First Confession and Holy Communion

Arrangements are now in place for Preparation for First Confession and First Holy Communion in both St Bede’s and St Joseph’s. All parents of the children being prepared will receive a letter in the near future giving these dates and other information.

St Bede’s:

Parents’ Meeting - Wednesday, 9th February 6.30 pm Parish room

Enrolment Celebration - Sunday, 13th February, 10.00 am St Bede’s

First Confession - Tuesday, 8th March 7.00 pm St Bede’s

First Holy Communion - Saturday, 25th June 10.00 am St Bede’s

St Joseph’s:

Parents’ Meeting - Tuesday, 1st February 2.30 St Joseph’s School

First Confession - Tuesday, 22nd March St Joseph’s Ch 6.00 pm

First Holy Communion - Sunday, 26th June 9.00 am St Joseph’s

It is really important that we pray for the young people and their families as we all prepare for their celebration of Reconciliation and Holy Eucharist.

Attendance at Mass is a most important factor of any sacramental preparation and especially First Confession and Holy Communion. Masses here at St Bede’s are celebrated at 6pm (Vigil Mass on Saturday evening) and 10am on a Sunday morning. It would be appropriate for the children to attend Mass together (possibly all sitting together at the front of the Church) after each Meeting of this Preparation Course. Sometimes this may not be possible.

What we will do at each Sunday Mass when the children have attended the Preparation Course is invite those children who are at the 10am Mass to come forward onto the Sanctuary at the end of the “Eucharistic Prayer” and to join hands forming a semi-circle around the sanctuary. At the “Sign of Peace” they will leave the sanctuary, moving through the Church, offering the sign of peace to people in Church. They will then return to their benches. We have done this for the last few years and it has worked well. It gives the whole parish an opportunity to see the children and to know whom they are praying for during the preparation.

On the Sundays when there is no Preparation Course, we have the Children’s Liturgy Group run by our parishioners, when the young people present at Mass go down to the Meeting Room for their own “Liturgy of the Word”. We would encourage the children preparing for First Confession and Holy Communion to be part of this if they are not already familiar with it, if they are present at the 10am Mass. Unfortunately, we do not have this at the Saturday 6pm Vigil Mass.

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