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Sacramental Preparation
First Reconciliation and First Communion

News and Announcements

Enrollment for 2024-2025 Now Open!

Check back soon for enrollment to open by the end of the school year. Scroll down to read more about our program and find the enrollment form.

How Do I Make Sure My Child Can Celebrate their First Communion?

All are welcome at Mass!
The BEST way you can begin to prepare your child to receive their First Communion is by bringing them to the celebration of communion every weekend at Mass. Whether you have always attended faithfully, or you experienced a disruption over the pandemic, or you have found it challenging to bring a young child to Mass - we are here for you! Whether your child is loud, or messy, or unfamiliar with what to do, or a prayeful and calm expert - we joyfully welcome the gift of your family's presence! 

If your child is entering 1st grade in 2024-2025...
Find our Faith Formation enrollment online here. Children must participate in either Faith Formation or Catholic school the year BEFORE they prepare for First Reconciliation and First Communion. See the General Information section below for more information. Children in 1st grade in Faith Formation or Catholic school in 2024-2025 can prepare to celebrate these Sacraments in 2025-2026.

If your child is entering 2nd grade or above in 2024-2025...
If your child was in Faith Formation or Catholic school in 2023-2024, then look for Sacramental Preparation to begin alongside their continuing participation in Faith Formation or Catholic school in fall 2024. If your child was not in Faith Formation or Catholic school in 2023-2024, please contact Anne Thomas directly at [email protected] about your family's needs. To enroll in Sacramental Preparation for the upcoming year, start here at our Faith Formation page to find the enrollment form. (Enrollment will open by the end of the school year.) Public school and home school families will be directed to enroll in Faith Formation for the upcoming year first, and then will be able to add Sacramental Preparation. Catholic school families can enroll directly in Sacramental Preparation. Sacramental Preparation, along with Faith Formation OR Catholic school, will be part of their journey in the 2024-2025 school year.

2024-2025 Program

Program Information
Our 2024-2025 program will begin in November with preparation for First Reconciliation. After celebrating First Reconciliation, we will begin preparation for First Communion. For each Sacrament, we alternate each week between gathered sessions for parents and children together at St. Rita Church, and home-based sessions for famillies to complete on their own time; then we end with a rehearsal and the celebration of the Sacrament. Regular worship at Mass is the most important part of readiness to celebrate the Sacraments.

Calendar
You can download our 2024-2025 calendar here. 

First Communion Dates
This year's dates will be announced after the parish calendar is finalized. Families will be able to sign up for their celebration date in the fall, after everyone has a chance to enroll. We understand that you may be inviting family members who need to make travel arrangements, or booking plans for a family celebration. Please be patient so that we can give a fair chance for all celebrating families to enroll. We also welcome families to schedule their celebration alongside the whole community at any regular parish Mass during the Easter season. 

Be sure to check out the General Information below regarding your child's eligibility to begin Sacramental Preparation!

General Information

When can my child prepare for these Sacraments? Per diocesan policy, your child must meet all 3 of the requirements below in order to prepare for First Reconciliation and First Communion:

• Your child is in Grade 2 or above.
• Your child attended Faith Formation or Catholic school LAST YEAR (Grade 1 or above)
• Your child attends Faith Formation or Catholic school in THE CURRENT YEAR (Grade 2 above).

My child is entering Grade 2 in Fall 2023. Can my child prepare for these Sacraments in 2024-2025? Your child can enroll in Sacramental Preparation if they meet all 3 of the requirements below:

• Your child is entering Grade 2 or above in Fall 2024.
• Your child has attended Faith Formation or Catholic school in 2023-2024.
• Your child attends Faith Formation or Catholic school in 2024-2025.

We understand that the pandemic and other disruptions have made it challenging for many families with young children to connect with Mass and Faith Formation. Please feel free to reach out to Anne Thomas about your child's eligibility to enroll in Sacrametnal Preparation in 2024-2025, even if you were unable to participate in Faith Formation due to any challenges you faced. 

My child is entering Grade 1 in Fall 2024, how can we make sure we can prepare for these Sacraments when they are in Grade 2? If you plan to celebrate these Sacraments with your child in Grade 2, please make sure that you enroll them in Faith Formation or Catholic school in 2024-2025. 

When will we celebrate these Sacraments? Per diocesan policy, First Reconciliation is celebrated  prior to First Communion. Sacramental Preparation begins in the fall. We will celebrate First Reconciliation in the winter, and First Communion in the Easter season. 

When will my child's First Communion celebration be scheduled? We traditionally celebrate First Communion on the first two Saturday mornings immediately following Easter, but this is not set in stone. These dates will be posted as soon as possible after the parish calendar is created. We also welcome families to schedule their celebration alongside the whole community at any regular parish Mass during the Easter season. 

Why does my child have to participate in Sacramental Preparation separately from Catholic school or Faith Formation? Why do we have to do both? Per diocesan policy, children must do both. The difference in these programs is similar to the differences between Physical Education and after school sports teams. In Faith Formation and at Catholic school, children grow in relationship with God and learn about the basics of our Catholic faith, like the way children in P.E. get active and learn many ways to move their bodies. At Sacramental Preparation, children learn about the signs and symbols of Communion and Reconciliation and get ready to celebrate these Sacraments for the first time, like the way children on sports teams drill specific skills and get ready for games as a team. 

I'm just looking for First Communion for my child, not First Reconciliation. Can we do that? Per diocesan policy, children must prepare for First Reconciliation before they can celebrate First Communion. There is not a separate sign up for each individual Sacrament, but we are prepared to journey with your child according to their particular needs. Ideally, children will prepare for First Reconciliation and go to confession in the winter, and then continue on to prepare for their First Communion in the spring. Most of the time, the journey is smooth with a little worry before First Reconciliation, relief after First Reconciliation, and a lot of joy around First Communion. Occasionally, scheduling conflicts or emotional readiness can lead parents to choose a slight delay of days or weeks before their child goes to confession. This is a normal accommodation we make every year. Less frequently, a child who has prepared for First Reconciliation may still not feel ready for confession before it is time for their First Communion. We are happy to welcome them to continue through First Communion without delay, and to see them celebrate their First Reconciliation later when they do feel ready. If you have any remaining concerns about your child's developmental readiness to prepare for First Reconciliation, please contact Anne Thomas at [email protected] to discuss your family's particular needs.

Enroll Now!

• STEP 1: Enroll.
• Families with children in public school or home school should visit our Faith Formation page to learn more about both programs and enroll there.
• Catholic school families can enroll now here.

• STEP 2: The fee for 2024-2025 is $65/family. You can submit payment by any of these methods:

  • Pay online by credit card here.

  • Write a check payable to St. Rita Church and mail it to 1008 Maple Drive. (Please indicate Faith Formation in the memo.)

  • Bring an envelope with check or cash and your name and drop it in the mail slot in the parish office door,, or in the donation slot in the church at any Mass. (Please indicate Faith Fomration in the memo.)

Contact

 If you have any questions, please contact Anne Thomas at [email protected] or 402-9254.