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First Reconciliation and First Communion

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How Do I Make Sure My Child Can Celebrate their First Communion in 2025?

All are welcome at Mass!
The BEST way you can begin to prepare your child to receive their First Communion is by bringing them to the celebration of communion every weekend at Mass. Whether you have always attended faithfully, or you protected your family's health during the pandemic by staying home, or you have found it challenging to bring a young child to Mass - we are here for you! Whether your child is loud, or messy, or unfamiliar with what to do, or a prayeful and calm expert - we joyfully welcome the gift of your family's presence! 

If your child is entering 1st grade in 2023-2024...
Find our Faith Formation enrollment online here. Children must participate in either Faith Formation or Catholic school the year BEFORE they prepare for First Reconciliation and First Communion. See the General Information section below for more information. Children in 1st grade in Faith Formation or Catholic school in 2023-2024 can prepare to celebrate these sacraments in 2024-2025.

If your child is curringly in 2nd grade or above this school year (2023-2024)...
If you are not already enrolled in Faith Formation or SRS, please contact Anne Thomas at anne.thomas@dor.org about your family's needs. If you are looking to celebrate next year, you are warmly welcome to enroll in Faith Formation (unless your child is in Catholic school already!). Sacramental Preparation, along with Faith Formation OR Catholic school, will be part of their journey in the 2024-2025 school year.

2023-2024 Program

Program Information
Our 2023-2024 program will begin in November with preparation for First Reconciliation. After celebrating First Reconciliation, we will begin preparation for First Communion. For each Sacrament, we alternate each week between gathered sessions for parents and children together at St. Rita Church, and home-based sessions for famillies to complete on their own time; then we end with a rehearsal and the celebration of the Sacrament. Regular worship at Mass is the most important part of readiness to celebrate the Sacraments.

Calendar
You can download our 2023-2024 calendar here.

First Communion Dates
This year's dates will be announced after the parish calendar is finalized. Families will be able to sign up for their celebration date in the fall, after everyone has a chance to enroll. We understand that you may be inviting family members who need to make travel arrangements, or booking plans for a family celebration. Please be patient so that we can give a fair chance for all celebrating families to enroll. We also welcome families to schedule their celebration alongside the whole community at any regular parish Mass during the Easter season. In 2024, Easter will be on Sunday, March 31st, and the Easter season will end on Sunday, May 12th.

Be sure to check out the General Information below regarding your child's eligibility to begin Sacramental Preparation!

General Information

When can my child prepare for these Sacraments? Per diocesan policy, your child must meet all 3 of the requirements below in order to prepare for First Reconciliation and First Communion:

• Your child is in Grade 2 or above.
• Your child attended Faith Formation or Catholic school LAST YEAR (Grade 1 or above)
• Your child attends Faith Formation or Catholic school in THE CURRENT YEAR (Grade 2 above).

My child is entering Grade 2 in Fall 2023. Can my child prepare for these Sacraments in 2023-2024? Your child can enroll in Sacramental Preparation if they meet all 3 of the requirements below:

• Your child is entering Grade 2 or above in Fall 2022.
• Your child has attended Faith Formation or Catholic school in 2021-2022.
• Your child attends Faith Formation or Catholic school in 2022-2023.

We understand that the pandemic has made it challenging for many families with young children to transition to "normal" activities like Mass and Faith Formation. Please feel free to reach out to Anne Thomas about your child's eligibility to enroll in Sacrametnal Preparation in 2023-2024, even if you were unable to participate in Faith Formation due to any challenges you faced. 

My child is entering Grade 1 in Fall 2023, how can we make sure we can prepare for these Sacraments when they are in Grade 2? If you plan to celebrate these Sacraments with your child in Grade 2, please make sure that you enroll them in Faith Formation or Catholic school in 2023-2024. 

When will we celebrate these Sacraments? Per diocesan policy, First Reconciliation is celebrated  prior to First Communion. Sacramental preparation begins in the fall. We will celebrate First Reconciliation in the winter, and First Communion in the Easter season. Final dates are not available at this time.

When will my child's First Communion celebration be? We traditionally celebrate First Communion on the first two Saturday mornings immediately following Easter, but this is not set in stone. We also welcome families to schedule their celebration alongside the whole community at any regular parish Mass during the Easter season.  In 2024, Easter will be on Sunday, March 31st, and the Easter season will end on Sunday, May 12th.

Contact

 If you have any questions, please contact Anne Thomas at anne.thomas@dor.org or 402-9254.