“… there was evening and there was morning, one day.” Gen. 1:5

In the Bible, a new day begins in the evening, while it is still dark. The Church year begins in much the same way—not amid the bright promise of spring, but as summer fades and the days grow shorter. September brings us back to the work of beginning again: worship, learning, prayer, and the religious education of our children.

It is tempting to think of religious education as one more parish program — something for the children to attend while the adults take care of other things. But the faith cannot be handed on by a program alone. Children learn what the parish truly believes by watching what the adults actually value. They notice whether worship is allowed to claim our time. They notice whether prayer has a place at home. They notice whether Scripture and the lives of the saints are living voices or merely books on a shelf. Above all, they notice whether learning the faith matters enough for us to make a real commitment to it.