DIRECTIONS FOR THE CVOL HOME STUDY MODEL
Dear Fifth, Sixth, Seventh, and Eighth Grade Parents:
Thank you for taking the time to complete the Catholic Vision Of Love material with your child. If you are like most Catholic parents, you want your child to have a healthy understanding of sexuality as a very positive thing -- a powerful and sacred gift from God that, when used responsibly, builds loving families and offers a deeper understanding of Christ's love.
You also want to protect your child from unwanted pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases (epidemic among teens!), infertility, uterine cancer, broken hearts, lost faith, depression, and low self-esteem.
Is Your Child Ready to Learn About This? While it may seem that some students are too young and physically immature to worry about sexuality, the fact is that they are already bombarded with distorted messages about their sexuality – and they are quietly absorbing it all! Television programs, the Internet, CDs, video games, commercials, magazines, conversations with friends -- and even some public school health classes -- are packed with words and images that encourage sexual behaviors and/or attitudes that are contrary to the teachings of Jesus.
The "Catholic Vision of Love" (CVOL) program was designed by the Diocese of Pittsburgh to support parents by conveying God's beautiful plan for human love and sexuality in a convincing and developmentally appropriate manner. It is important to note that the topic of sexuality will not be covered in any other classes or events for our students.
All of the material is in one file for each grade level. The content of the material is listed below and you can scroll to a particular section by referencing the page numbers (also below). You do not need to cover all of the material in one sitting. The student lessons are divided into five sections/classes. The lessons cover Vocation, Modesty, Reconciliation, how Christ gives us the courage to be pure of heart, and the Personal Safety Curriculum. The CVOL Guidelines and the Catechist Notes are also part of the file and are available for parental review. It is best to review this information before beginning the student lessons with your child.
Throughout the Catechist Notes sections, you will see references to the Catechism of the Catholic Church. If you do not have a copy of the Catechism in your home, copies are available in the Parish Library (located on the lower level of the Cardinal DiNardo Center). You are welcome to check one out to use while you complete this curriculum. The Catechism is also available online for no charge (http://www.christusrex.org/www1/CDHN/ccc.html).
Students must complete all of the Student Lessons pages before taking the review test. The parent/guardian should review these lessons with their child so they get all that they can from the material. Most of these sections lend themselves to interesting discussions. This curriculum is NOT meant to be a “self-study” for students working independently. We offer a one day on-site retreat model for each grade level every year. The retreats are facilitated by the Faith Formation Staff and CVOL certified catechists. For the Home Study Model, parents/guardians take on this role. You are the FIRST and the BEST catechists for your children. If you have any questions please call the Faith Formation Office at 724-935-2104 X236. We are here to assist you.
Before your child begins the Review Test they will be asked to confirm that they have successfully completed all of the Student Lessons with you. Once they respond to each of the questions they will hit SUBMIT and the test will be sent to the Faith Formation Office. We will score it and send you the results via email. The student will then be given credit for completing the curriculum. The CVOL material is required and must be reviewed before a student can be marked “complete” for a Faith Formation year.
If you have any questions/concerns about the material please contact Kathy Masters, at 724-935-2104 x236, kmasters@stsjohnandpaul.org.
We applaud you for spending this quality time with your child. Jesus is well pleased! We pray that it will be a very enriching experience for both of you.
Kathy Masters
Faith Formation Staff
