BOTH SACRAMENTS are received as part of the parish liturgical life which includes children in both the day school and christian formation program.
1st grade - Sacramental preparation year
2nd grade - Sacramental reception year
Unless there are extremely unusual circumstances, if a child is enrolled after 1st grade it can be assumed there will be a two year process.
Preparing children for the Sacrament of Reconciliation allows us to show them that God is love and that in mercy He is always ready to forgive, no matter what the wrong. It assures them that God already knows the secrets of our hearts, but sometimes we need to name these aloud in order to prepare our hearts to renew the experience of God's love and forgiveness. It shows them that just as God is One, God dreams that we might all be one as well--one with each other and one with God. God's will is that all people will be reconciled with one another and with God. What an extraordinary gift!
DIRECTIVES FOR FIRST RECONCILIATION
Canon 914: It is the responsibility, in the first place, of parents and those who take the place of parents as well as of the pastor to see that children who have reached the use of reason are correctly prepared and are nourished by the divine food as early as possible, preceded by sacramental confession; it is also for the pastor to be vigilant lest any children come to the Holy Banquet who have not reached the use of reason or whom he judges are not sufficiently disposed.
• Children are to be prepared for First Reconciliation and receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation/Penance prior to receiving First Communion. Both sacraments would generally be received in grade two.
• In a given parish, First Communion could be postponed to third grade, if indicated by available resources, the number of children or the time needed for adequate preparation of both children and parents.
• The readiness required for the Sacrament of Reconciliation consists in the capacity to discern between right and wrong, together with an understanding, appropriate to the child’s age, of what sin is. The readiness required for First Communion is not dissimilar: the ability to recognize the difference between the Eucharist and ordinary bread and wine.
• Children who are well prepared for Reconciliation generally welcome this opportunity to experience God’s mercy. Parents/guardians of a child occasionally may indicate that their child is “too young” for Reconciliation. In such a case, after due pastoral discernment, delay of both Penance and Communion may often be the most suitable resolution.
• The universal law, as reiterated by the particular law of our Archdiocese, does not permit the parish program to orient the group, as a whole, away from receiving First Reconciliation prior to First Communion. The pastoral norm is: First Reconciliation prior to First Communion.
• Delaying the preparation and reception of First Reconciliation until sometime after First Communion is not permitted by the universal Church or by the Archdiocese of Milwaukee.
Canon 914: It is the responsibility, in the first place, of parents and those who take the place of parents as well as of the pastor to see that children who have reached the use of reason are correctly prepared and are nourished by the divine food as early as possible, preceded by sacramental confession; it is also for the pastor to be vigilant lest any children come to the Holy Banquet who have not reached the use of reason or whom he judges are not sufficiently disposed.
The First Eucharist Afternoon of Reflection is a time for the parents and their child(ren) to prepare for the reception of the Sacrament of the Eucharist. It is usually held shortly before the reception of First Communion. The instruction and invitation to receive Jesus into their hearts with fasting, love, reverence, and joy should be presented in such a way that all may come to know the true presence of Jesus Christ in the Body and Blood consecrated at Mass.
GIFT BEARER
Each child working toward the reception of their First Holy Eucharist will be required to be Gift Bearers at a Parish celebration of Mass during one of the designated weekend Masses. Sign-up and instructions are emailed to parents as opportunities approach.