Friday, December 13, 2013

Penance services postponed

The penance services for First Reconciliation on December 14 have been cancelled.  The children's reception of the sacrament will be rescheduled for some time after the Christmas season. Thank you for your patience.  We'll have more details late Monday or Tuesday.

Thursday, December 5, 2013

Notes from First Reconciliation practices

We've been having great practices with the 2nd graders this week.  They are doing a great job, but there are a few things that the children need to work on.

First: all of the kids need to practice how to go to Confession.  Preparation is KEY to your child's First Reconciliation Saturday being stress-free. Here it is, in a nutshell:


When I go into the Confessional, I can choose to sit in front of Father or to kneel behind the screen. I make sure to close the door behind me.  I make the Sign of the Cross while I say, “Bless me, Father, for I have sinned. This is my first confession.” The next time I go to confession, I will tell Father how long it has been since my last confession.
  I tell Father my sins and the number of times I committed each sin. Then I say, “For these and all of my sins, I am sorry.”  I listen to what Father tells me, listening for the penance I have to do.
 I pray an Act of Contrition.
  Father will extend his hand to bless me. He says the words of Absolution and when he says “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,” I make the Sign of the Cross and say, “Amen.”  I thank Father, and leave the Confessional to say my penance prayers.
You can print these instructions out from a pdf here.  One activity that is good to do with the kids is to print out the sheet, then review it once or twice together, then, cut the sentences into strips, turn them upside-down, mix them up, then try to put them back together in order.  You can leave it like that as a puzzle, or you can glue them onto construction paper to make a little guide that your child can decorate and personalize.

Second: some of the kids are not sure what they should confess.  The National Catholic Register (weekly newspaper) has a nice examination of conscience here.

Finally: the children have been working on the opening song for the penance service in their classes, but again, preparation is very important.  Some of our friends really need to work on this.  Here is the video for your convenience.  The kids in the video are doing hand motions; our children are not doing those hand motions.





Your child's First Reconciliation day is going to be beautiful. It's a wonderful day for them to receive God's grace healing their souls. It's a great opportunity for us, their parents, to model life in the Church by going to confession ourselves. Please let your child's faith and courage inspire you to seek healing for your soul as well.


Monday, December 2, 2013

Reminders for first reconciliation

First reconciliation for the children of St. John School is this Saturday at 11 AM. Children should meet their teachers in the hallway outside of the gym at 10:45. Dress code is Sunday Best: no jeans, sweats, or sneakers.

Practices for the Reconciliation services on December 14 are as follows:

11 AM service: Wednesday December 4 and 11 at 5:45 pm in church. This is your child's CCD class these two weeks.

2 PM service: Tuesday December 3 and 10 at 3:45 pm in the church. This is during your child's class time.

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Examination of Conscience for Adults

You can find an excellent examination of conscience for adults at this link: http://bit.ly/18H7Xiq This examination is great for parents and other adults to use before going to confession for the first time.  This link is NOT suitable for children as it involves adult subject matter.