
• Coached family catechesis provides parents with all the materials, activities, instruction, and support they need to carry out their role as their child’s primary catechist, even if they themselves are not well schooled in their faith

What if my question is not covered here?
Feel free to e-mail the GIFT team at wcclff@gmail.com, or call the St. Mary's Parish Faith Formation office.