PREPARATION FOR FIRST SACRAMENTS

Catechesis for each sacrament is intended for all members of the Christian community, takes place within the community, and involves the whole community of faith... and [it] involves the parents in the preparation of their children for the sacraments. -National Directory for Catechesis

First Sacrament Preparation honors these principles here at Saint Laurence Catholic Church by empowering the parents of our parish to teach their own children sacramental catechesis at home. First sacrament preparation is taught primarily at home by the parents. We also hold six sessions throughout the year to celebrate and grow together as a community.

 

SACRAMENT PREPARATION OVERVIEW

Beginning in Second Grade, students may register for the First Sacrament Preparation program, which is for both First Reconciliation and First Holy Communion.

Parents are the teachers. It is designed to be a home-based program, using the  Our Sunday Visitor's Encounter with Christ Sacrament Preparation series. 

Sacrament Preparation is not a stand alone program. Your child must attend some form of CCE classes at the same time, as well as the year prior (see the IMPORTANT NOTES section below).

Sacrament Preparation takes a full school year with First Reconciliation in the Fall and First Communion in the Spring. A child cannot receive his/her First Holy Communion without going to First Reconciliation beforehand.

REGISTRATION

To register for First Sacrament Preparation, click here for  RE registration. Due to expectations of process, missing the deadline for registration may result in your child having to wait another year.

IMPORTANT NOTES

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS
Religious education is required at least one year prior to and during the year beginning sacrament preparation. Children not in Catholic school must register for an Elementary CCE class to continue to build their Catholic formation.


CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS
The preparation process is available for children with special needs in various formats to suit your child's particular needs.


CATHOLIC SCHOOL CHILDREN
Catholic school children are prepared through their home parish.
 

SESSIONS FOR YOUR PREPARATION

Primarily, the sacraments preparation will be done at home.  Also, we have six sessions that are a required part of the process to make your child fully ready to celebrate the sacraments.

1. PARENT MEETING (FALL AND SPRING)
At this first meeting, the parents come to get the needed course materials and find out more about the process of sacrament preparation. There is also plenty of time for questions and concerns to be voiced and for guidance and support to be offered.

2. PRACTICE WALK THROUGH RECONCILIATION AND TOUR OF THE CHURCH
We walk through each of the sacraments to teach the practical aspects of their reception and to allieviate any anxiety that might be felt by the students. This is a great time to model the practice of your faith for your children.

3. DAY RETREATS
For just a few hours in the Fall and again in the Spring, we spend time as a community praying and learning together. 

There is an interview before each child is allowed to receive the sacrament in order to determine his/her readiness. This is a short and stress-free conversation with your child that lasts about 10 minutes.