CCD (Confraternity of Christian Doctrine) is the Catholic Church's religious education program. CCD not only prepares children to receive the sacraments of Reconciliation, First Communion, and Confirmation, its primary purpose is to educate and mentor children in the Faith, helping them grow as believing, practicing Catholics, disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ.
It is important to emphasize that CCD is not extraneous to the life of the parish: it is required that all children enrolled in the program are practicing members of the Church, attending Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation.
St. Mary's offers CCD classes on Sunday morning, between the 8:00am and 10:30am Masses, from 9:00am - 10:15am. Classes are offered for children from 1st to 6th grade. We follow a repeating two-year curriculum: the first year we focus on the Catechism and the Lives of the Saints, the second year we focus on the story of the Bible and the memorization of important prayers.
Knowing the importance of providing both spiritual formation and a greater bond with fellow young Catholics, 7th and 8th graders who are preparing for the Sacrament of Confirmation attend CCD classes at Sacred Heart Church in La Plata on Tuesday evenings, and will receive that sacrament together with their students at that parish in the spring.