THE PRESENCE March 1 - 3, 2024 

The Presence is an encounter with Jesus in the Eucharist specifically for 9th – 12th grade high school youth that brings them to the merciful, and loving real presence of Christ. Participants must attend as part of a group. 

The Presence retreat remains an option that fulfills the diocesan requirement for a Confirmation retreat for those of high school age preparing to receive that sacrament. Confirmation candidates should coordinate their attendance at The Presence with their parish Director of Religious Education.

All adult participants / volunteers must be properly background-checked and Virtus complete. No exceptions. For information on background-checks and Virtus certification, contact Anna Bertram, our parish Safety Environment Coordinator.

For more information about The Presence contact Jamin Herold at [email protected], by phone at 269-349-8714 ext 1234.

The Sacraments of First Communion and Confirmation across the diocese and the US are a two year process. 

• First Communion Classes usually start in 1st grade and continue through 2nd grade in our parish.  
• Confirmation Classes usually start in 8th grade and continue through 10th grade (between the ages of 13 and 16) not before the end of the 8th grade school year and typically before the middle of their 11th grade shcool year. 

The curriculum for each grade focuses on 6 subjects: Creed, Sacraments, Moral Development, Prayer, Saints, and Scripture.  All grades use doctrine from the Catechism of the Catholic Church plus vocabulary in order to teach these 6 subjects. This Religious Education curriculum is used for the whole diocese of Kalamazoo in parish CCD programs and the Catholic Schools and was last updated in 2014.  Find a pdf of the full curriculum here.

For Religious Ed as of this 2018, the diocese of Kalamazoo has put out a new compact  Parish Curriculum

For home school families, here is our Current Family Catechesis curriculum 

Registration is closed for the 2023/2024 year.

Click here for 2023-2024 Registration 

Please click on the above registration button for Religious Ed, First Holy Communion and Confirmation and hit "submit." You can also have a form emailed to you.

Please make payments to "St Charles Borromeo Catholic Church" and give it to the Director of Religious Ed or parish office, (not to the teacher or in the collection basket). If there are any problems, email [email protected]