Religious Education (CCD)

Religious Education Registration for 2025-2026 is now closed.

Classes began in September and many sessions have already been held.
Please contact Ms. Rachel Hohner, Coordinator of Religious Education,
if your children have special circumstances for beginning the year late.
Email rhohner@qofachicago.org * Phone 312-857-6782 (voice or text)

It is hoped that registration of new students for September 2026 to May 2027 may open in April 2026 (after Easter). 

Notes before Registration:
Our classes are intended as comprehensive faith formation for school-age children not attending a Catholic school. Families are invited and expected to keep children in classes from year to year, not just for preparation for sacraments (First Reconciliation and First Communion in 2nd Grade or above and Confirmation in 8th Grade or above).  Our program seeks to help children and their families grow in relationship with Jesus over time.  And there is so much richness of our Catholic faith traditions to learn and experience, beyond preparing for the sacraments!  Within that larger structure, there are processes of two years of preparation for sacraments and for welcoming new students into age-appropriate classes.  Details are further down this page.  

If a student’s family lives outside our parish boundaries (i.e., living south of Berteau, east of Ashland, north of Foster or west of Sacramento/the Chicago River), please consider whether our parish’s classes are the best choice for the family.  There may be a parish closer to home which the family would find it easier to be more involved in for worship (Sunday and holy day Masses) and events beyond classes (fun community events, performing service to those in need, receiving social services) to truly grow in discipleship and be connected to a parish community.  Our city’s parish communities have evolved and changed over the years as parishes have restructured and neighborhoods have changed, so a church which once felt unwelcoming may now feel welcoming or may now offer Mass in additional languages or styles.  There is also the consideration of what happens when there is bad weather or the family car breaks down and it becomes harder to get across town to class.  You are still welcome to attend our classes if you decide after careful consideration that Queen of Apostles is your best option, and especially if you are already coming on Sundays for Mass at one of our parish’s churches.  To investigate your options, visit the Parish Finder for the Archdiocese of Chicago.  Or for a personalized recommendation, please contact Ms. Rachel Hohner at 312-857-6782.

Registration Form for NEW Students (link will return when registration opens for 2026-2025)

Shorter Form for Continuing Students (link will return when registration opens for 2026-2025)

The fee structure and registration process have been revised to make it easier for ALL school-aged children in a family to participate in Religious Education from Kindergarten through 8th Grade.  The same registration forms apply to both of our programs:

Sunday K-7 Religious Education (CCD) Classes

including First Communion Preparation and 1st Year only of Confirmation Preparation
intended for students in Kindergarten through 7th Grade,
or students in 8th Grade and High School beginning their Confirmation Preparation

Fees Payable Online via GiveCentral: Registration Fees & Family Tuition * Sacrament Fees

Calendar of Classes plus Parent Meeting, Family-oriented Masses, Seasonal Reconciliation and Parish Events
Classes began Sunday, September 7, 2025 and continue through Sunday, May 3, 2026
10:15 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. Sundays in Queen of Angels School, 4520 N. Western Ave.
Mandatory Parent Meeting: Wednesday, October 15, 2025 at Queen of Angels Church, 2330 W. Sunnyside
Retreat for 1st Year Confirmation Prep Students (in 7th Grade and above) on Saturday, February 28, 2026 at Queen of Angels Church & Holy Family Hall (church basement), 2330 W. Sunnyside

First Communion Prep

the 2nd year (immediate preparation) before First Reconciliation and First Communion
for qualifying students in 2nd Grade and above attending Sunday Religious Education,
along with students attending St. Matthias School and Queen of Angels School

Letter to Parents inviting eligible children to participate * Calendar of Events, color-coded by program (links to come)
including Parent Meetings, Prayer Services, Dinners, Rite of Enrollment Masses, and reception of the sacraments
SignUpGenius for choice of First Communion Mass times in May, 2026

Special Sacraments: additional classes for older Religious Education students (6th Grade and above)
to prepare for First Reconciliation and First Communion, because most students at their grade level have already received these sacraments
Printable Registration Form * Letter to Parents with class dates (links to come)
Meeting from 11:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in Room 316 of Queen of Angels School, after the regular Sunday RE classes
on select Sundays, January 4, 11 and 18; March 1, 8, 15, and 29; April 12, 19 and 26
no sessions in February (regular Level 6, 7 and 7+ classes still meet); no sessions March 22 or April 5 (no RE classes)

Monday (2nd Year) Confirmation Prep

the 2nd year only of Confirmation Preparation
for qualifying students in 8th Grade and above enrolled in Religious Education,
along with students attending Queen of Angels School and St. Matthias School

Classes are conducted in English, though communication with families is in English and Spanish. Online forms are available in English and Spanish.

Fees Payable Online via GiveCentral: Registration & Family Tuition * Sacrament Fees

Detailed calendars:
“Track A” for Religious Education students
“Track B” for Catholic School 8th Graders (Queen of Angels School & St. Matthias School)

Christian Service component: Ideas for Service * Parish Service Calendar (link to come)
Classes began Monday, September 22, 2025 and continue until the Masses of Confirmation on Saturday, March 7, 2026
6:45 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Mondays, normally in Mission Hall at the Parish Center, 4412 N. Western Ave.
Initial Class for Students with their Parents Monday, September 22, 2025 at Queen of Angels Church, 2330 W. Sunnyside
Class for Students with Parents and Sponsors Monday, November 10, 2025 at St. Matthias Church, 2310 W. Ainslie
Retreat 1 for Students Only on Saturday, November 15, 2026 at Queen of Angels Church, 2330 W. Sunnyside (families may join for 5 p.m. Mass)
Retreat 2 for Students (whole time) with Parents & Sponsors (2nd half) on Friday, January 30, 2026 at St. Matthias Gym & Church, corner of Claremont & Ainslie

Thank you for your cooperation in making this a wonderful year of growing in discipleship for our students. 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, classes for 2020-2021 were conducted remotely.
Classes have been mainly in-person for 2021-2022, 2022-2023, 2023-2024 and 2024-2025, though a few weeks of classes
were conducted remotely in January 2022 during the omicron variant surge
and one class was canceled in December 2023 out of caution. 
We are excited to offer in-person classes in 2025-2026!

We offer comprehensive Religious Education for students in Kindergarten through 8th Grade. Each year builds upon one another in a spiral curriculum with different themes carried throughout the year.

• Kindergarten: God Loves Us –  Catholic basics, the Church year
• Level 1: God Is Good – Jesus is God’s best gift to us
• Level 2: God Cares for Us – sacraments of First Reconciliation and First Eucharist
• Level 3: We Believe – the Creed, the Paschal Mystery, and Catholic devotions
• Level 4: God Guides Us – moral life in the Ten Commandments and Beatitudes
• Level 5: We Worship – liturgy and the seven sacraments
• Level 6: God Calls a People – Old Testament Scripture and the roots of the sacraments
• Level 7 (First Year Confirmation Prep): Jesus, the Way, the Truth, and the Life – New Testament Scripture and teachings of Jesus for Christian moral life
• Level 8 (Second Year Confirmation Prep): Confirmed in the Spirit – sacrament of Confirmation and spiritual life in the Church

We expect that children will return consistently year after year to build upon what they have already learned and continue to grow in discipleship, from Kindergarten through their Confirmation in 8th Grade or above.  The Sacraments of First Reconciliation and First Holy Communion (Eucharist) involve 2 years of study and preparation. To accommodate families beginning Religious Education classes for their children at different ages, we offer several different tracks for preparing for these sacraments.

• If entering in 1st or 2nd Grade, or returning after Kindergarten:
  • First Year: Level 1
  • Second Year: Level 2, with First Reconciliation (late January or early February) and First Holy Communion (late April or early May)
• If entering in 3rd or 4th Grade:
  • First Year: Level 3
  • Second Year: Level 4, with First Reconciliation (late January or early February) and First Holy Communion (late April or early May)
• If entering in 5th or 6th Grade:
  • First Year: Level 5 or Level 6, depending on the age/grade
  • Second Year: Level 6 or Level 7 , depending on the age/grade, plus an additional class until 12:30 p.m. on 9 Sundays, January through April (“Special Sacraments”), with First Reconciliation (late January or early February) and First Communion (late April or early May)
• If entering in 7th Grade or above: see below and speak with the Coordinator for details.
• The earliest a student can receive these sacraments is in Level 2 after completing Level 1.  Therefore, Kindergarten Religious Education is a great experience for your child and will help them to grow in discipleship, but it is not a class which counts toward sacrament preparation.
• Summer enrichment experiences such as Totus Tuus likewise do not normally count toward sacrament preparation, but may help to launch a student’s re-entry into faith formation after a gap in their religious education.

These tracks are a general path for guiding students toward sacramental readiness.  Whether a student in these levels is sufficiently prepared to receive these sacraments at the aimed-for time will depend on class attendance and demonstrating an appropriate understanding of the concepts involved. If you have concerns about class attendance due to a custody situation, health issue, learning needs, or ongoing schedule conflicts, please contact the Coordinator or your child’s teacher as soon as possible so that alternate arrangements can be made for instruction.

The Sacrament of Confirmation also involves 2 years of study and preparation.

• The first required year is Level 7 on Sundays, or 7th Grade Religion instruction in a Catholic school. The curriculum centers on building a relationship with Jesus and exploring New Testament Scripture as well as moral education for living in Christ.
• The second year, called Confirmation Prep, is held on Monday evenings for approximately 6-7 months, September through March.  It is open to students who have completed Level 7 or are in 8th Grade in the parish school.  This final set of classes is the immediate preparation for the sacrament and involves Christian service, 2 retreats, Parent and Sponsor evenings, discussion groups and guest speakers.  Most class material is presented during Religion class within the school day for 8th Grade students in Queen of Angels School and St. Matthias School.
• Students are expected to already have prepared for and received their First Communion and First Reconciliation before entering 2nd Year classes for Confirmation on Monday evenings.   There is not time during the Monday classes to prepare for additional sacraments. If there is a special circumstance where a student has somehow not received First Communion or First Reconciliation but is otherwise eligible for 2nd Year Confirmation Prep, please contact the coordinator to discuss making special arrangements.
• In the years when it is held, students from both years may participate in Holy Fire, an evangelization event and experience of the larger Church with music, witness talks, media presentations, different forms of prayer, and Mass.
  • In Fall 2020, Holy Fire was not held.  Instead, students participated locally in a virtual retreat to reflect on the meaning of the Mass.
  • In Fall 2021, Holy Fire was a virtual experience only.
  • In Fall 2022, Holy Fire was back in-person at Credit Union 1 Arena (formerly UIC Pavilion) on October 14 & 15, 2022.  However, it was announced that in the future Holy Fire would only be held every 2 years, so that each 2-year Confirmation Prep group of students could experience it once.
  • In Fall 2023, Holy Fire was not held.  Instead, our students participated in a locally organized “Rise Up” retreat with students from both years of Confirmation Prep in attendance. “Rise Up” had small group activities, media presentations, guest speakers, music, living Stations of the Cross, Eucharistic Adoration, and a closing Mass. “Rise Up” was on a weekday when Catholic Schools were in session but CPS happened to have a non-holiday, non-attendance day for students.
  • In Fall 2024, Holy Fire was held on only one day, Saturday, November 2, 2024, which was less convenient for parishes with Catholic Schools.  A small group represented our parish at Holy Fire.  So that more students could attend a retreat together, we again held the “Rise Up” retreat in our own parish with students from Religious Education and both Catholic schools, on Election Day, a weekday when Catholic Schools were in session but CPS had a non-attendance day for students.
  • In 2025-2026, there will not be a Holy Fire event.  Our parish has invited NET Ministries to come and give separate retreats to our 1st Year and 2nd Year Confirmation Prep students.  The 1st Year retreat will be on Saturday, February 28, 2026.  The 2nd Year retreat will be on Saturday, November 15, 2025.  These retreats will involve students from Religious Education and both of our Catholic Schools.

Older students including those already in high school are invited to participate if they have not already received sacraments of Baptism, First Reconciliation, First Holy Communion (Eucharist), or Confirmation.  Please contact the Religious Education staff for exact placement, which takes into account the student’s grade level and any previous enrollment at Queen of Apostles or another Catholic parish or school.   We aim to respect the dignity of each student by permitting them to attend classes and Masses with their peer groups so they can experience age-appropriate instruction and sacramental liturgies.  High school students are also invited to join our parish’s Youth Ministry which gathers from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on the second Friday of each month in Mission Hall at the Parish Center, 4412 N. Western.  For more information, contact youthministry@qofachicago.org or call the parish office, 773-539-7510.

Contact Ms. Rachel Hohner, Coordinator of Religious Education, at the remote Religious Education Office number 312-857-6782, or call the parish office at 773-539-7510 for more information.