Religious Education - PREPS
2026-2027 PREPs On-line registration is now open. Religion Classes will start on September 13, 2026.
Fill out our registration form
General Information
St. Matthias Parish offers religion classes for students who do not attend Catholic Schools. Our program is designed to form the faith and educate the whole family. We welcome parents to actively participate in our instructions and stay involved in the activities of our program. We love to see the whole community to grow in faith together.
Giving a child proper faith formation and knowledge of our Catholic Faith is the responsibility of each parent. It is recommended that children in Catholic families attend religious instruction continuously from 1st through 8th grade.
The Diocese of Brooklyn requires that each child attends at least two years of religious instruction before receiving First Penance and Eucharist and two years before receiving Confirmation. All children must be at least in 2nd grade to receive the sacrament of Communion and at least in 8th grade to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation.
Also, children who are 8 through 10 years old and who were not yet baptized must enter into the Order of Christian Initiation adopted for Children (OCIA). They will receive their Baptism and First Holy Communion after the first two years of preparation and attend additional two years of Confirmation preparation at age 12 and 13, or later.
Youth 11 years of age or older and who were not yet baptized, must attend three consecutive years of sacramental preparation and will receive all three sacraments (Baptism, Communion and Confirmation) at the end of the 3rd year.
In school year 2026-2027 the classes will be held on Sunday in two sessions:
- 10:00 am to 11:30 am (to accommodate families attending 9:00 am Polish Mass and 11:45 am Spanish Mass)
- 11:45 pm to 1:15 pm (to accommodate families attending 10:30 am English Mas
What to prepare for the registration:
- All families who wish to attend our classes must first register in the parish (if you are not a registered St. Matthias Parishioner, please contact the rectory at 718-821-6447)
- If this is your first time registering for classes at St. Matthias you will need your child’s birth certificate and certificates for all received sacraments (baptism and communion)
- Your personal information, information about your child’s current school, emergency and your child’s doctor’s contact.
- Registration fee: 1st two children pay $150 each; child 3+ pay $100 per child (example: a family with 5 children pays $300 for child 1 and 2 and $300 for child 3, 4 and 5; a total of $600) Fee can be paid in cash at the rectory or during the in-person registration, check, money order or credit card using the online payment system.
Registration process
- We encourage all families to register online using this link: 2026-2027 REGISTRATION FORM
- There are no in person registrations scheduled at this time.
PREPs OFFICE HOURS
From June through August all office visits are by appointment only. Please call, text or email with questions: 718-456-0301 or preps@rcmatthias.com.
For all urgent matters, please contact the rectory office.
Interested in Joining our Team?
Our Parish Religious Education Program (PREPs) is looking for catechists. No experience is necessary – we will provide all the tools and training. If you like working with students in grades 1 through 12, you will be a great fit for our program.
By joining our catechetical ministry, you will become part of an energetic group of Christ followers who love the Lord and St. Matthias Parish.
If you would like to find out more information, please email us at preps@rcmatthias.com or call at 718-718-456-0301.
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