Many parishes throughout Western Australia provide a Parish Religious Education Program (PREP) and sacrament preparation to Catholic children who do not attend Catholic schools.
These programs are governed under the direction of the Parish Priest and can vary in size – from one or two Catechists teaching a few children, to several Catechists teaching over 100 children.
Classes are generally held after school at the parish or a nearby Catholic school and are approximately one hour in duration.
The mandated teaching resource used by Catechists in the PREP is Gathered in My Name.
Sacraments
Catholic children who do not attend Catholic schools are prepared through the PREP to receive the sacraments at the appropriate ages.
While Catechists provide the teaching preparation for the sacraments (as do teachers in Catholic primary schools), the Church regards parents of paramount importance and seeks their involvement in their child’s sacramental journey: ‘Parents are the primary educators in the faith.’ (General Directory for Catechesis 255)
Sacraments are celebrated in the parish; and through the parish community, new members are welcomed into the much bigger community of the Church. All children who are sacrament candidates, whether they attend Catholic or other schools, are parish candidates.
The Archdiocese of Perth has a family-focused, parish-based, Catholic school and PREP-supported approach to the sacraments.