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ICA’s Parish Religious Education Program (PREP) is intended to assist parents in fulfilling their obligation in the formation of their children in the Catholic faith. All families are expected to regularly attend Mass every Sunday and on Holy Days of Obligation. The program is available to public school children of registered ICA parish families.
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The PREP Office is accepting student registrations for 2024-25 PREP classes, which will start on October 1. Available sessions, applicable fees, and the PREP 2024-25 Registration Form along with the required Authorized Person Pick-Up Form can be found below. Both forms must be completed in full, accompanied by full payment, and must be submitted to the PREP Office in person. The original Birth and Baptismal Certificates for all new students must be presented at the time of registration.
Families who have not yet registered their children are urged to do so as soon as possible. We cannot accurately prepare for the upcoming PREP year unless we know how many students will be attending classes. -
2024-25 PREP
PREP Sessions
Tuesdays, 4:30 - 5:45 PM | Grades 1 - 8
Tuesdays, 6:30 - 7:45 PM | Grades 7 - 8
Wednesdays, 4:30 - 5:45 PM | Grades 1 - 8 -
For any questions or information, please contact the PREP office directly at (914) 961-1076 or via email at [email protected]. Office hours are Tuesday and Wednesday from 12 Noon to 2 PM.
Please do not contact the Parish Center regarding matters pertaining to PREP.
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Registration Forms must be submitted in person at the PREP Office
REGISTRATION FEES
*All Fees Must Accompany Registration*1 Child $375 2 Children $450 3+ Children $500 Sacramental Fee
(Communion and Confirmation)$125 (per Child in Sacramental Year)
Non-Parishioner Additional $250 Checks or cash are preferable.
If you choose to use the "WeShare" payment system, you must attach a copy of the "Payment Confirmation Receipt" to your Registration Form. Click on this link to go to WeShare. After the page opens, look around WeShare at the collection opportunities and click on the yellow button, "PREP", and follow directions. -
All necessary registration forms can be found above. Full payment, including any additional applicable fees, must be submitted at the time of registration.
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*Please read the PREP Registration Guidelines for important information regarding registration and policy*
PREP Registration Guidelines
2024-2025 Registration Form
2024-2025 Authorized Student Pick-Up Form -
Parents Are the First Teachers of Their Children in the Ways of Faith
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PREP Office Hours
Tuesday and Wednesday from 12 Noon to 2 PM
PREP Office: (914) 961-1076
Email the PREP Office HERE
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Registration Forms & Requirements (Click the Tab to Open)
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- A separate Registration Form is required for each child. Both sides and all sections of the form must be completed. Incomplete forms will be returned.
- Click on the below tabs to access the applicable Registration Form for your child(ren).
- Each family is required to submit one Authorized Student Pick-Up Form that will include the names of all individuals approved to pick up their child(ren) in the event they are not able to do so. Under no circumstances will students be released to any individual whose name does not appear on this form.
*Registration Forms will not be accepted unless accompanied by all applicable fees and all required documents.*
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A Registration Form must be fully completed.
*Registration Forms will not be accepted unless accompanied by all applicable fees and all required documents.*
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- A Registration Form must be fully completed.
- The child's original Baptismal and Birth Certificates must be presented at the time of registration.
*Registration Forms will not be accepted unless accompanied by all applicable fees and all required documents.*
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- A Registration Form must be fully completed.
- The child's original Baptismal and Birth Certificates must be presented at the time of registration.
- Parents must provide acceptable proof of prior religious education at the time of registration.
*New students entering Grade 2 or higher who have had no previous religious education must schedule an appointment with the Director of Religious Education, Deacon Frank Orlando, to assess and arrange for proper grade placement.*
*Registration Forms will not be accepted unless accompanied by all applicable fees and all required documents.*
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FROM FR. SORGIE
"Each PREP family will be required to buy an Annual Bonanza Lottery Ticket which gives you the opportunity to repeatedly win up to $20,000!
Two tickets are drawn for two $200 prizes for 32 weeks. Winning tickets are reentered for all subsequent drawings! Tickets are $50 each and available in the Parish and PREP Offices. This fulfills what I see as a fundraising obligation to keep PREP and our other parish activities going.”
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Catechists Needed: Be a Builder of Faith for Our Parish
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Jesus invites all of us to spread the message of the Gospel. There can be no higher calling than the call to evangelization. The Parish Religious Education Program (PREP) of the Parish of the Immaculate Conception and the Assumption of Our Lady is looking for dedicated men and women who are willing to serve as catechists, catechist’s aides, hall monitors, and parking lot monitors for this coming academic year. Whether your child is enrolled in PREP or not, we encourage your participation in any level you feel you can serve. Whether you are a man or a woman, young or old, we are all called to serve the Lord in this very important ministry. No experience necessary; we will help you through.
Catechists – adults and college age students who are practicing Catholics
Aides and Monitors – adults, college students, and high school aged students in need of service hours who are practicing CatholicsIf you are interested in joining the PREP team as a catechist, aide, or monitor, please fill out the Questionnaire below and return it to the PREP Office.
If you want more information on ministering as a catechist, please contact the PREP Office.
Call the PREP Office at (914) 961-1076
or
send an email to Deacon John HERE
Catechist Questionnaire
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As the new academic year approaches, we are asking our veteran catechists to return and seeking new catechists for the Parish Religious Education Program (PREP). As emphasized by Pope Francis, the ministry of catechist is vital to the survival of our church and the salvation of our children.
What is a catechist?
A catechist is much more than a teacher; a catechist is someone who accepts the ministerial role of building life-long faith formation in those who are not yet fully-initiated members of the Church.
Faith formation has four dimensions: human, spiritual, pastoral, and intellectual.- Each of our students in PREP need to be formed as humble and compassionate human beings, capable of loving and caring for their neighbor: their brothers and sisters.
- Each needs to be formed spiritually: they need to be formed in an environment of prayer, meditation, and contemplation.
- Each needs to be formed pastorally: They need to be shown how to care for those in need and learn how to recognize those in need of physical and financial assistance and those in need of spiritual or moral assistance.
- Finally, the students in PREP need to be formed intellectually: They need to be instructed in the doctrine of the faith, the Sacramental life of the Church, and the reading and interpretation of Sacred Scripture.
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Introducing Deacon John, Director of Religious Education
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John was born in the Bronx, and he moved to New Rochelle at the age of six. He attended Iona Grammar School, Iona Preparatory School, and Iona College - a true Iona Gael! Shortly after graduating college, John met his amazing wife, Dana. They have two children, Ryan and Jason. Both sons have graduated college and have begun their own lives as young adults.
John’s path to ministry and service to the Church started when he was in the sixth grade. He felt a possible calling to enter religious life, but he did not immediately follow it. In 1993, John became a police officer for the City of New Rochelle. But the Lord’s call never left him, even throughout his career in law enforcement. After retiring as a Sergeant, the Lord’s call returned loud and clear. John became a catechist, entering a ministry he truly enjoyed. In time, he became the Director of Religious Education and Faith Formation at the Parish of Our Lady of Perpetual Help - St. Catharine in Pelham Manor.
He recently received a master’s degree in theology from St. Joseph’s Seminary in Yonkers. After 5 years of formation, he was ordained a permanent deacon for the Archdiocese of New York, joining the clergy on Saturday, June 15. John also currently serves as a volunteer for United Hospice of Rockland.
Now, John will be the Director of Religious Education at ICA Parish. He is thrilled to join our Parish and looks forward to serving the parishioners, catechists, staff, parents, and students, along with the priests and deacons already ministering here.
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On your behalf, Fr. Sorgie welcomes John to our wonderful community of Tuckahoe and Eastchester and wishes him years of fruitful ministry with our children.
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Meet Deacon Orlando, Moderator of Religious Education
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"I am Deacon Frank Orlando, but I tell most people that God knows me as Francis. In November 2020, I was happily transferred to the Parish of Immaculate Conception and Assumption of Our Lady; happily, because I know what a terrific parish this is.
I was born and raised in the Pelham Bay section of the Bronx. I was baptized at St. Theresa’s Parish (you may know someone else who was baptized there) and attended Our Lady of the Assumption Grammar School in Pelham Bay and Xavier High School in Manhattan. After graduating from Xavier, I attended the United States Naval Academy for one year and then transferred to Fordham University where I majored in theology.
After graduating from Fordham, I was hired as a full-time religion teacher at Mount St. Michael Academy in the Bronx. While there, I earned a master’s degree in religious studies from Manhattan College. I was at Mount for 12 years.
I married my wonderful wife Noreen in 1975, and now with two sons married and three grandchildren, my wife and I are members of Immaculate Conception and Assumption.
I went to law school at Pace University and then was admitted to the bar in New York and Massachusetts. I accepted a commission in the United States Coast Guard as a lawyer and spent four years on active duty and 17 years in the reserves. I retired with the rank of Commander. I was ordained to the Sacred Order of Deacon by John Cardinal O’Connor on June 24, 1989, the Feast of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist.
As a civilian attorney, I worked as a senior associate at a national insurance defense firm, a partner in a local New Rochelle firm, a solo practitioner and an assistant general counsel for a property insurance company. At my last parish, I served as the Director of Religious Education.
If you ask me what my profession is, I find it to be a very difficult question. I think my answer would have to be deacon/attorney/teacher. I often tell people I traded the classroom for the courtroom and the courtroom for the pulpit. I taught theology in the evening division of Fordham University and law at Iona College and at Monroe College.
Several years ago, Cardinal Dolan asked me to take on the responsibility of directing the Formation Program for the Permanent Deacons in the Archdiocese of New York. It is a task I embraced with great love and joy.
All of that led me here to the Parish of Immaculate Conception and Assumption of Our Lady, as a deacon and as the Moderator of Religious Education. I’m looking forward to working with all the parishioners as well as with the catechists, staff, parents and students in PREP."
- Deacon Orlando
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Pictured Above: Deacon Orlando, his wife Noreen, and their grandsons Liam and Conor
Pictured Below: Deacon Orlando (front left) with Pope Francis -
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