Training set for Welcome Your Child program

By RENEE WEBB, Globe editor
October 16, 2003

The Office of Faith Formation for the Diocese of Sioux City is hosting a training session for coordinators and facilitators of a ministry designed to not only provide baptismal prep, but also some formation to help young families build a strong spiritual foundation.

The training session for this ministry titled Welcome Your child is set for Nov. 1.

Bev Hurni, director of family ministries for the diocese, pointed out that the site for the session will not be selected until after pre-registrations are received.

"It will be centrally located for the participants that register by Oct. 20," she said.

Welcome Your Child is a parent enrichment program offered in three phases over the first two year's of a child's life, beginning at the time the parents request baptism. Phase one is before the child is baptized. This phase generally incorporates the traditional baptismal prep that is offered by the pastor, a deacon or pastoral minister. Phase two designed for when the child is one years old. Phase three is for when the child is two years old.

Traditional baptismal preparation classes are enhanced through Welcome Your Child with the addition of family spirituality, child development and marriage enrichment components.

"We know from psychology that the first five years of a child's life are critical years for learning and being formed. If we wait until they enter a religious ed program or Catholic school at the age of five, then we've missed critical time," said Hurni. "The people that do the most teaching in the first five years are the parents."

Through the program, parents develop a strong understanding of the importance of talking about their faith, displaying religious items in the home, praying with their children and attending Mass as a family even when their children are quite young.

"All of those things start to make imprints on the child's faith development," she said.

One of the positive side effects of the program is that the young parents themselves form ties with others in the parish.

Welcome Your Child was first introduced in the diocese in February of 2001.

The program helps parents develop an understanding of marriage and family life as a vocation.

She pointed out that the training session will be held from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. for facilitators in an already existing parish or cluster program. The session will run from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. if it is for coordinators and facilitators of programs that are newly established.

In order to offer this program, a parish or cluster needs to select one coordinator and team of individuals consisting of two or three married couples and a single parents if possible.

If your parish or cluster does not offer the Welcome Your Child program and you are interested in becoming involved in this ministry, contact your pastor.

Information about the training session was recently sent to all pastors. For more information contact Bev Hurni at (712) 233-7531 or e-mail her at bevh@scdiocese.org. Cost of the training is $10 per person, plus a charge for manuals. This is the only training planned for the 2003-2004 educational year.