First Reconciliation - Process:
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August – Families register for First Reconciliation Sacramental Preparation program for children who are baptized Catholic and entering the 2nd grade in the fall.
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August - Children who are not enrolled in a Catholic school are required to register for Family of Faith. (See Families of Faith)
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August – Parents attend a meeting to receive materials for their children.
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October and November - Parents and children attend one mandatory Saturday morning catechesis session each month.
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January – Parents schedule an interview for their child.
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January – Children prepare for and celebrate their First Reconciliation at the conclusion of the Day of Reflection.
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May – Parents attend a meeting where they are given information regarding Confirmation and First Eucharist preparation in the fall.
Confirmation & First Eucharist – Process:
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August - Families register for Confirmation & First Eucharist Sacramental Preparation program for children who are baptized Catholic, received the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and entering the 3rd or 4th grade in the fall.
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August - Children who are not enrolled in a Catholic school are required to register for Family of Faith. (See Families of Faith)
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August – Parents attend a meeting to receive materials for their children.
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October – Baptism Certificate, Saint Report, Sponsor Information and Interview Sheet are due
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November, December, February, and March – Parents and children attend one mandatory Saturday morning catechesis session each month.
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January – Sponsor Eligibility Form and Candidate Interview Sheet are due.
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March – Parents schedule an interview for their child.
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April – Parents and children attend Day of Reflection.
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April or May – Confirmation & First Eucharist Mass
Children’s Sacramental Preparation
“God, infinitely perfect and blessed in himself, in a plan of sheer goodness freely created man to make him share in his own blessed life. For this reason, at every time and in every place, God draws close to man. He calls man to seek him, to know him, to love him with all his strength. He calls together all men, scattered and divided by sin, into the unity of his family, the Church. To accomplish this, when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son as Redeemer and Savior. In his Son, and through him, he invites men to become, in the Holy Spirit, his adopted children and thus heirs of his blessed life.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph #1)
Sharing in the blessed life of the Holy Trinity, is the gift Jesus gave the Church through the Sacraments. The love between the Father and the Son is the Holy Spirit who comes to dwell in us and make us holy that we may know, love and serve God here on earth and be happy with him in Heaven. As Jesus tells us in the Gospel of John 10:10, “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”
The focus of religious formation at Most Precious Blood Parish is working with families so parents and children grow together in their relationship with Jesus and understand why he desires their participation in the life of the Church through the reception of the Sacraments.
Children’s preparation for sacraments, whether for First Reconciliation or Confirmation and First Eucharist, begins when school starts in the fall. Children must be baptized in the Catholic Church and are typically in the second grade for First Reconciliation and the third grade for Confirmation & First Eucharist.
How does it work?
The Church teaches, and we believe, that the family is the home of the “domestic church.” This is where daily family life tills the soil that prepares children to receive the Word of God and opens their hearts for sacramental formation. The clergy and staff of the Office of Faith Formation considers it a privilege to walk with parents on this journey.
Because parents/guardians are the primary educators of their children in all things, especially in faith, sacrament preparation is a beautiful opportunity for families to grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ as parents show their children the way to the Father through the loving, merciful arms of our Savior.
Catechesis Sessions
With the support of the clergy, the Director of Faith Formation and volunteer catechists, parents and children receive instruction at two Saturday morning catechesis sessions for each sacrament. These mandatory sessions bring together all the families of the parish whose children are preparing for sacraments regardless of where the children are enrolled in elementary school.
Days of Reflection
Children preparing for First Reconciliation will receive the sacrament on their Day of Reflection on a Saturday in January. The Day of Reflection for children preparing for Confirmation and First Eucharist occurs on a Saturday a week or two prior to the Mass where the children receive both sacraments.
At least one parent must attend the catechesis sessions and Day of Reflection associated with each sacrament.
Interviews
Additionally, to help the children feel more comfortable and prepared prior to receiving the Sacraments, parents will schedule an interview for their child with a priest, deacon, seminarian or the Director of Faith Formation. Parents are most welcome and encouraged to be present with their children during the interview.
Why Are Children Confirmed in the Third Grade?
Initiation describes the process of being welcomed into a group. The Sacraments of Initiation solemnly mark the full entrance of an individual into the Christian community. This initiation signifies that the person has died to sin and is reborn in Christ. Through Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist, one becomes a full member of the Body of Christ, the Church. Since Archbishop Aquila moved the age to receive Confirmation and Eucharist to the third grade, the process has been referred to as “The Restored Order.” The restored order of Confirmation and First Eucharist highlights the primacy of the Eucharist as the fulfillment of Christian initiation.
Many people ask how we can confirm kids so young given most Catholics have been confirmed in middle and high school over the last 50 years. Confirmation has been viewed as a sacrament of maturity that allows candidates to choose for themselves the faith that was chosen for them by their parents at Baptism. Although not entirely incorrect, this understanding of the sacramental theology of Confirmation unintentionally diminished the work of God who is completing what he began at Baptism. As the Catechism of the Church, para. 1285 states, “… By the sacrament of Confirmation, [the baptized] are more perfectly bound to the Church and are enriched with a special strength of the Holy Spirit. Hence, they are, as true witnesses of Christ, more strictly obliged to defend the Church by word and deed.”
Therefore, through the Sacrament of Confirmation, the bishop (or his delegate) confirms the sacramental journey of faith begun at Baptism and initiates candidates into the Greater Church community. The celebration of the Holy Eucharist completes Christian initiation and allows for a greater participation with the whole community in the sacrifice of the Mass.
In accordance with the mandate from the Archdiocese of Denver, Most Precious Blood has transitioned to celebrating the Restored Order of the Sacraments of Initiation. This means that children celebrate their First Reconciliation in January of the second grade (typically).
Children begin preparing for the sacraments of Confirmation and First Eucharist, in the fall following their First Reconciliation (typically in third grade). The Rite of Confirmation precedes the celebration of First Eucharist within the same Mass during the Easter season.
To watch a video about the Restored Order and to read the Pastoral Letter “Saints Among Us” from Archbishop Aquila click below.
Help Needed!!! Get Involved!!!
Many volunteers are needed to make this program successful. No experience required A love of children, families and the Catholic faith are all that is necessary. Volunteers will be given the support needed. * We can use your help in the following ways:
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Family of Faith and Sacrament Catechesis Session - lead small groups
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Family of Faith and Sacrament Catechesis Session - set up and clean up
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Please contact Mary Pott in the Religious Formation Office to learn more!
*All adult volunteers (18 years and older) must complete a background check and Safe Environment Training.