Sacrament of Reconciliation
What will happen on the day?
On the day of First Confession, the Sacrament of Reconciliation will take place in St Joseph’s Church Ballymartin on 20th March at 11.00 am. The children will participate in prayers and hymns. The child’s confession will be heard by a priest in the open but in private. The child returns to the parent and gives them a hug.
How can you help prepare your child for and support your child during the Sacrament so they are not nervous?
Go over the prayers they are learning in school with them. Assure them that you will be close by during the Confession.
Use the idea of showing God’s love and not showing God’s love. Below there are two pictures of playground scenes. Discuss what’s going on in the pictures. Help them relate to these images and ask them to think about times when they did not show love or to think of something they were not proud of doing or indeed think of something they could have done better. This will help them think (i.e. do an examination of conscience), acknowledge it, plan to do better and ask forgiveness.
There are some suggestions below to help your child think of some ways they have not shown God’s love.
Suggestions for ways of considering how we have not shown God’s love:
I didn’t show love when: I didn’t do what I was told, I didn’t listen very well, I didn’t play fairly, I didn’t say my prayers, I was mean, I didn’t share, I hit someone….