FIRST HOLY COMMUNION & THE SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION
Enrollment in the two-year First Holy Communion and Reconciliation preparation program opens when children reach the age of seven. Canon Law 914 states that “It is primarily the duty of parents and those who take the place of parents, as well as the duty of pastors, to take care that children who have reached the use of reason are prepared properly and after they have made sacramental confession, are refreshed with this Divine Food as soon as possible…” That being said, our catechists offer classes that work in support of the domestic church to prepare children to receive the Body and Blood of Christ, after making a contrite First Reconciliation. Contact the Faith Formation Office (210) 341-1397 for more information or to register.
CONFIRMATION
Teens may enroll in the two-year Confirmation Preparation program at the beginning of their 9th-grade year. Year I introduces students to the concept of Grace and why we need it. It continues by walking students through an introduction to the basics of the Catholic Faith and ignites in them a desire to initiate an authentic relationship with Christ. Year II goes into much more depth, including Church History, the efficacy of the Sacraments, the Blessed Trinity, the Person of Christ, and the Theology of the Body. Students are required to attend one Saturday retreat a year in order to complete the program. Parents and sponsors of Year II students are required to attend one Saturday Sacramental Preparation Seminar. Contact the Faith Formation Office (210) 341-1397 for more information or to register.
O.C.I.A. ADAPTED FOR CHILDREN
The Christian Initiation of Children (also called the Children’s Catechumenate) is the process for children & adolescents over the age of 7 and under 18 who have not yet been baptized or who have not received First Eucharist or Confirmation with their peers. The Christian initiation of these children requires both a conversion that is personal and developed in proportion to their age, and the assistance of the education they need. The process of initiation must be adapted both to their spiritual progress, that is, to the children’s growth in faith, and to the catechetical instruction they receive. Accordingly, as with adults, their initiation is to be extended over several years, if need be, before they receive the sacraments. (RCIA #253) This formation follows the general pattern of the OCIA, with those in the Children’s Catechumenate receiving the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist at the Easter Vigil, together with the older catechumens. (National Statutes for the Catechumenate #18) Parents are to be involved in the Christian Initiation of their children, whose permission is required to participate and to receive any of the sacraments.
Family Sacrament Preparation
Children over the age of 11 years [in the 6th grade or higher] who have been baptized can participate in our Family Sacrament Preparation. This is a two-year program in which adolescents and teens attend age-appropriate classes to be prepared to receive the sacraments of Reconciliation and Eucharist. Contact the Faith Formation Office (210) 341-1397 for more information or to register.