No, the faith formation online courses are held weekly and do not cost anything for families or students in the Diocese of Tyler to attend. We hope to be able to offer these classes beyond the diocese someday. Your financial donations help the St. Philip Institute continue to provide programs to teach the Catholic faith in and beyond the diocese. We have other classes that we are planning that will be offered nationally. Go HERE to donate. Thank you! Any amount helps.

Balancing safety and integrity with ease of access, we are planning to record the classes and make them available to families or individuals in the Diocese of Tyler who are unabe to attend the class when it is scheduled. In addition, (most of us parents ourselves) encourage you to sit down with your child and read the Faith and Life Series lesson together. Those books are very good for such an activity. The RCIA candidates can watch the videos and take the quizzes (found HERE) that accompany the Way of Christ book.

No, but it would be helpful so you can follow along and study in between classes. The books are all under $15. 

These classes are intended to aid the parishes with their faith formation CCD and RCIA programs, but they are ultimately meant to provide PARENTS or adult individuals a way to bring faith formation into the domestic church of your home. Therefore, use the classes that make the most sense for you. A child can sit in on a class with an older or younger sibling if that helps. The family can gather for dinner while attending. Or you can commit to multiple nights a week for faith formation. Parents are encouraged to attend all classes with their children, so they can discuss the lessons on their own as the kids ask questions. Be creative with ways to turn catechesis into a family affair!

The Faith and Life series Grade 2 book is the approved book for our Restored Order formation. We are offering a separate Sacrament Formation class for those children in the Diocese of Tyler who are preparing for the Sacraments of Inititiation.

Ask your priest. The St. Philip Institute is making these classes available, but how they are used at your parish is up to the catechetical leaders and the priest. Anyone in the Diocese of Tyler who wants to attend can, so you can even decide to participate on your own in addition to what you are doing at your parish. (You can also invite non-Catholics to listen in with you!) Please note: these classes all use the standard materials approved by Bishop Strickland for the Diocese of Tyler.

No, not technically. If you know someone interested in what the Catholic Church teaches, invite them to sit in on a lesson with you. Only parishioners in the Diocese of Tyler may sign up for classes.

Yes, of course. However, we are trying to build a community, a network of families and adult converts in our diocese. So, we hope that you will be part of this effort and stay with us, especially if you have ideas to improve the program.

Setting up a Google mail (gmail) account is safe, easy, and free. Please visit this website: http://www.google.com/.

After you provide your email address in the simple enrollment form, you will receive a single email each week with links to join all the classes. From there, you can decide which classes to join. The weekly emails will also provide updates on the overall program. If you are ever not sure, please email the Director of Faith Formation, Dr. Luke Arrendondo at LArredondo@StPhilipInstitute.org or the Executive Director, Dr. Stacy Trasancos at STrasancos@StPhilipInstitute.org.