First Communion is a BIG deal!
If you have come to this page looking for your child’s continuation in the growth of the faith, CONGRATULATIONS, you are doing your job as a parent.
When you first brought your child to Church for the sacrament of Baptism, after you responded by saying you wanted Baptism for your child, the celebrant said:
“You have asked to have your child baptized. In doing so you are accepting the responsibility of training him (her)
in the practice of the faith. It will be your duty to bring him (her) up to keep God's commandments
as Christ taught us, by loving God and our neighbor.”
Then you were asked: “Do you clearly understand what you are undertaking?” to which you responded, “We do.”
To prepare a child to receive the “Sacrament of Love” as Pope Francis calls the Eucharist, it requires of preparation and understanding so that this "Big Deal" doesn’t end the day of the celebration.
We want this celebration of the Eucharist to be of transcendence in the child’s life because:
“The Eucharist is "the source and summit of the Christian life. The other sacraments…are bound up with the Eucharist and are oriented toward it. For in the blessed Eucharist is contained the whole spiritual good of the Church, namely Christ himself, our Pasch.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1324)
Requirements for First Reconciliation/First Communion Process
At St. Michael’s we practice the following requirements for First Reconciliation/First Communion, in accord with the Church’s and archdiocesan guidelines.
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The CANDIDATE (Your Child)
(i.e. CCE classes, Catholic School, or approved homeschooling)
prior to this year and must be in formation the year of sacramental process);
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PARENTS nurture the gift of faith of the child through
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Needed DOCUMENTS
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Sacramental Preparation
In addition to regular faith formation, there is also IMMEDIATE formation for each of the sacraments named here (Reconciliation and Eucharist.) At St. Michael’s we follow this model:
SACRAMENT of 1st RECONCILIATION
The First Reconciliation is usually done in the month of January
SACRAMENT of 1st EUCHARIST
The reception of the First Eucharist is usually celebrated in group at the beginning of May.
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DELAYING RECEPTION OF THE SACRAMENTS At times, it may be in the best interest of the child / youth to delay reception of the sacraments. Some reasons may include:
In these cases, the Pastor and/or Director of Faith Formation will work with the family to determine the most appropriate way to prepare these children / youth to celebrate the sacraments.
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For More Information, please call 979-297-3043 or email
Claudia Sereno Director of Faith Formation – claudia@smlj.org
Sally Dodge Faith Formation Administrative Assistant (grades 2nd – 6th) – sally@smlj.org
Chad Funk Adult Sacramental Formation (RCIA) - chadwfunk@gmail.com