Welcome to this resource by the Catechist Ministry of the Church of St Anthony to provide parents with information on the catechetical programmes in our church. Our programmes start with children aged 4 and continue all the way up to the age of 16 with the Sacrament of Confirmation.

We are a group of 29 passionate catechists in the Catechist Ministry dedicated to:

• Nurturing young people from ages 4 to 16 in the Catholic faith, to be a disciple, worshipper, active parishioner, evangelist, role model and friend of Jesus Christ
• Preparing children and youth to receive the Sacraments of Baptism (age 7 and above), Reconciliation, Holy Eucharist and Confirmation

In addition, we have currently, 9 catechist trainees and 8 assistants. We are led by our Spiritual Director, Fr Ignatius Yeo.

Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (CGS) Level 1 (4 to 6 years old).

This is a 3-year faith formation programme for children starting at 4 years old. Trained catechists present essential “lessons” and guide the child at “work” with sensory-rich materials in a sacred space called the Atrium, a prayer space where the child encounters the Good Shepherd and starts to develop a close, personal relationship with Jesus. This catechesis is firmly grounded in Liturgy and Scripture, developed by Sofia Cavalletti, a Hebrew scholar and Gianna Gobbi, a Montessori Directress, trained in the methods of Catholic education reformer Maria Montessori.

Precious Seeds (6 years old)

This is a one-year faith formation programme which introduces pre-school children to key topics of our Catholic faith such as Understanding God’s Love, Jesus – our Good Shepherd, Mary – the Mother of God and common Catholic prayers.

Mainstream Catechetical programme Levels 1 to 10 (7 to 16 years old)

Guided by the Office for Catechesis (OFC) curriculum, this 10-year programme provides a holistic experience to children and youth comprising catechist-led catechism lessons, day or overnight retreats, visits to Catholic organisations (e.g. Agape Village), attachments to youth and/or parish ministries. It aims to nurture the Catholic faith in the youth, with keenness to grow and develop an intimate relationship with Jesus and His Church (i.e. the parish community at large)

Bridging programme (9 to 13 years old)

This is a one-year programme for children who are baptised but never had formal catechesis or would like to re-start catechesis after a break from formal catechesis. Children who are not baptised may also join this programme before entering the Catechetical programme. Depending on availability of resources, children may be referred to attend Bridging programmes run by the Archdiocese, instead of at parish level.

All our programmes are run on Saturdays for 4 terms, usually following the same schedule as the Singapore school terms.

Retreats are conducted during school holiday periods in March, June, September and November.

Any questions about our programmes may be directed to the following, depending on your child’s age group.

• Catechesis of Good Shepherd
Email: childrensministry@saint-anthony.org

• Precious Seeds
Email: childrensministry@saint-anthony.org

• Mainstream Catechetical Programme
Email: catechistcoordinator@saint-anthony.org

• Bridging Programme
Email: catechistcoordinator@saint-anthony.org

Registration for our Mainstream Catechetical Programme

Please check back for the 2024 intake. Registration is open to children who are registering for level 1 only

– parishioners of CSA
– staying within/moved to the vicinity of Woodlands/Marsiling
– Log in to : https://mycatholic.sg/

* Please prepare a copy of the child’s baptism certificate to be sent over when the registration is successful. All other applicants not meeting the above are strongly advised to register at their respective parishes. Registration starts from 15 October 2022 onwards. For further enquiries, please contact us at catechist@saint-anthony.org.

Registration for Precious Seeds Programme

Please check back for the 2024 intake.

Registration for Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (CGS)

Registration for Existing Students

Please refer to a letter from the catechist ministry for instructions. This letter has been sent out via WhatsApp. Do contact the ministry if you have a child who is attended catechism last year but have not received the letter.

Testimonials and Feedback From Precious Seeds from Parents and their Children

This program is very good for teaching children about the Catholic faith. It also engages the parent to participate in the learning process. Somehow, there are some things that I got to know from the lesson also.  Anthony enjoyed the lessons a lot – all the art and craft, the stories and the songs. It is also nice to be able to learn new prayers. Thank you Precious Seeds’ Teachers.  (Written by Anna, a parent)

I am thankful and grateful that I decided to embark my son in the Precious Seeds journey. Despite the lack of physical presence due to pandemic, the virtual sessions turned out well as the team was a very dedicated group of people. They really made the sessions interesting and meaningful to the children. Elih learnt to pray every day and ask Jesus for help. Not only has my son benefited from this journey but more so, I have grown my understanding about and faith in Him. Thank you ‘Precious Seeds’ family!   (Contributed by Irish, a Precious Seeds parent)

I enjoyed the Precious Seed classes together with my child. I am seeing her improve & asking questions about Jesus. When we went to church, she checked all the items in church & told me the names of the items. Now she recites prayers in both languages (mother tongue & English). The happiest moment for me was when she sat down to pray, she said that she has an angel’s wings behind her. I really thank the Precious Seed coordinators, those who put effort to prepare the lessons, choose cartoons & craft work.    (From Merisa, a Precious Seeds parent)

Hi, I am Anabel. I enjoyed the Precious Seed programme. I like the action songs, cartoons of saints & craft work. Now I know the prayers. I love the song “Christ be our Light”. Thank you cheche, aunties & uncles   (From Anabel, Marissa’s child)

We enrolled Andre into Precious Seeds hoping that he will be able to learn more about our Catholic faith. But classes were suspended even before the 1st lesson due to COVID-19. The dedicated team managed to organize the sessions through Zoom. Lessons conducted by the teachers were interesting, entertaining and very educational. Parents are encouraged to accompany and journey with their child and we enjoyed the songs, games and stories as much as Andre did. We loved spending time doing all the art assignments with Andre. We learned about prayers, Saints, Feast Days and the important items found in Church and used during mass. We built our own mini Church and use it as an Alter in Andre’s room! The Precious Seeds sessions became something we looked forward to every weekend and it definitely helped build a good foundation for Andre’s faith journey.   (By Andrew, a Precious Seeds parent)

I love attending Precious Seeds because I am able to do art and craft together with my parents. Through art and craft , we are able to build our Altar step by step, Angels, Lily flower.  I love songs and the dance that are taught by the teachers too!     (by Andre, Andrew’s son)

First of all, Thank you to all the teachers and St. Anthony’s Church for conducting the Precious Seeds programme for children. Precious Seeds helped  my child Alvin to learn about God’s creation, Jesus, Mother Mary, Angels and Saints. The way you teach the children had helped us understand our faith too. It was a really new and wonderful experience for the children as well as parents. The games you conducted to learn the prayers and Bible verses were good approaches for children to pick up the prayers faster. Thank you, everyone.   (Feedback from Mr and Mrs Albert, Precious Seeds parents)

My son Adrian attended Precious Seeds program 2020 and I must say it has benefited him and my whole family. My son was introduced to the Christ, the Catholic Church, Saints and bible verses. This program has kindled his interest in knowing more about the Church. He knows most of the prayers by heart and we are praying regularly. The spirit and energy of the teachers is amazing and very inspiring. I will strongly recommend parents to enroll in this program.  (Written by Annie, a Precious Seeds parent)

I really like Auntie Marilou’s action songs and the Saint stories. I enjoyed a lot.    (Adrian, a Precious Seeds child)