Church of the Holy Rosary

Please call the Coordinator of Religious Education to inquire about our Adult Religious Education Program at (845) 477-8378.

The Mission of our Religious Education Program is to provide all children with an awareness of God’s presence in their lives, an appreciation and better understanding of what it means to be Catholic and opportunities that encourage active participation in our parish and community.

Coordinator: Ms. Jane Kubenik (845-477-8378)

We are always in need of catechists, aides and substitutes for Religious Education. Please contact the office.

Families of Religious Education students must be practicing Catholics, attending Mass on a regular basis and registered with Holy Rosary parish. Parents are expected to teach the prayers to their children from an early age. Prayers are not taught, but will be reviewed in class.

The Archdiocese of New York mandates that preparation for the Sacrament of Reconciliation, Holy Eucharist, and Confirmation is a two-year process. The Sacraments of Reconciliation and Holy Eucharist are received in the Second Grade. The Sacrament of Confirmation is received in the Eighth Grade.   Remember, for a child to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation, they must be continually enrolled in a  Religious Education program from the time of their First Holy Communion.  Parents are required to attend the meetings for each sacrament as mandated by the Archdiocese.

Children who enter the program after First Grade will be evaluated on an individual basis for grade placement. Please contact the Religious Ed office for more info.

Communion Class of 2012

Children are expected to attend every class. If your child is absent, please send a note when the child returns to class. Attendance records are legal documents that are required to be kept on file and must be maintained correctly. 

Attendance at mass will be a requirement for all students.  On the first day of class, all children will be given offering envelopes that will be used for attendance purposes.  At the end of each mass, the children are to personally place the envelope into the basket that will be next to the priest.  Although no financial offering is required, this presents an excellent opportunity to teach your child the importance of contributing to the support of the church and the many charitable programs that the church sponsors.  Suggesting to your child that they make a small contribution from their own allowance might be something worthwhile to consider.

If a child attends mass in a different parish, a bulletin signed by the priest who celebrated that mass will suffice.  This bulletin should be given to the child's teacher in the next class.

During the course of the year, various extraneous circumstances such as inclement weather, illness, lack of transportation, etc. may arise that prevent your child from attending mass.  Taking this into consideration, each child will be required to attend a minimum of 40 masses during the course of the academic year, thus allowing for 12 absences.

Failure to fulfill this will delay the child to receive their First Holy Communion or Confirmation.  Future enrollment in our program will also be in jeopardy.

Photo by Christine Cucci-Persico

In order to provide enough space to observe social distancing, we will hold classes in the Church Hall which can only accommodate one class at a time.   We will no longer have 'snack time'.  The schedule is as follows:

                  1st Grade        Thursday          5:30 - 6:30 p.m.
                  2nd Grade      Wednesday       5:30 - 6:30 p.m.
                  3rd Grade       Tuesday            5:30 - 6:30 p.m.
                  4th Grade       Thursday          4:00 - 5:00 p.m.
                  5th Grade       Tuesday            4:00 - 5:00 p.m.
                  6th Grade       Wednesday       4:00 - 5:00 p.m.
                   7th Grade      Thursday           7:00 - 8:00 p.m.
                   8th Grade       Wednesday       7:00 - 8:00 p.m.

Classes will start the week of September 26, 2021 and end the week of May 8, 2022.

Classes are closed on school holidays and GWL district snow days.  There are no classes scheduled on school half-days whether they are in elementary or middle school.  If the GWL school district dismisses school early or cancels after-school activities due to weather, there will be no Religious Education classes.