GIFT – Religious Education
Religious Education includes the G.I.F.T. (Growing in Faith Together) program, which is for families with children in grades K-Grade 8 or for anyone who wishes to grow in faith. GIFT is an intergenerational faith formation process that recognizes that faith formation is life-long. All public school children in grades K-8 must be registered in this program to be eligible to enter immediate sacramental preparation programs.
GIFT sessions meet once a month on Sunday from October through April. Each session starts with 12noon Mass, followed by an intergenerational opening in the Church and then proceeds with students attending their grade level instruction in the school while parents stay in the Church for their session. At least one parent attends the session.
Format of Session:
*12:00pm: Mass
*1:00pm: Intergenerational Opening
*1:20pm: Students leave for their class session, parents stay in the church for theirs.
*2:30pm: Students come back to the church for the closing/Dismissal
Registration for the 2025-2026 school year is open and accepting new & re-registrations of current students. Registration for GIFT occurs yearly and still needs to be completed for those already attending the program. New registrants to GIFT must also submit a copy of each child’s Baptism certificate if the child was NOT baptized at St. Matthias Church to the Religious Education Office.
Sacraments of First Reconciliation/First Communion and Confirmation: *Please note – Only students enrolled in GIFT or in St. Matthias School will be eligible to be included in the sacrament programs.
*Registration Form for 2025-2026 click here
*Registration Fees:
- Families with one child: $115
- Two children: $165
- Three or more children: $215 (Max $215/family
To pay for the 2025-2026 year please click here.
Questions about Faith Formation? Please contact Debbie Schurko
Payment may also be made quarterly or monthly, if pre-arranged with the Faith Formation Office. Please contact Nathalie Godet.
Order of Christian Initiation (OCIA)
Are you interested in becoming Catholic? Do you want to be in full communion with the Catholic Church? Are you a teen or adult desiring the sacrament of Confirmation? Your journey of faith begins with your questions. Contact Fr. Abraham or call the Parish Office for more information.
Small Groups (Live Lent & Fall into Faith)
Though St. Matthias has had a long history of small faith-sharing groups, over the past three years we have had a bit of renewal and re-focus and have formed new or continuing small group experiences during the fall and will continue to do this for Lent. These newly formed groups have provided additional opportunities to pray, reflect on Scripture, and share faith among 250 parishioners. Most groups met virtually during the pandemic; some continue to do so, and others meet in person. If you are new to this experience and would like to join a group or start a group of your own, please click here to sign up.
For further information about our Live Lent Small Groups, please contact Debbie Schurko.
Parish Vocation Committee
The St. Matthias Vocations Ministry encourages and fosters vocations by promoting awareness of vocations and helping parishioners of all ages discern God’s call to vocation and follow their vocations intentionally and mindfully. More information about this committee can be found at https://www.stmatthias.net/vocations/. Contact: StMatthiasVocationsMinistry@gmail.com
Youth Group: St. Matthias Youth Living Evangelization (SMYLE)
Our youth are a great source of life and energy to our parish community. We invite 6th through 12th graders to join us for games, food and fun. We meet on Sunday evenings in the St. Matthias School cafeteria. All are welcome! Check the Calendar for the most up-to-date information. Please contact Sue Lenczewski at SMYLE@stmatthias.net with any questions or to join the group.
NeXt Level Youth Initiative/Project
In 2018, the Center for FaithJustice (CFJ) received a research grant from the Lilly Endowment for the purposes of studying the long term effects of the project, “NeXt Level: The WorX Continues.” St. Matthias has joined this exciting effort as one of 6 parishes in Year Two! We have CFJ staff assigned to work with our parish NeXt Level efforts and to plan our “Passion Project” for the whole parish.
NeXt Level is designed to institute youth-led parish-wide campaigns rooted in service and justice at select participating Catholic congregations across the greater New Jersey region. NeXt Level will build on the core tenets of CFJ’s long-standing and proven WorX program model and empower youth delegates to take their passion to the “next level” within their home parish communities.
The program hopes to put in place an integrated, intergenerational infrastructure, establish tangible youth-led action plans, and implement a communications strategy to make these efforts parish-wide, instead of being siloed as “just another youth group activity.” We currently have 4 outstanding NeXt Level Youth delegates, 3 mentors and 2 staff members involved with our young people in these efforts.