SACRAMENTAL PREPARATION - Parent Meetings on Eucharist

Your children are now beginning their preparation to receive their first Holy Communion! It is such an exciting time of year.

PARENT MEETINGS ON EUCHARIST: I know there are a lot of questions floating around, and concerns, so once again I will be holding a number of meetings where I’ll be available to speak with you in small groups. There are several sessions on the Sacrament of Eucharist scheduled for the next couple of weeks. At these sessions I will be discussing the children’s preparation for first communion and all the options for your child’s reception of first communion. I’ll be happy to answer any questions you have.

The sessions are scheduled as follows:

• Sunday, March 7, 8:30 a.m. ( in Room 126 in the Middle School Wing of the School)
• Sunday, March 7, 10:30 a.m ( in Room 126 in the Middle School Wing of the School)
• Sunday, March 7, 5:00 p.m. ( in Room 126 in the Middle School Wing of the School) 
• Monday, March 8, 4:30 p.m. ( in Room 126 in the Middle School Wing of the School)
• Wednesday, March 10, 2 p.m. (in the Reconciliation Room in the church)
• Thursday, March 11, 12 noon, (in the Reconciliation Room in the church.)

We highly recommend that at least one parent of each child who will be making his/her first communion attend one of these sessions. In families where one parent is not Catholic, we have found it more helpful for the Catholic parent to attend the meeting.

Each session will last approximately an hour. Please e-mail akitching@stachurch.net or call ahead (332-0064) to let me know you are coming. If you don’t attend one of the meetings, we will be sending a copy of the family handbook home with your child. Please call us if you don’t receive it by mid-March

If none of these sessions fit your schedule, or if you have particular concerns, I’m always happy to talk with you at your convenience in person or on the phone. Just let me know.

BAPTISM INFORMATION: So that your child’s first communion is properly recorded, we ask that you would return the blue information sheet regarding your child’s baptism. If your child was not baptized at St. Thomas Aquinas or St. John Church we will need a photocopy of your child’s baptismal certificate in addition to the completed information form. It is required that we have proof of baptism before a child can make first communion. [NOTE: If you do not receive a blue form, you can call and I will take the information over the phone]

NOTE TO PARENTS OF CHILDREN BAPTIZED AT SJ OR STA: When you fill out and return the information sheet regarding your child’s baptism you are helping us out a great deal. The information we request is exactly what we are required to record in the First Communion Ledger. While it is true that each child’s baptismal information is on record in the big books in the parish safe, it is a time-consuming and cumbersome procedure to extract it for so many children! Please fill this sheet out completely. We’ve noticed that some people neglect to put down their child’s age, for example. Yes, we can figure this out by looking at the dates, but doing this for so many children gets wearisome; that’s why your help is so appreciated.