growing up overview & timeline catholic time title focus...

Catechist 1Growing Up Catholic • First Reconciliation • All Ages • Session 1© 2015. The Pastoral Center. All rights reserved. GrowingUpCatholic.com

Time Title Focus Steps

1. God Chooses ME Baptism l Greeting, welcome, questions, comments. l Review focus page.

2. Prayer Celebration

Baptism and personal call / Call of first disciples

l Gospel: Matthew 4:18-20. l Writing and stating names. l Homily.

3. Your Baptism Day Learning about their Baptism

l Writing down information about their Baptism.

4. Meeting Jesus in the Bible

Jesus meets and loves the children

l Mark 10:13-16. l Find in the Bible, read handout version. l Children to tell in their own words, discuss.

5. Color This Picture (7-9)

Jesus meets and loves the children

l Coloring / Refreshments / bathroom break. l Parent/child bonding time.

5. What Does Jesus Teach? (10-14)

Jesus’ teachings l Practical examples for four of Jesus’ teachings.

6. Write a Letter to Jesus

Thanksgiving, friendship, and a promise to show love.

l Children write to Jesus to thank him, say how much they want to be his friend, and to promise to show love.

7. Sacrament of Reconciliation

Reconciliation room and how the priest welcomes.

l Learn about the Reconciliation Room and how the priest will welcome them.

8. At Home This Week

Family and prayer. l Make commitments for the coming week. l Encourage parents to visit the Growing Up

Catholic website. l Answer any questions from the session.

9. Closing Prayer / Announcements

Overview & Timeline

Supplies Bibles

Name slips

Prayer altar items (Bible, cross, candle, altar cloth, etc.)

Pencils / pens

Crayons / markers

Music player / music

First Reconciliation Session 1

God Chooses METhis session introduces Reconciliation as part of a lifelong process beginning with baptism.

Growing Up

CatholicThank you for leading this process. Please allow the parents to have this time with their children. By guiding their children using the Growing Up Catholic coaching resource, they will grow themselves. This process will change their lives and last forever! We hope you will also grow in your own faith.

Checklist

Volunteers Scripture reader:

___________________

Snacks: ___________________

Cleanup: ___________________


Child 1Growing Up Catholic • First Reconciliation • Ages 7-9 • Session 1© 2015. The Pastoral Center. All rights reserved. GrowingUpCatholic.com

Growing Up Catholic

begins at Baptism

God already loved you

before you were baptized!

But... at baptism you became

a special friend of Jesus.

What else happened

at baptism?

What Happens at Baptism? l You became part of the Church, God’s family.

l You received special help from God to overcome temptations.

l You went under the water.

l You came out of the water as a friend of Jesus.

l The Holy Spirit came to you in a special way.

l You professed your faith along with everyone else (if you were just a baby, your parents and Godparents professed it for you).

l You began the process of growing up Catholic.

God Chose YOU!

God Chooses Me1

The purpose of this lesson is to help the youngsters and their parents see that growing in faith is a lifelong process, which begins at Baptism.

We re-visit baptism in order to connect First Eucharist to it down the line – Eucharist is the completion of the Christian initiation process. But first, there is the step of celebrating Reconciliation for the first time.

1

There may be some awkward moments in the room as parents get started in this process. Many have not talked with their children about faith in the past. Be aware of any parents who may be struggling.

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The parents are advised here to help their child memorize the Apostles’ Creed, if they don’t already know it. You may want to have copies on hand from the website.

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Child Page 1

From Papa FrancisPope Francis spoke passionately about baptism: “It is not a mere formality! A baptised child is not the same as an child who is not baptised; a baptised person is not the same as one who has not received baptism. It is an act that touches the depth of our existence. We are immersed in that inexhaustible fount of life that is the death of Jesus, the greatest act of love of all history; and thanks to this love we are able to live a new life, no longer at the mercy of evil, sin and death, but rather in communion with God and with our brothers and sisters.”

The parents have this tidbit from Pope Francis in their handouts.

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Child 2 Growing Up Catholic • First Reconciliation • Ages 7-9 • Session 1© 2015. The Pastoral Center. All rights reserved. GrowingUpCatholic.com

Growing Up Catholic begins at Baptism

Prayer Celebration

Everyone begins by making the Sign of the Cross.

All: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Leader: We thank you, Jesus, for giving us this water,

which has been blessed by you and the Church.

All: With water, we were all baptized.

Leader: We thank you, Jesus, because you forgive our sins and help us live as your people.

All: In baptism, we were made your children.

Leader: Now we thank you, Jesus, because we in this room are all members of your Church. With these people, we will prepare for the wonderful Sacrament of Reconciliation.

You have called us by name to this important time of our lives.

The children write their names and their parents’ or guardians’ names on a special piece of paper. Each child then speaks those names aloud.

Please listen to the reading: Matthew 4:18-20.

All: Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ!

Please listen to the leader.

Leader: Let us pray together.

Please pause after each line:

All: Jesus, we accept your invitation to grow closer to you in love and to learn about the sacrament of reconciliation.

Please bless us and be with us.

We love you and want to love you more. Amen.

It works well to have sacred or instrumental music playing softly in the background. When the buzz dies down from the sharing on the first page, turn off that music and prepare for the Prayer Celebration. Gather everyone around the altar, pulling chairs into a loose circle without moving the tables.

1 Prayer Celebration Homily to be presented by the prayer leader

A Prayer to Re-Celebrate our

BaptismMatthew 4:18-20

Invite each child in the room to write his or her name, and that of his or her parents or guardians, on a special piece of paper. Then, working in small groups if your total is large, or in a single group if not, invite each child to tell his or her name and that of their parents or guardians.

Continue with a brief reflection.

Just like Jesus called Peter and Andrew to be his friends and follow him with their lives, now he is calling us to learn about forgiveness and how to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation. This sacrament is also called “confession” or “penance.” The important thing is that we know that to follow Jesus means we are willing to learn how to love Jesus more.

At baptism, we were given grace. Grace helps us love God and love our parents and friends, and all the people of the world. But sometimes we do things that aren’t very loving. Still, God wants us to be near him and calls us back through this sacrament.

He is calling you by your own name, each of you here. God has already forgiven you, but we all need to celebrate that in the Church – which is why we have this sacrament.

Child Page 2



Your Baptism Day

At baptism, you became a special friend of Jesus

When were you baptized?

What is your name?

What happened at your baptism?

The priest or deacon began the baptism.The fi rst thing he did was to trace the Sign of the Cross on your forehead.

He said, “I claim you for Christ...by this sign...”

Words! Write the words we say in the Sign of the Cross:

In the name of the

And of the

And of the

If the parents aren’t sure about the details of their child’s baptism, they should estimate the date.

1 Holy water. In the version for younger children, parents are encouraged to have Holy Water at home. You may wish to have small jars ready for them.

3

Father

Son

Holy Spirit

When this page is complete, demonstrate the Sign of the Cross and have everyone stand and follow you. Remind everyone we use the Sign of the Cross before and after prayers.

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Child Page 3

Note that in the version for older children, we just write out the prayer and don’t have them fill in the boxes. We assume they know it already!

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Meeting Jesus in the Bible

At baptism we become friends with Jesus who is our friend fi rst. He chooses us

because he loves us very much.

Jesus Meets and Loves the ChildrenThe moms and dads

were bringing their children to see Jesus.

And Jesus was happy to see them. He blessed them all!

Some people told thesechildren and their parents to go away because they thoughthe didn’t have time for the children.

But Jesus made it very clear that he loved the children.

He wanted them to be near him.

“What I am teaching you is for these children,” he said.

In fact, he told everyone, “You should all have the simple faith of these children!”

Then he hugged them all and blessed them.

(Based on Mark 10:13-16)

Child Page 4 (Ages 7-9)


Meeting Jesus in the Bible

As we prepare for First Reconciliation, we want to get to know Jesus better. We want to pay attention to

how he lived, the things he said, and how he acted with others so we can decide if we want to live like he

did.

Jesus calls us all to himself and he teaches us how to be his followers

From Mark 10:13–16 (NRSV)

People were bringing little children to him in order that he might touch them; and the disciples spoke sternly to them. But when Jesus saw this, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.” And he took them up in his arms, laid his hands on them, and blessed them.

From Luke 6:27–36 (NRSV)

“But I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again. Do to others as you would have them do to you.

“If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. If you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again. But love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.


Once the parents have introduced the Bible to their children, you may wish to read this passage aloud before turning it back over to the parents for their part of the lesson.

1

The lesson for older children has two separate Gospel passages.

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Color This Picture

We really do want to make coloring time a break for the kids and their parents. You might want to provide some refreshments here. Keep these simple, however, as we don’t have a very long break. If someone needs the rest room, this would be a good time.

Have soft music playing in the background.

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What Does Jesus Teach?

For each of Jesus’ teachings, write two practical things you can do to make it part

of your life:

Love your enemies.

��Do good to those who hate you.

��If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also.

��Give to everyone who begs from you. If anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again.

��


The older children and their parents will work on this more advanced exercise. They may need some help as they wrestle with these challenging questions, so check in on them.

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Write a Letter to Jesus

Now write Jesus a letter to thank him for loving you.

Tell him how much you want to be his friend.

What will you promise Jesus? How will you show your love to him?

Dear Jesus,

Love,

Ages 7-9. The parents and children will work on writing this letter together. We have made some suggestions to parents in their coaching notes about what to say in this letter.

It’s important to let the parents and children work through this. We want them to know they can have a personal conversation with Jesus, like you would with a friend.

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When this is complete, you might ask the children to report how it felt to write to Jesus. You could do this in the large group setting. You may ask several children to read their letters aloud. Tell them that when we talk to Jesus, it’s called prayer.

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Write a Letter to Jesus

Now write Jesus a letter to thank him for loving you.

Tell him how much you want to be his friend.

What will you promise Jesus? How will you show your love to him?

Dear Jesus,

Love,


Ages 10-14. For this age, we have the child work on the letter alone. We ask the parents to think through the same questions for themselves and pray silently on their own. They could do this sitting next to their child, or perhaps take a little break. make a suggestion about this based on your space.

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Sacrament of Reconciliation

The Reconciliation RoomWhere do we go to celebrate the Sacrament of

Reconciliation?

l It’s a small room

l The priest is there waiting for you.

l It has chairs and a Bible

l You sit down or kneel and begin

The Priest Welcomes YouWhat is the fi rst thing the priest will do when you

enter the room?

l He invites you in and welcomes you, saying: “May God bless you and help you to make a good Confession today.”

l Then you make the Sign of the Cross together.

If at all possible, arrange to tour the parish reconciliation room during this period. It will greatly reduce the children’s anxiety to see it ahead of time. If it isn’t possible, encourage the families to do it on their own. Make sure they know where the room is located.

Another option for you, but a more complicated one, is to have photos of the Reconciliation Room and use a projector to show them to everyone.

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Notice how we urge parents to assure their children that it’s OK to go into this room with the priest and that they will be waiting outside.

2

As catechist, you should say something here about “the seal of the confessional.” This means that the Priest is bound by Canon Law to keep everything he hears absolutely in secret. (Avoid the question of what he would do if someone confessed an impending crime. That becomes a game.)

Assure them that the children need not keep it a secret—they can tell a parent or trusted adult if they want to, but they don’t have to.

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Child Page 7



At Home this Week

Work on this together at home as a way of continuing the process of preparing for the

Sacrament of Reconciliation.

In the box, draw a picture of your family members all together. Below, list all their names. These are the people who belong to your family. Just like a family, you belong to the Church.

Names:

Prayers - Make sure your child knows the four prayers below by heart this week. Help him or her practice them and pray them together at bedtime each night.

l Sign of the Cross

l Our Father

l Hail Mary

l Glory Be

Find the text for these prayers and tips for helping your child memorize them at GrowingUpCatholic.com/r1 (see right).

Tips and Activities

for This Week

Use your computer, phone, or tablet to view this week’s page: GrowingUpCatholic.com/r1

Each week, fi nd suggested activities, videos, ideas, parenting tips, and more!

Review the homework with everyone before the end of the session. This is an activity for the coming week for the younger children. We want them all to do this. We are trying to help the children understand what it means to “belong” to the parish. It means being part of a family.

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Part of the homework is memorization. You might want to emphasize that when helping someone memorize, it helps to take it one line at a time. We added the Apostle’s Creed on the list for older children.

Encourage parents to go to GrowingUpCatholic.com/r1 to find much more to help them.

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We really want to encourage that these prayers are not the only ones the children learn, but also that they learn to speak with Jesus as a friend in their own words, as they did in the letter they wrote. Suggest that the parents remind their children of this. It is often a relief for kids (and parents!) to know that they can pray and talk to Jesus even if they don’t have something memorized.

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Closing prayerDear Jesus,

we know you are with us here. You are present in this room.

We love you and want to love you more. Help us be more loving this week.

Thank you for giving us faith. Increase our faith every day.

Now let us pray together:

Glory Be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end, Amen.

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Child Page 8

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