First Communion

The Sacraments of Reconciliation and Eucharist are offered to children who are in Grade 2. These are beautiful sacraments that nourish us throughout our entire lives as Christians.

In the Sacrament of the Eucharist, Jesus offers himself to his Heavenly Father and feeds us with his Body and Blood.

In the Sacrament of Reconciliation, Jesus offers us his mercy and the forgiveness of our sins upon our confession of them.

The offering of the Sacrament of Reconciliation in Grade 2 not only brings our parish in line with the Archdiocesan Norms on the Sacraments, but more importantly offers our children the concrete example of our human need to seek Christ’s loving mercy and forgiveness before receiving the Real Presence of His Body and Blood in the Eucharist.

The preparation of students for the Sacraments of Reconciliation and Eucharist is a partnership between the parish, home and school. Thus, the program begins with a Registration Meeting and Inscription Ceremony at the church, and it is soon followed by a family interview with one of the priests or parish volunteers. For students attending one of our Catholic schools, the priests will visit during the year to help with the preparation and to carry out rehearsals for the liturgical celebrations.

Children attending public schools are asked to attend a number of preparation sessions prior to the reception of each sacrament.

Each sacrament will have a specific preparation program including a final practice session which will be held at the church. Further details regarding these sessions and the course materials will be given during the registration meeting.

We ask that all members of the Parish check back for a letter from our pastor, Fr. Tim Hanley, regarding the First Communion/First Reconciliation process.

For 2010-2011 our registration schedule is as follows:

St. Jerome & Holy Spirit	October 5th at 7:00pm
Our Lady of Grace & Light of Christ	October 6th at 7:00pm
St. Joseph & Parish Group	October 7th at 7:00pm

Celebration of First Reconciliation will be held at Our Lady of Grace Church as follows:

St. Joseph School, Parish Group	December 2nd at 7:00pm
St. Jerome and Holy Spirit Schools	November 30th at 7:00pm
Light of Christ, Our Lady of Grace Schools	December 1st at 7:00pm

School First Eucharist Ceremony, which will take place at Our Lady of Grace Church on the following dates:

Holy Spirit School	May 15th at 4:30pm
St. Jerome’s School	May 29th at 4:30pm
Light of Christ School	May 15th at 2:00pm
Our Lady of Grace School	May 8th at 2:00pm
St. Joseph’s School/Parish Group	May 29th at 2:00pm

First Communion/First Reconciliation Registration forms for the 2010-2011 year will be made available at a later date.
The forms can also be obtained from the parish office.