At St. Mary’s, children are usually prepared to receive their First Eucharist during second grade. Preparation begins in September and continues till the following June. The children receive Eucharist as a group after Easter.

This preparation involves several things. Prior to receiving their First Eucharist, the children also need to be prepared to receive Reconciliation. This year, most of the children received their First Reconciliation at the Advent communal Reconciliation service.

The catechesis for the children has three parts. The first is religious education either through St. Mary’s School or grade level Religious Ed classes.

In addition to classes with their peers, the children are also expected to participate in the parish’s monthly Whole Community (WCC) sessions.

There are also three Saturday morning family retreats for the children who are preparing. They children and their parents come to these retreats.

This summer we will be holding parent sessions for any parent (guardian) who wants their child to receive First Eucharist in spring of 2009. These sessions are mandatory and parents must choose to attend one of the sessions. (this is for both children in St. Mary’s School and Religious Ed program).

The dates for the parents meetings will be published soon.

Parents whose children are older and have not yet received First Eucharist should also plan to attend one of these sessions. If you know of someone who has a child ready to be prepared for First Eucharist, please share this information with them.

Thank you!