PRAYER

May Mary Ward our founder

Guide us to faith and love in you.
May Loreto always be the place
To learn the Gospel values. Through Mary Ward’s example
We seek to act - freely, justly, courageously, With integrity, sincerity and joy.
In Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen
 THE SACRAMENT OF
PENANCE
The sacrament of Penance celebrates God’s love for us through the gift of forgiveness. In our faith
journey beginning in Baptism, there are times when we do not live up to the Gospel command to love
God and to love our neighbor (Matt. 22:36-40). The sacrament of Penance enables us to experience
God’s mercy through forgiveness of our sins. The sacrament gives us the help to work at and grow in
our relationship with God, our relationship with the Church and our relationship with family and the
community.
 HOW OUR PARISH &
SCHOOL WILL CELEBRATE

Ritual – Reconciliation Mass

 Introductory Rite: Song, Greeting & Opening Prayer

 Celebration of the word of God: Homily and Examination of conscience.

 Rite of Reconciliation: General Confession of Sins, The Lords Prayer,

Individual Confession and Absolution, Proclamation of Praise for God’s Mercy
& Concluding Prayer of Thanksgiving

 Concluding Rite: Blessing.

 T H E RO L E O F T H E PA R I S H I N
P R E PA R AT I O N

 ‘The priest, as a collaborator with the Bishop, has received the mandate and responsibility of
encouraging, coordinating and directing the catechetical activity of the community with which he has
been entrusted’ (DMLP 47). The priest must ensure that this ministry and catechesis is carried out in
accordance with the policies and pastoral practices of the Archdiocese.
 5.1 The parish priest plays a key and active role in the sacramental preparation process.
 5.2 The parish priests’ responsibilities include ensuring that ‘children are properly prepared for the
first confession. (CIC 777).
 5.3 The parish priest ensures that appropriate ongoing catechesis is available for all children when the
sacramental process has been completed.
(Archdiocese of Perth, 2014)
 THE ROLE OF THE
TEACHER

 At Loreto Nedlands, preparation for First Sacraments is first and foremost, family-
centered, calling upon the parents responsibility accepted at the time of their children’s
Baptism to raise their children in the faith.

 The teacher is a partner with the parent, offering opportunities in the classroom
setting to enhance and reinforce lessons learned at home – the Domestic Church.
 DATES
The children’s First Reconciliation Mass is on
Thursday 9th June at 7pm
Or
Friday 10th June at 7pm

Venue: Holy Rosary Catholic Church 46 Thomas Street Nedlands, WA 6009.

Retreat: The student must attend an all day Retreat as part of the program. This will be held
on the 24th May 2018.
 CONTENT
 The unit begins with wondering at the human experience of conscience, in which God
stirs thoughts and feelings that help people want to do what is loving and good. All who
wonder at the marvel of their consciences tend to wonder in turn at God the Creator of
conscience, and to celebrate what can be discovered about God through conscience: that
God loves all people.
 The unit then explores ways in which Jesus showed how to follow conscience through
his own thoughts and feelings.
 The second theme of the unit introduces to the children preparing for their First
Reconciliation, the steps and elements in the First and Second Rites of this sacrament.
 Finally, the unit explores ways in which Christians are called to examine their
consciences.
A Wondering at the Creator
 A1 Wondering at Conscience
 A2 Wondering at the Creator of conscience
B The promise of Christian Salvation
 B1 Jesus showed how to follow conscience
 B2 Jesus helps his followers through Reconciliation to hear conscience
C Christian Response
 C1 Catholics celebrate the Rite of Reconciliation
 C2 Christians recall the meaning of sin
 C3 Catholics examine their consciences before Reconciliation
 C4 Continuing to wonder at conscience
 T H E RO L E O F FA M I LY I N
P R E PA R AT I O N
 ‘Parents are the primary educators in the faith.’ (GDC 255) They are the first and
irreplaceable source of faith (LG 11).

 Parents play an active role in the initiation of their children by:

• Seeking to grow in their faith journey and in their understanding of the
meaning and implications of the sacraments;
• Supporting their children to learn to pray, believe, experience parish
community and to live as Christians in the context of their family life;
• Giving their children the opportunity to experience belonging to a parish faith
community and, in particular, to celebrate Sunday Mass with their community;
• Presenting their child for the sacraments of initiation.
(Archdiocese of Perth, 2014)
 YO U C O U L D H E L P YO U R C H I L D
D U R I N G T H I S U N I T B Y, F O R
EXAMPLE:
 Sharing with them your own loving and good thoughts
 Wondering with them about God who is the Creator of conscience
 Role playing with your child the steps in the Rite of Reconciliation
 Sharing with them stories in which Jesus forgave people their sins:
• the good thief [Luke 23:42-43]
• those who killed him [Luke 23:33-34]
 Praying with them prayers of sorrow, for example:
• Lord Jesus, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner. OR
• O my God, I am very sorry that I have sinned against you, because you are so good, and
with the help of your grace I will not sin again.
 All children preparing to make a first confession should know by memory the Act of
Contrition.
(Archdiocese of Perth, 2018)
 ACTIVITY
 Interactive Prayer Station.
 “Create a clean heart for me, God; put a new, faithful spirit deep inside me”
(Psalm 51.10 CEB)
 Choose a rope. As you hold the rope in your hand, consider what you seek
forgiveness for. As these come to mind, make a knot in your rope. Continue to
process until you have 4-5 knots in your rope.
 Go back to the first knot, holding the confession that knot represents. Hear
God’s assurance that your are forgiven, You are loved. Continue the process for
each knot.
QUESTIONS?