Sacramental Preparation

THE REQUIREMENTS BEFORE THE CELEBRATION OF THE SACRAMENTS IN THE PARISH OF OUR LADY AND ST JOSEPH, FOLKESTONE.

DEFINITION OF A SACRAMENT AND HOW MANY ARE THEY?

According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the sacraments are efficacious signs of grace, instituted by Christ and entrusted to the Church, by which divine life is dispensed to us (CCC1131; CCC1084). In other words, a sacrament is a sacred and visible sign that is instituted by Jesus to give us grace, an underserved gift from God.

Christ was present at the inception of the sacraments he instituted, and he is always present every time each sacrament is celebrated. There are seven sacraments: Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist, Reconciliation/Confession/Penance, Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders and Matrimony.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains that the seven sacraments touch all stages and important moments of the Christian life (CCC1210).

The celebration of each one of the seven sacraments is preceded by a period of preparation which can be short or long, depending on the sacrament.

This parish page is created to help people who are thinking about celebrating any of the sacraments to learn about what the preparation period involves and what the basic expectations are for Candidates and their family, as set out by the clergy.

We hope that this page will give you enough information on what you need to do to make your hope, or that of your child, become a reality.

BAPTISM

Baptism is the first sacrament that a person receives in the Roman Catholic Church. It opens the door to all the other sacraments. Roman Catholics practice infant baptism, holding that it is important for a child of believing parents to be introduced into Christian life as soon as possible.

Baptisms in the Catholic Church usually take place on Sundays during the parish Mass, or in the early afternoon. In most cases, the parish priest, or deacon, administers the sacrament, anointing the person being baptised with the Oil of Baptism/ Catechumen, and pouring Blessed Water over the child or adult’s head not just once but three times, then anointing with the Holy Chrism.

Every person being baptised must have a sponsor, traditionally called a godparent. You must have at least one sponsor, but usually infants have two, one of each gender and often from each side of the family.

Historically, the role of Godparent was a very practical one. Godparents took over the rearing of children orphaned when their parents died prematurely. Today, being a godparent carries with it no legal right or ecclesiastical authority to the custody of children. Being a Godparent, besides giving Christmas and birthday gifts every year, really means actively giving good Christian witness and example, being a supportive role-model by regularly and faithfully practicing the faith.

The Godparents who are chosen (usually friends or relatives) will act as witnesses at the baptism and promise to offer help and encouragement to the child in their religious development.

Godparents are those who have celebrated their own sacraments of initiation such as Baptism, First Reconciliation, First Holy Communion, and Confirmation if they were baptised as infants. At the age of 16 they are qualified to be Godparents. When they reach adulthood, it is usually expected that they are married in the Catholic Church. Someone who celebrated their initiation in the Catholic Church, or who was received into it, is expected to have celebrated Baptism, Confirmation, First Holy Communion and will have their marriage celebrated in the Church or convalidated/sanitised in case this took place outside the Church before conversion.

Please note that a baptised non-Catholic cannot be a Godparent, but can be a Christian Witness, so there is a need to have a Catholic Godparent who can enable the Christian witness to stand. Now and then people want their friends who are not baptised to be their child’s Godparent. This also is not allowed.

Before the baptism, parents will usually meet with their local priest to make sure they fully understand the importance of the promises they will be making on behalf of their child. They may attend a pre-baptism course.

We intend to put in place a baptism preparation course in the foreseeable future. It could be scheduled on a weekday or a weekend that will suit everyone. When this course is organised, it will be for expectant parents, parents and godparents, or grandparents, if they are the people who made the decision for the child to be baptised.

In the meantime, anyone who wishes to have their child baptised should be attending Mass regularly for at least six months to be realistic before booking an appointment to meet with the parish priest, for the immediate preparation for baptism. Even if you wish to have your child baptised outside the parish, you must fulfil the requirements above before the parish priest can grant you the permission to have your child baptised outside the parish.

Any query you may have about baptism, preferably speak first to the parish priest please.

FIRST RECONCILIATION AND FIRST HOLY COMMUNION

If you have seriously taken up the commitment you and your child’s Godparents made on the day your child was baptised, the child will be familiar with Mass, maybe children’s liturgy, and will understand at least something about prayer. Whether you have enrolled your child in a Catholic school or in a non-Catholic school, your regular attendance at Mass will help judge your child’s readiness for the preparation before the celebration of the First Sacrament of Reconciliation/ First Confession and First Holy Communion. Thus, the Catholic Church in England and Wales suggests that from year 3 upward, any baptised child who reaches the age of 8yrs can enrol for the preparation of these two sacraments of initiation.

 

FIRST RECONCILIATION

Before the celebration of First Holy Communion, your child will be prepared to celebrate his or her First Reconciliation. The Sacrament of Reconciliation wipes away all the sins committed after baptism, therefore, on the child’s way to growth and adulthood in the Catholic Church, the Church teaches the importance of this Sacrament in the life of a Catholic by allowing the child to celebrate it for the first time. This means that after First Reconciliation, the Church encourages the celebration of this sacrament at least twice a year.

During this part of the programme, your child will learn about God’s law of love, how we can easily wander away from it, how important it is for us to receive love and give love. Your child will learn about prayer, examination of conscience, and embrace all that can lead us to holiness and help us to keep the holiness that was sown in us on the day of our baptism.

We want your child to enjoy this preparation time and ask you to look on it as an opportunity for your family to grow in faith and in your knowledge and love of God, together.

Each child must be accompanied by a parent or grandparent, and not a friend of the family. It is important that families attend all sessions. You and your child are asked to plan ahead to ensure that this happens.

If your child is unwell or there is a valid reason why you cannot attend, please let your parish priest know. You will be asked to complete the preparation work at home, and then submit it.

For child protection purposes, a register will be taken at each session and if your child misses two sessions in a term, you will be asked to contact Fr Alex to discuss this.

Sessions will begin on time. We ask everyone to be punctual for all sessions. If you arrive late, you not only disrupt the class, but you miss a vital part of the course.

All the resources we will use are those we used last year. It is essential that each family brings the folder, pencils, and the prayer book to every session, and that you encourage your child to use their Little Missal during Mass, this can be bought from our shop, just ask the shop keeper.

If your child used to attend children’s liturgy, from now on your child will learn more deeply about their participation in Mass with the adults, therefore, their use of their Little Missal will be helpful at this stage

Please support the preparation Team as much as possible- they give their time freely to support you and your children and this preparation course cannot be provided without their time and effort.

All follow-up activities should be completed at home. This is a vital part of the process, giving you and your child an opportunity for quiet time with each other and together with God. For any further guidance or help, please contact your Team or speak to them at the end of your weekly sessions.

We aim to celebrate First Reconciliation during Lent, then again, nearer the time of the celebration of First Holy Communion itself.

FIRST HOLY COMMUNION

First Holy Communion is a wonderful moment in a child’s life and represents a sign of growth in the knowledge and love of God for each and every child. Parents who bring their child or children for First Holy Communion are fulfilling the vow they made publicly at their child’s baptism some years before to be the “first and best teachers of their child in the ways of faith”. Now they are more actively fulfilling this vow.

The celebration of First Holy Communion each year is primarily a Parish Community Celebration. There is great expectation that the family are full practising members of the community and that they regularly come to Mass. On this understanding, the parish will provide all the necessary help to parents and children, particularly those children not attending Catholic schools. The support from parents for this and other elements of the course cannot be emphasised enough.

To this end, parents will be expected to attend a number of meetings during the year. Parents must ensure that they and their children attend punctually all the preparations classes, which take place at Our Lady’s Hall.

No child will be denied First Holy Communion, however, children who miss two or, at most, three sessions, will have missed key catechesis. In such cases and after discussion with the parish Team and parents, the parish priest may remove a child from the course that year and invite parents to reapply for the following year. Sports events, parties and other such competing attractions must come second to First Holy Communion preparation and the regular attendance of Mass during the First Holy Communion year. 

We want your child to enjoy this preparation time and ask you to look on it as an opportunity for your family to grow in faith and in your knowledge and love of God, together.

Each child must be accompanied by a parent or grandparent, and not a friend of the family. It is important that families attend all sessions. You and your child are asked to plan ahead to ensure that this happens.

If your child is unwell or there is a valid reason why you cannot attend, please let your preparation Team know. You will be asked to complete the preparation work at home, then to submit it.

For child protection purposes, a register will be taken at each session and if your child misses two sessions in a term, you will be asked to contact Fr Alex to discuss this.

Sessions will begin on time. We ask everyone to be punctual for all sessions. If you arrive late, you not only disrupt the class, but you miss a vital part of the course.

All follow-up activities should be completed at home. This is a vital part of the process, giving you and your child an opportunity for quiet time with each other and together with God.

For any further guidance or help, please contact your Preparation Team or speak to them at the end of your weekly sessions.

PARENTS ARE MOST IMPORTANT FOR THE SUCCESS OF THIS JOURNEY

First Holy Communion is a special time when your child is welcomed into the body of the Church and begins to take a more active part in the community.

The parish recognises that you are the primary educators of your children in their faith, and it is our sincere desire to work alongside you and your child to prepare for First Reconciliation and First Holy Communion, which are important steps in the life of your child.

As parents, you have the most important role in the preparation process, which is primarily to:

§  Accompany your child to Mass and preparation courses

§  Pray for and with Your child

§  Witness to your Faith by your family’s lifestyle and conversation

§  Attend the diarised Catechetical Sessions with them

§  Ensure that the task given in form of homework is done and submitted.

§  Practice everyday how to do the examination of conscience with your child.

Your support and encouragement during the process is vital to the Preparation Team and to your child’s faith development. Sports events, parties and other such competing attractions must come second to First Reconciliation and First Holy Communion Preparation.

In our parish we aim to start the preparations for First Reconciliation and First Holy Communion after the October half term with the purpose of celebrating the sacraments around May/June of the following year.

We will use the following two books:

1.      We Prepare for Reconciliation, by Françoise Darcy-Berude and Jean-Paul Berud, Novalis, ISBN 978-2-89688-669-2.

2.      We Share in the Eucharist, by Françoise Darcy-Berude and Jean-Paul Berud, Novalis, ISBN 978-2-89688-670-8. 

If you are interested, book an appointment for your interview with the parish priest along with your child. This is not a school programme or another part of the school curriculum. It is a parish programme open to all parishioners who are willing to make this spiritual journey with their child throughout the course of the academic year. Please call Fr Alex Saba on 01303 253823 or email folkestone@rcaos.org.uk to arrnage an appointment or to have a chat.