Do you have children enrolled in public schools?

If you live within the parish boundaries of St. Lawrence, and have school-age children (1st through 12th grade) who do not attend a Catholic school, they should be enrolled in the parish’s religious education program.

If your family is not registered in the parish, click here to register with the parish before you fill out the CCD Registration form.  You must complete this registration form before registering for CCD classes.  New students will also need to provide certificates or copies of all Sacraments received to date.

The CCD classes for St. Lawrence Catholic Church are held on Monday and Wednesday evenings from 7:00 pm to 8:15 pm in Hammond Hall.

*ONLINE REGISTRATION FOR THE SEPTEMBER 2026 – MAY 2027 ACADEMIC YEAR BEGINS JUNE 15, 2026.*

The History of CCD

CCD is a Confraternity established by the Church and devoted to providing religious education and instruction for converts and young people who do not have the opportunity to attend parochial schools. The CCD was first established in the 1500s as a result of the reforms of the Church through the Council of Trent (1545-1563). It was intended to improve and offer religious education for young people and adults in Milan who, for various reasons were unable to receive proper catechetical instruction. Much encouragement and leadership for the CCD was provided by some of the greatest figures of the era, including Saints Charles Borromeo, Peter Canisius, Francis de Sales, and Robert Bellarmine. It was also supported by the popes, starting with Pope St. Pius V, who approved the new catechism in 1566.

The modern history of the confraternity dates from 1905 and the reign of Pope St. Pius X (1903-1914). He expanded and renewed its activities, publishing some twenty-one documents on catechesis, although the most important was the encyclical letter Acerbo Nimis (1905). He ordered that the program of instruction be established in every parish, including the directive in the Code of Canon Law of 1917. Its work was affirmed yet again in Christus Dominus, the Decree on the Bishops Pastoral Office in the Church (October 28, 1965), issued by the Second Vatican Council.

The confraternity originates from the various Roman curial congregations concerned with Catholic education, with direction passing to the various organs of the Church on a national level. In the United States, national authority is in the hands of the Division of Catechesis/Religious Education in the Department of Education of the United States Catholic Conference. The program then passes to the diocesan level where, ideally, education is headed by a diocesan director. Click here for the Arlington Diocese Catechetical website. Another fine resource for knowledge of the Catholic faith is Formed.org.  At the parish level, a local director, who is well-trained in catechetical instruction, administers a program.

Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA) is the process by which adults can enter the Catholic Church through the Sacraments of Initiation: Baptism, Confirmation, and First Holy Communion.  Those who wish to become Catholic are received into the Church every year at the the Easter Vigil Mass.

Order of Christian Initiation for Children (OCIC) is a similar process to OCIA, but for children between the ages of seven and eighteen who wish either to become a Catholic or to catch up on their Sacraments.

The OCIA/OCIC programs are designed for those who, after hearing the mystery of Christ proclaimed, consciously and freely seek the living God and who wish to enter the Catholic Church.  By God’s help they will be strengthened spiritually during their preparation and at the proper time will receive the Sacraments of the Catholic Church fruitfully.

Other adult Catholics desiring to learn more about the Catholic faith are encouraged to attend OCIA sessions.  Our OCIA sessions are normally conducted on Tuesday evenings from 6:30 – 7:45 p.m. in Hammond Hall.  The OCIC classes are held during regular CCD class times.  For more information, please contact the Director of Religious Education, Joseph Stakem, at 703-971-8541 or by email.

Check the bulletin for upcoming events and classes! 

There are two programs available for tuition assistance for St. Lawrence families who send their child(ren) to a parochial school near the parish:

Catholic Grade School Tuition Scholarships

While St. Lawrence parish does not have its own Catholic grade school, we do encourage our families to send their children to Catholic schools in other parishes, or at the nearby Angelus Academy.  The nearby parishes with schools are: St. Louis, St. Bernadette, and St. Mary (Alexandria).

Tuition everywhere is continuously rising, and requires sacrifices for many families to send their children to a Catholic school.  Parishes that have Catholic schools usually offer a lower “in-parish” tuition rate for their own parishioners, while others pay the full “out-of-parish” tuition.  In the interests of promoting Catholic education for our families, St. Lawrence will offer, to those families who qualify, the opportunity to seek a Tuition Scholarship to make up the difference between “In-Parish” and “Out-of Parish” tuition in a Catholic grade school (K-8).  Angelus Academy does not offer an “In-Parish” rate because it is not a parish school.  But a similar Tuition Scholarship will be offered to parishioners who attend Angelus Academy.

In order to qualify, the following criteria must be met:

1. The family must be registered members of St. Lawrence parish.
2. Faithful attendance at Mass on all Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation by the children and parents must be demonstrated.
3. The parents must be faithful in contributing to the financial support of St. Lawrence parish, using the offertory envelope system or ParishSOFT.
4. The children may be enrolled in Angelus Academy or in a Catholic parish school (K-8) in the Diocese of Arlington.
5. Children must maintain good Christian behavior and effort in the school. Parents must teach and reinforce the Catholic Faith at home.
6. The parents may need to schedule a personal interview with the pastor of St. Lawrence in order to assess the criteria.
7. The Tuition Scholarship may be revoked if the criteria are no longer met.

Please call the parish office for more information.

Arlington Diocese Tuition Assistance Program

Tuition Assistance from the Arlington Diocese is also available for those who qualify on the basis of financial need.  For more information on this program, click here.  Every parish, including St Lawrence, is assessed by the Diocese for this program.