Children and Family

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​Welcome!
We welcome and engage families and children at Queen of Peace through our programs of faith formation, sacramental preparation, discipleship enrichment activities, service projects, Family Masses, Children's Liturgy of the Word, and other areas of youth and family involvement. Welcome to the OLQP Family!

Programs for Children and Families:
The Family Circle Program  
The Family Circle program at Our Lady Queen of Peace is designed to teach children how to recognize, understand, and respond to God's love as authentic Catholic Christians, and employs a different model than the typical CCD program. Our primary objective is to bring Jesus into the home and family life by supporting our parents as first and best teachers of the faith. Our Family Circle program offers 2 options for study: Neighborhood Circle or Home Based Circle. Both are supported by the Faith Formation Team, text books and numerous Lending Library resources, in addition to on-campus Catholic Foundations classes, Children's Liturgy of the Word, Family Masses, and Discipleship Enrichment activities. Please click the above link to learn more about the Family Circle program.

Catholic Foundations Program
A monthly interactive classroom education experience is offered to complete the Home-Based and Neighborhood Circle experience of faith formation. All parish children, grades PK-8, are encouraged to attend these classes, which focus on Catholic Foundation teachings. Foundations classes are taught by catechists and take place the first Saturday of the month.

Family Mass
A special Children's Liturgy follows the monthly Catholic Foundations classes. Open to everyone, this Mass allows the children to aprticipate fully in a Liturgy by serving as lectors, greeters, ushers, gift bearers, Family Mass choir members and musicians. The homily is directed to the children and counts for the Sunday obligation. Volunteers are needed to help train and coordinate children for mass roles, to set up props, serve as Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion, Ushers, and other liturgical ministers as needed.

Children's Liturgy of the Word (CLW)
CLW takes place during three of the Sunday Masses (9:30 am, 11:15 am, and 1:00 pm in Spanish). Children ages 4-10 are invited to listen and reflect on the Sunday Gospel in child friendly language. The children leave the main sanctuary and proceed to our Children's Chapel where they experience the Gospel, Profession of Faith, and General Intercessions before returning for the Liturgy of the Eucharist. CLW is led by a team of fantastic teen leaders!

Youth Sacramental Preparation
Baptism, First Communion, and Confirmation are the three sacraments of initiation in the Catholic Church. At OLQP, we do a comprehensive job of preparing youth for each sacramental journey, focusing on both catechesis and living out our faith, and continue to engage parents as the first and best teachers of the faith. Please click the above link for more information on our Baptism, First Communion, and Confirmation preparation programs. ​

Resources for Children and Families:
​Grade Level Faith Formation Guidelines 
The Diocese of Arlington publishes guidelines for Religious Education for children in grades Pre-K through 8. These guidelines include the teaching of Christian doctrine imparted to initiate developing Catholics into the fullness of Christian life. Please click the above link to find a list of Diocesan grade level objectives and grade level vocabulary to support Family Circle parents in home and neighborhood instruction. A comprehensive list of objectives can be found on the Diocesan website.

Resources and Ideas
Visit our "Resources and Ideas" page to view at-home activities and information on topics such as the Liturgical year, parent-child relationships, ways to pray, service opportunities, and Family Circles lessons and ideas.

​Resources for OLQP Catechists

Contact us:
Faith Formation Director:
Alex Hernández​, 703-979-5580, ahernandez@olqpva.org

Note: The Diocese of Arlington requires all volunteers who have a working association with children to comply with the
policy regarding the safety of our children. This policy is a requirement for participation in the parish religious education
program and all other parish programs where youth are involved. Compliance requires attendance at the Virtus training workshop and completion of the online application which includes a background check.

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What's New @ OLQP!?

Registration for the 2019-2020 Faith Formation and Sacramental Preparation year has now close. Please contact us for more information. 

• The Family Circle Program (Faith Formation, grades PK-8)
• First Communion/ Reconciliation (Sacramental Prep, grade 2+)
• Confirmation (Sacramental Prep, grade 7+)
• Teen Circles (Faith Formation, grades 7-12)

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