St. Joseph Parish School of Religion (PSR)

About

The St. Joseph Catholic Church Parish School of Religion (PSR) Program supports parents in their role as primary faith educators of their children. With the resources provided in PSR, children grow in their knowledge and love of God and their Catholic faith. Additionally, children are prepared to receive the Sacraments. The Faith Formation Office is always looking for adults who are willing to volunteer in the PSR program. Classes are held on Wednesday evenings, from the end of September through April. 

Welcome to PSR! 

PSR at St. Joseph Catholic Church meets weekly from the end of September through the end of April. We look forward to seeing our students on Wednesday evenings from 6:45-8:00pm in Sts. Joseph and John School building. About once a month we will have Family PSR, where the children bring their grown-ups to PSR with them. On Family PSR days, we will meet in the church to hear a guest speaker. If you would like to discuss other options for catechesis, please contact Linda in the Faith Formation Office at lzvoncheck@sjohio.org or 440.238.5555, ext. 107.

PSR Update (6-24-2025)
Upcoming PSR Classes:

• Wednesday, September 24, 2025: PSR begins at 6:45 PM.

Registering for PSR 2025-26
Registration for the 2025-2026 PSR year has begun! If your child was enrolled this past school year, use the re-registration form here for the fall of 25-26. If your child is new to PSR at St. Joseph Catholic Church, use the New Student form here. Return all forms, fees and Baptismal Certificates if applicable to the Faith Formation Office of St. Joseph Catholic Church. 

If you have any questions regarding PSR, contact Moira (mcohen@sjohio.org) or Linda (lzvoncheck@sjohio.org) in the Faith Formation Office of the church.

PSR 25-26 Calendar
The PSR Calendar for the 2025-2026 PSR year is available here. 

PSR Resources for Parents and Families
This year, our grade one students will be using the Word of Life series from The Augustine Institute. For more information on these materials, click here.
Grade two will use the Blessed series from Dynamic Catholic. For more information, click here.
Grades 3 through 8 will use the Pflaum Gospel Weeklies. For more information, click here.

Inclement Weather Policy
Please note that we follow the weather cancellations from Strongsville City Schools. If SCS is closed on a Wednesday due to inclement weather, PSR will also be cancelled. If the weather causes SCS to cancel evening activities on a Wednesday, PSR will also be cancelled. We will try to email the PSR group any time we cancel a regularly scheduled PSR session. Of course you must make personal decisions based on what you feel is best and safest for your child.

PSR Handbook 2025-26
The PSR Handbook for 2025-26 will be available in August.

Empowering God’s Children ^TM

To enhance the ongoing efforts of the Diocese of Cleveland to provide training for adults and children in matters of protection from abuse and creation of safe environments, students in our PSR program participate in Empowering God’s Children^TM. Empowering God’s Children^TM is a multi-media training program created by Virtus. The Empowering God’s Children^TM program presents current abuse prevention information to parents, children, youth and young adults. Empowering God’s Children^TM does NOT replace the Virtus training program which is required of all staff and volunteers who work with children. Empowering God’s Children^TM will complement the Virtus program by providing an educational opportunity for parents and by reaching into the religious education program to teach children directly, and help inform the parents on the issues of safety for their children.
Please check out these resources for more information about the Empowering God’s Children^TM program:

• The Empowering God’s Children^TM program overview can be accessed here.
• The Empowering God’s Children^TM “Teaching Boundaries and Safety Guidelines” booklet is available here.
• The Empowering God’s Children^TM lessons will be included in the PSR classes on February 12th and 19th of 2025. If you do not wish your child to receive instruction from the Empowering God’s Children^TM program, access the opt-out form here. Please print, sign and return this form to the Faith Formation Office before February 5, 2025. 

Additional information on the Virtus program for employees and volunteers is available here.

Contact Us

For more information about the Parish School of Religion, or if you are interested in volunteering, contact our Director of Faith Formation.

• Linda Zvoncheck, 440.238.5555, lzvoncheck@sjohio.org