Catholic Religious Education
Adult Education & Faith Formation
| POC: | Mike Winkler |
| Contact: | winkler4@comcast.net |
Greetings, friends in Christ, and welcome to the St. Michael Catholic Community at Joint Base Lewis McChord! Whether you are new to our parish or a returning community member, please use the form below to sign your child up for the 2025-2026 religious education school year.
You will need to complete a new form for each member of your family who will be attending classes.
After you submit the form, our administrative staff will contact you with further details about the registration process.
We are always in need of volunteers to help the program run smoothly. Are you interested in becoming a catechist, assistant, or a substitute when needed? Please list any/all areas that you are willing to volunteer in the form below.
We look forward to hearing from you!
Blessings,
Father Bulinski
Religious Education Schedule
Religious Education Calendar 2024-2025 (Coming Soon)
Catholic Religious Education Resources
AMS OCIA Manual
This Order of Christian Initiation for Adults (OCIA) manual is designed for use in the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA. Please consult with a Catholic military priest-chaplain to discuss the best way to utilize this resource. It is important to have fully initiated Catholic mentors to consult with, to explore questions, and to pray with during this process. The Order of Christian Initiation for Adults is not an individual study process. OCIA necessarily requires community.
AMS Catechists & Parents Segments
Archbishop Broglio promulgated the Archdiocesan Religion Curriculum Guide, Grades pre-K through 8 in 2013 to provide a standard instrument for ensuring that the faith is taught in a complete, systematic and consistent way in the Catholic faith communities in the Archdiocese.
The following curriculum correlations are provided to support military Catholic faith communities with the full implementation of Forming Disciples for the New Evangelization: Archdiocesan Religion Curriculum Guide.
AMS Family Witness to Christ
With the launching of the new AMS Family Witness to Christ platform, Catholic military families now have access to games, videos, challenges, and other innovative tools to support pre-K-through-12 religious education. For access to the AMS Family Witness to Christ platform, families should consult their installation’s priest or CRE to obtain teh AMS code to register. Contact AMS Director of Faith Formation, Jose Amaya at FaithFormation@milarch.org or (202) 719-3600 with questions and concerns.
Pflaum Gospel Weeklies
The Pflaum Gospel Weeklies are a liturgically-based catechetical program that helps parents participate in their important role as the first educators of your children.
Policies and Procedures
Who May Enroll?
In accordance with Canon Law and Archdiocese for the Military Services (AMS) policy, only Active-Duty personnel and their dependents fall under the jurisdiction of the AMS. This jurisdiction also extends to DoD civilians, contractors and State Department personnel and their families assigned overseas. Retirees fall under the jurisdiction of the local territorial diocese in which you reside. This policy was codified by the AMS in 2006 but has been part of Canon Law since 1987.
Ref: Para 2.3 AMS Priests Manual –Subjects of Jurisdiction. Those who comprise the AMS fall under a variety of categories, both as officials exercising jurisdiction and as subjects belonging to this particular archdiocese. Here specific mention is made of retired military personnel: they are not subjects of the AMS but have certain claim to our attention and should be held in high regard.
Can dependents of Retirees enroll?
Mass is always open to our retirees and civilians who want to attend. However, the receptions of sacraments of initiation, require specific canonical permissions (faculties) for them to be conferred both validly and licitly. This is especially the case for confirmation, as bishops of the AMS cannot confirm (w/o permission) of the subjects’ local territorial diocese lest the sacrament be both invalid and illicit.
Retired military and DoD civilains may register their children (space availible) “temporary status” with the understanding you will obtain a letter of permission from the local territorial parish in which you reside.
Can dependents of Retirees enroll?
Mass is always open to our retirees and civilians who want to attend. However, the receptions of sacraments of initiation, require specific canonical permissions (faculties) for them to be conferred both validly and licitly. This is especially the case for confirmation, as bishops of the AMS cannot confirm (w/o permission) of the subjects’ local territorial diocese lest the sacrament be both invalid and illicit.
Retired military and DoD civilains may register their children (space availible) “temporary status” with the understanding you will obtain a letter of permission from the local territorial parish in which you reside.
Administrative Requirements
Parents with students enrolled in sacramental preparation programs must provide a copy of their child’s baptismal certificate that has been issued in the last 6 months. If baptized on an active military installation these requests can by made by contacting the AMS Sacramental Records Department. All others must contact the parish of baptism.
Parents will also need ot submit the sacramental reception form as this is used to ensure proper recording of the sacrament recieved. Reception of sacraments will be withheld until all documentation has been provided.
Attendance Requirements
Students enrolled in Sacramental Preparation Classes missing more than three consecutive Sundays of scheduled education will be disenrolled. As the first and foremost educators of their children in the faith, it is expected that parents instruct their children by covering with them any missed materials given to them by the Catechist teacher.
Late Enrollment
PCS is a normal part of military life and we aim to assist parents in the transition. Those PCSing into the community after classes have started may enroll their children in religious education as long as one of the following criteria are met:
- Parents obtain a memo from the priest of their last installation or the civilain parish indicating their child was enrolled, what curriculum was used, and the lesson/topic last covered. OR
- Parents meet with the senior priest to discuss a hybred curriculum plan for covering material the child may have missed.
We are PCSing to a new installation...what do we do?
Prior to departing the JBLM community parents should request a letter from the Catholci Religious Education Coordinator of senior priest verifying enrollment and content covered.