Meet Children’s Faith Formation Leaders Jo-Lee Buncic and Michal Tincup: “We’re a Real Team”

Children are so much a part of St. Vincent de Paul Parish — our church doesn’t even have a cry room! —it stands to reason that their faith formation is a vital part of our parish life.

Jo-Lee Buncic, Director of Children’s Faith Formation and Michal Tincup, Children’s Faith Formation Coordinator, work together in creating and managing all of the children’s programs for our parish. These programs include preschool faith formation (ages 2 thru kindergarten), elementary faith formation (1st grade thru 6th grade), the Children’s Liturgy of the Word (CLOW), the Sacramental Preparation Program, the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (CGS) program and the annual Vacation Bible School.

In most years, the programs would be held in-person. Classes would start in October and be Sunday mornings and Wednesday afternoons. Due to COVID-19 the last in-person session took place in March. The diocese instructed the parishes to shift all the children’s faith formation class to remote learning. We have worked to make sure that we are able to provide a program that would still allow us to maintain many of the same faith-filled qualities that we had in previous years.

“Our parish is a true community, a welcoming community, and our children always have a been a vital part of it. Children are blessed and welcomed right from the beginning. The Sacrament of Baptism is a community affair when the babies are presented to the community. The community supports all of our programs.”

In this new season, the faith formation for all of our children has moved to an at-home or virtual program. “Our pre-schoolers are using Catholic Brain’s program. Each week we send the families suggested videos they should watch during the week, based on the liturgical calendar… It’s amazing!”, Michal says. Our children’s faith formation sessions have gone virtual, via Zoom sessions. “To try to maintain a sense of community, our classes begin with a Zoom session for each grade level,” Jo-Lee says. The children meet with their catechists for about 20 minutes either on Sunday mornings or Wednesday afternoons. The catechists introduce the lesson and the families complete the lessons using the books Finding God, which they have access to online.

Both Jo-Lee and Michal value their communication with the parents and working to make sure that the remote platform is successful. Whether the learning is in-person or virtual, both treasure what they experience in helping our children learn about their faith.

“What I enjoy most is all the interaction with the children and families, and being part of the joy as they experience God in their lives, the Spirit in their lives,” Jo-Lee says. “I am a grandmother and great-grandmother, and many times that joy, I equate it with what my experience is working in faith formation.”

“My feelings are similar,” Michal says. “It is a joy seeing children discover the beauty of the love that God gives us — it is never-ending love, and seeing it in their faces is a gift. The happiness they bring to our parish, it brings us such joy, to see the families come together. We’re a part of their lives, not just when they’re little, but as we watch them grow up.”

If you would like more information about the Children’s Faith Formation programs, call Jo-Lee Buncic at 817-478-8206, ext. 214 or Michal Tincup at 817-478-8206, ext. 213.

Jo-Lee Buncic, Director of Children’s Faith Formation

Michal Tincup, Children’s Faith Formation Coordinator