GETTING READY TO ENCOUNTER JESUS!
The Sacraments of First Reconciliation & First Communion
Welcome to the Sacrament Preparation Process for St. Robert Bellarmine Parish! As a family with a child continuing this season in faith formation you all are embarking on a journey in which your family will encounter Jesus Christ, our Savior in a real way and develop a deeper friendship that will last a lifetime.
Preparing to receive a sacrament is a process with three essential components:
- LIVING FAITH through your family life at home;
- LEARNING FAITH through parish formation opportunities;
- LOVING FAITH through worshipping and serving with the parish family
This process begins with the Sacrament of Baptism and continues throughout our lives. As your child begins their elementary school years they should also begin to expand their understanding of their relationship with Jesus Christ, and our Catholic faith. Once a solid connection to Jesus Christ along with a foundation in understanding how to life our faith established, preparations to receive the Sacraments of Reconciliation and Communion may begin.
Of Note: Our parish’s Sacrament Preparation process is part of an overall Faith Formation process, either through enrollment in our parish school or parish Faith Formation. Families who are seeking to prepare an older child for reception of the Sacraments should refer to our Faith Formation for Families
FIRST RECONCILIATION / COMMUNION CLASS of 2021
FIRST RECONCILIATION UPDATE
Thank you for your patience with the delay in starting the preparation process for First Reconciliation. Guidelines from the Archdiocese have recently been shared with parishes recommending the celebration of First Reconciliation be moved to February 2021.
The sacrament preparation team will be meeting after the Thanksgiving weekend to determine the best way to proceed with the preparation process and setting a start date. This has truly been a year of letting go of our notion of control and allowing the Holy Spirit to guide the way. Information will be sent to parents as soon as it is available.
Until that time here is what you can do:
keep seeking God’s presence in those everyday events and encounters you experience with your children, your family members, your co-workers, your friends;
be conscious of times when family members need to be reconciled with one another (that includes parents with children too);
take time to model and to teach your children to learn to say “I’m sorry” and “I forgive you” in meaningful ways;
while at times parents can get as angry at an accident or mistake as they do at a genuinely unloving act, it is important for your children’s moral growth that you help them see the difference. Make clear the cause of your frustration or anger.
Your children’s celebration of reconciliation will be shaped by their experience of forgiveness and peace at home and by growing aware of the difference between sins and mistakes.
“Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another”
Year II Parent Questions:
Sacraments@srb-chicago.org
SACRAMENT PARENT GATHERING
INFORMATION COMING SOON!
First Communion Class of 2022-
Information for Year I Sacrament Preparation Families – Class of 2022
Year I families have a child entering first grade or the first year of formal faith formation; their child will receive the sacraments the spring of next year. Expectations for Year I families are outlined in the parent letter below. Parents need to have a copy of their child’s Baptismal Certificate on file in the parish faith formation office prior to beginning Year II.
Year I Parent Questions:
RESOURCE UPDATES WILL BE EMAILED THROUGOUT THIS YEAR
