First Communion & First Reconciliation

You welcomed your child into the Church at baptism and now your child is ready to take a next step into being part of the Church. We’re thrilled to be a part of that journey with you.

While parents are the first and primary educators of their children in the faith, we’re thrilled to have the chance to support you in this work. During preparation for First Reconciliation and First Communion, we support you with a two-year program in the Saints JFX School that we call Youth Faith Formation, our religious education program designed to make sure that your child has a special experience of the sacraments.

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Timeline

First Grade Year
  • All Year:  Children begin preparation in their Youth Faith Formation classes

Second Grade Year
  • October:  “Parents only” meeting about First Reconciliation
  • January:  First Reconciliation celebrated
  • February:  Parents meeting about First Communion
  • First Week of May:  First Communion celebrated

Content

While the formation for these important sacraments is an integrated, two-year process, different parts of the preparation stress different ideas and themes.

  • First Reconciliation
    In this part of the preparation, we emphasize what parents have already begun to teach at home. In their everyday lives with their families, children start to acquire ideas of right and wrong, attitudes of forgiveness, and experiences of God’s unconditional love, especially as that love is lived in the families.

    Our team, comprised of parents, schoolteachers, catechists, and parish staff, work to build on those attitudes and prepare our young people to receive this sacrament of God’s unconditional forgiveness and love.

  • First Communion
    When a child reaches the age when she/he understands the meaning of the Eucharist and asks to come to the table of the Lord, the baptized child is welcomed to our family table. The Sacrament of Holy Eucharist nourishes the child who began his initiation into the Catholic Church at baptism.

    Jesus ate with his friends and with strangers. Our meals at home show our children the importance, not only of eating for nourishment, but eating for community building, celebration, and getting to know one another face-to-face in person. As with all things, the education our parents do at home is essential.

    Our team of parents, catechists, schoolteachers, and staff will build on the lessons your children have learned at home to deepen their sense of the importance of the Eucharist and to help them understand that this is the real presence of Christ with us.