About Parish School of Religion (PSR)

But Jesus called the children to him and said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these." Luke 18:16

The Catholic Church of West St. James offers PSR classes for all parishioners with children who do not attend Catholic school. 

Our program is for all grades (1-11) with multiple locations to accommodate the people of all three churches. All classes take place bi-weekly from August to May at St. James, St. Philip, or Our Lady of Peace churches. Schedules for all classes can be found below.

Sacrament Requirements
All students who attend public, non-parochial, or home school that plan to receive the sacraments of First Reconciliation, First Communion, and Confirmation with  the Cluster Parishes of West St. James are required to attend PSR for two years prior to receiving the sacrament. For First Reconciliation and First Communion, this 1st and 2nd grade. The grades for confirmation are changing so please call the Pastoral Center if you have questions. 

Catholic school families:
Catholic school students making their 1st Eucharist (2nd Grade) do not have to attend faith formation classes with us, however, they do need to register for the sacramental preparation workshops. Please sign-up your child during regular faith formation registrations. Dates are announced in the church bulletin.

Catholic school students making Confirmation are required to attend classes with us in order to make their Confirmation. The age of Confirmation has changed, please see the transition schedule below for more information. Please sign-up your child during regular faith formation registrations. 

In December 2024, Bishop Duca announced his decision to move the age of Confirmation from 11th Grade to 7th Grade. “Our children are experiencing a culture which, at times, is hostile to our faith. Through social media of all forms, young people are confronted at a surprisingly younger age with challenges to their Catholic faith and morals. Given this new reality, I believe it is time to lower the age of Confirmation to give our children the full grace of the Sacrament of Confirmation at an earlier age to meet these challenges.” -Bishop Duca. You can find his full statement here.

Moving forward, you may see other churches use different approaches to implement these changes. Based on our parishes’ needs and the resources available to us, we feel the following plan is the best way to implement these changes beginning in the 2025-26 PSR year. For clarity, classes will be referred to using their high school graduation year as follows: 

PSR Year 2025-26: Class of 2027 and 2028 will receive the sacrament of Confirmation on February 11, 2026 at Our Lady of Peace Church at 6pm. 

PSR Year 2026-27: Class of 2029 and 2030 will receive the sacrament of Confirmation on a date TBD. (February 2027)

PSR Year 2027-28: Class of 2031, 2032, 2033 will receive the sacrament of Confirmation on a date TBD. 

PSR Year 2028-29 and beyond: 7th grade students will receive the sacrament of Confirmation. 

*Students currently enrolled in Catholic school who will make Confirmation in our cluster will follow this same format.*

What else can we expect to support this change?
PSR will NOT end with Confirmation. Students will continue to receive formation after receiving Confirmation. This will look different than regular PSR and will help to build them into disciples of Christ. Students will also be encouraged to participate in the life of the Church as lectors, catechists, Eucharistic ministers, and more.