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First Reconciliation & First Eucharist


FIRST RECONCILIATION & FIRST EUCHARIST PREPARATION
 
Blessed Texts

Blessed Sacramental Preparation Program

 

Our responsibility as a parish family is to support parents in their role as the primary teachers and evangelists of their families.  Your personal example and influence will have the most profound impact on your child and their faith.  At Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Parish, our First Reconciliation and First Eucharist preparation programs are family-based programs.
 
All children in our parish school, after-school faith formation program, and home-study program will have an opportunity to experience the Dynamic Catholic Blessed First Reconciliation and Blessed First Communion sacramental preparation programs.  These outstanding on-line programs meet children where they are and lead them, step-by-step, to where God is calling them to be—inspiring them to be lifelong Catholics.
 
First Holy Communion and First Reconciliation are essential parts of your child’s journey of faith.  It is our desire to prepare your children to understand and appreciate the depth of love Christ shows to us in the healing sacrament of Reconciliation and the gift of his very self in the Holy Eucharist.
 
The most important criteria for a child’s preparation for the sacraments are the religious environment in the child’s home and the family’s participation in the spiritual and sacramental life of the Catholic Church.  Your personal example is the best way to help your child grow in their faith.
  • Your child must be baptized.

(If your child was not baptized at Our Lady of Sorrows Parish, we need a copy of the Baptismal certificate.)

  • If your child has NOT been baptized, please contact the Director of the Office of Family Discipleship.
  • Your child must be registered through the Office of Family Discipleship since they coordinate the Sacramental Preparation Program.
  • Your child must be in second grade or older and at least seven years old.
  • Your child must be enrolled in a Catholic school or a faith formation program (after-school or home-study).
  • If your child was not previously enrolled in Faith Formation, please contact the Director of the Office of Family Discipleship to determine eligibility.

Please contact the Office of Family Discipleship for more information at 248-474-6480 or [email protected]

Children show readiness to celebrate First Reconciliation when:

  • They have the desire to receive the sacrament.
  • They know the difference between right and wrong.
  • They have the ability to distinguish between “mistakes” and “accidents” which are non-intentional actions; and “sins” or on-purpose intentional actions.
  • They are capable of saying, “I am sorry” on their own and are capable of contrition, or sorrow, for having offended God by their sins.
  • They are capable of making an Examination of Conscience to recall the times they have offended God and hurt themselves and others by their sins.
  • They understand how to celebrate the Rite of Reconciliation.
  • They understand that God will always forgive them when they are truly sorry.
  • They believe that the priest forgives our sins in Jesus’ name when he prays the prayer of absolution.
  • They understand that to be truly forgiven of their sins, they must do the penance (prayer or action) assigned by the priest.

Children show readiness to celebrate First Eucharist when:

  • They show a desire to receive Jesus in the Eucharist.
  • They regularly attend Sunday Mass with their family.
  • They believe that Holy Communion is really the Body and Blood of Jesus and that Jesus is fully present in the host and in the precious blood.
  • They understand the difference between the consecrated bread and wine and ordinary bread and wine.
  • They understand that during the Mass, the bread and wine change into Jesus at the Consecration when the priest prays the words of Jesus: “This is my body” and “This is my blood.”
  • They know the proper and reverent way to receive Jesus in the Eucharist: either in the hand or on the tongue. When the minister says, “The Body of Christ,” they should look at the host and respond by saying “Amen.”
  • They understand how to receive the precious Blood. When the minister says, “The Blood of Christ,” they should respond “Amen.”
  • They should know their basic Catholic prayers: Sign of the Cross, Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be, and the Act of Contrition.