First Reconciliation and First Eucharist

First and foremost, children must have received the sacrament of baptism.

A child’s remote preparation for these sacraments begins before Grade 1 by observing his or her parents’ or guardians’ behavior and priorities, and by coming to Sunday Mass and experiencing time for prayer and a growing relationship with God. St. Catharine provides our parish children with opportunities to participate in age-appropriate events designed to grow their faith, such as Children’s Liturgy of the Word (CLOW). However, children learn by observing how the significant adults in their lives respond to their own Baptismal call. No classroom or textbook can provide this. Parish families who wish to have their children continue their initiation into the Catholic Church are encouraged to enroll their children in formal religious education beginning in Grade 1. Parish children who attend a Catholic school are invited to register their children for parish sacramental preparation beginning in Grade 2. At St. Catharine Parish and within the Archdiocese of Newark, children generally receive immediate preparation for First Reconciliation and First Communion in 2nd Grade, after having completed at least one year of formal religious instruction.

Children must have completed the prior year of Religious Education (whether in a Catholic school or parish program) before entering preparation for First Reconciliation and, later, First Communion. Thus by the time of First Communion they will have completed two years of catechesis (usually first and second grade). Formal sacrament preparation for First Reconciliation and First Communion begins with parents or guardians attending two Parent/Guardian Sacrament Preparation Meetings – one for each sacrament. Parents/guardians whose children are older than 1st Grade are asked to reach out to the religious education office. Our Parish staff will work with the family to create a plan to support the family in preparing their child to receive the sacraments.

Our First Reconciliation Service usually takes place in February and the First Communion Liturgies after Easter in April or May.