Click on the buttons above for more info or to sign up for our annual SEEKERS Discovery overnight retreat open to all kids 5th through 7th Grade
as well as info re Holy Redeemer’s Annual Vacation Bible School.

YOU CAN STILL REGISTER FOR THE ‘23-24 SEEKERS SEASON . CLICK ON THE BUTTON BELOW
No registration necessary for Kingdom Kids; Just show up at the 11am Mass to check your kids in.

HRC SEEKERS KID’S MINISTRY

SEEKERS is Holy Redeemer’s religious education program for kids. But more than just a religious education program, SEEKERS aims to introduce kids to the fullness and beauty of Catholicism lived out in a dynamic and intimate relationship with Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. Kids are given the opportunity to encounter the living Jesus, through praise and worship, Eucharistic adoration, prayers, small group discussions and age appropriate retreats. SEEKERS is also the program through which kid’s prepare to receive the sacraments at Holy Redeemer, whether it’s Baptism, First Reconciliation, Communion or Confirmation. 

PARENT INVOLVEMENT

Since the faith life of the kids is significantly affected by their faith life at home, a big part of SEEKERS also includes opportunities for parents to gather to pray, discuss and grow in their knowledge and experience of the faith as well. Apart from parent involvement for first communion prep retreats and reconciliation services, we will be returning to Whole Family Gatherings at the start of every “topic series” which begins with a family meal in the family center, after which, the kids walk to the Ministry center for games, their talk topic, and small group discussion.

During the spring semester, SEEKERS Discovery kids (*5th-8th Grade) will be going through Alpha. We are also excited to offer Alpha simultaneously for Adults in the Family Life Center geared specifically to SEEKERS parents. This will give parents the opportunity to experience what the kids will be going through and engage them more in the faith as they share about their alpha experiences at home

IT’S FREE & OPEN TO ALL KIDS

One of the best things about Holy Redeemer’s Kid’s Ministry is that it is 100% free thanks to parishioner tithing and planned-giving. SEEKERS is open to all kids K through 8th and you don’t even need to be a parishioner at Holy Redeemer to sign up. If you need a place where your kids can grow in the faith, then we want to do all we can to help you. So sign them up right away! We are certain they will enjoy, be engaged and blessed by it. 

If you would like to help support our programs and help SEEKERS continue to be a 100% free for kids, then we invite you to sign up as a planned giver, regardless of which parish you belong to, by going to our giving page: holyredeemerburton.org/planned-giving. 

SEEKERS registration for the 2023-2024 season begin the weekend of August 27, 2023
You’ll be able to sign up online or by picking up a registration packet from the parish office

WEEKLY MEETING DESCRIPTION

SEEKERS kids fall under three main meeting groups: Pre-K/K kids in the Atrium, 1st-4th Grade kids in SEEKERS ADVENTURE, and 5th-7th Graders in SEEKERS DISCOVERY. 8th Graders begin to attend High School Youth Group as a SEEKERS transition small group. 

Each SEEKERS gathering includes a large group game, praise and worship, a short presentation on the day’s topic followed by grade/age based breakout groups of about 6-8 kids. Breakout groups provide the opportunity for the kids to pray, grow in friendship and discuss the topic and ways to live out their faith at their age and level of understanding. 

Weekly meetings will are held on Sundays from 6:15-7:30pm from the end of September to early May in the Holy Redeemer Ministry Center across the parking lot from the Church next to the outreach building. Please refer to the SEEKERS calendar for a list of all meeting dates and times for the year. 

THE PROGRAMS WE USE 

PRE K & K: uses Catechesis of the Good Shepherd Level 1 or “CGS,” which is a Montessori style method of teaching the faith that is very hands-on and intuitive for children in a prayerful environment called an Atrium. In over 50 years since Sofia Cavalletti (a colleague of Maria Montessori) developed the method, CGS has proven to be effective in giving children moments of learning that nurture a love for Jesus, for his Church, prayer and, in particular, a deeper appreciation for the Mass.

1st -8th Grade SEEKERS is a small group based Children’s Ministry program we developed right here at Holy Redeemer with an emphasis on forming the children into genuine disciples of Jesus in an atmosphere of fun and faith-filled encounters. Adult small group leaders (SEEKERS Ministers) facilitate groups of about 6-8 children in discussions relating to the weekly Sunday message series at Mass and what it means to live out our Catholic faith. 

MIDDLE SCHOOL RETREAT - A recent and essential part of SEEKERS is our annual Middle School Retreat. More than just learning about Jesus, the retreat gives the kids the opportunity to encounter the living Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit. Retreats are facilitated by adult staff, volunteers and members of our high school youth group.

FOR CHILDREN PREPARING FOR 1ST COMMUNION

Readiness to receive communion is based on each child’s sense of the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharistic communion host and their participation at Mass. This is why, historically in the Church, communion was only allowed at a later age. The disposition to receive Holy Communion, however, as Pope St. Pius X declared to the Church in 1910, can happen much earlier. As such, 1st communion and confession at Holy Redeemer is open to children as early as 1st Grade who go through the “discernment process worksheet packet” and participate in our SEEKERS children’s ministry. You can pick up a packet from the Religious Education office or print it out by clicking on the link below.

Have your child work on these sheets during or immediately after Mass. We recommend he/she does this over several Masses. Once your child has gone through each sheet at least once (they may choose to do particular sheets they enjoy more than once) and when you feel that he/she is ready to move forward in the process, help him/her write their prayer on the final sheet, bind the sheets together into a short booklet and submit it to the Religious Education office. This booklet will constitute your child’s formal request to receive final preparation for first communion as well as your intention to bring them to the monthly Saturday first confession and communion prayer/prep sessions (refer to the SEEKERS calendar for complete dates).

Once they are enrolled as first communion candidates, they and their parents are invited to attend First Communion Prep sessions one Saturday every other month beginning October to April. Please refer to the current ministry year calendar for specific dates and times. 

FOR 8th GRADERS SEEKING THE SACRAMENT OF CONFIRMATION

The Sacrament of Confirmation gives a disciple a “special strength… to spread and defend the faith” (CCC #1285). Through this Sacrament, we receive “supernatural” grace - gifts that help us serve Jesus and His Church. We fully experience these gifts when we have the right disposition (i.e. understanding the nature and purpose of the Sacrament) and genuine desire to receive the graces and effects of the Sacrament. At Holy Redeemer, preparation for Confirmation can begin as early as 8th Grade.  

In order to properly be disposed to receiving this Sacrament, Confirmation Preparation at Holy Redeemer includes growing in that sense of being part of the Church family by attending weekly Youth Group meetings and discerning how they might want to serve the parish once they are confirmed by helping with a different parish ministry about once a month during the prep process. Candidates, ideally with their sponsors, attend check-in sessions about once a month, beginning with the Orientation Session on Wednesday, October 12 at 7pm, to share about their experience in their current service assignment, grow in their understanding and appreciation of the sacrament and finalize their next assignment. Parents are welcome to attend these sessions as well. 

Each Confirmation candidate must have a sponsor who acts as their role model and helps ensure that they are properly disposed to receive the graces of the sacrament. Sponsors must be a practicing Catholic of at least 16 years of age, is not a parent of the candidate, who has been confirmed and already received the most holy sacrament of the Eucharist. If you do not have a sponsor, we can recommend one of our teens or volunteers to take this role. 

Teens who would like to begin preparation to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation should sign up online or turn in a paper form and attend the orientation session with a parent and, if they already have one, their sponsor on Wednesday, October 12, 2022 at 7:00pm in the Ministry Center Youth Room. Full details and dates for the entire process will be discussed then. For more information contact John Mira, Coordinator of Youth Ministry at newapostles.hrc@gmail.com, or Raffy Urgino, Director of Religious Education at raffyu.hrc@gmail.com.