I will be sharing information, motivational pieces and ideas weekly for your family as you begin this journey of the First Sacraments with your child. We know things change in life and nothing totally stays the same. And so, it is with our Faith Formation and the First Sacraments. It has been a concern for a while that we have large numbers of children in the diocese receiving the First Sacraments yearly yet when all the preparation and ceremony is done only a handful of children continue to weekly receive the Holy Eucharist. So as this was presented to us, we as a parish had to look at our church's role in trying to change this outcome. We felt, the solution was to include our families more in our Faith Formation as well as our First Sacraments Preparation. We felt the place to start was at the center of it all--- the Weekly Holy Mass. This is where your child learns why we as Catholics believe what we believe and see the center of it all is Jesus. During each mass they witness first hand the bread and wine on the alter transformed into the body and blood of Jesus Christ. This is why the Holy Eucharist exists and this is why your child will go through the preparation to receive their First Holy Communion. As a teacher, I know to learn any skill like reading or writing a student must be taught multiple times the things needed to achieve the proper understanding and ability to do it. This is no different, without knowing the mass well understanding the sacraments is difficult. You are your child's first and primary teacher. Our children learn from us what to believe what we find enjoyable and important. When I think of this, I have to smile at how true it is---in the funniest ways. My son-in-law hates beans in all shapes, colors and forms. My daughter told me this so when I made meals for our family, I would not include any. When I asked his mom about it, she explained that her mother made Pasta Fagioli (pasta and beans) all the time. She hated it. So, when she became a mom, she vowed never to serve any beans. Thus, all of her kids don't like beans and don't eat them. So, it is with families, we live breath and eat together and learn from one another. And what we do with our children no matter how small will have a lasting impact on them.
That is why as a parish we felt attending Mass as a family is so important---even more important than children attending weekly Faith Formation (which some parishes still do). Starting this week, the weekend of September 30-October 1 there will be a sign in binder at the WELCOME Desk. Before or after attending Holy Mass, we ask that you check off your attendance underneath your child's name. (We currently have 48 children signed up. So this is a help for us to keep track) We understand people get sick emergencies come up etc. What we are looking for here is consistency. You would not sign your child up for Soccer only go to a couple of practices and expect them to be ready to play in a game. This is no different. The Sacramental Prep Classes begin in January---First Reconciliation for those eligible will be in March and First Communion is April. This time before hand, attending Weekly Mass is the practice. If by chance you need to spend the weekend out of town, I am sure there is probably a Catholic Church nearby. Find the time and attend mass there. My granddaughter is in Utica. So right now, as small as she is, I bring her to mass during the week with me. I am not from Utica, so I had to hunt and find one nearby. What you notice when you do attend mass outside your home parish is that more things are the same than different. The mass is the same. I have been out of the country and attended mass. Even though I was not well versed in the language I could still follow because the mass is the same. And I think if you have the opportunity to attend mass in another place it is a warm feeling knowing that you connected to all these other people who are also Catholic around the world---and it is the mass and beliefs that unite us. That is a powerful teaching for your child to know and take with them throughout life. I have attached this week a couple of videos on the mass. One video is from Father Mike. The other is from a Blogger and YouTuber, called A Catholic Mom's Life. Each of them I feel gives some insight and tips about mass and attending it---especially if it has been a while or if you have family members who may come to mass but are not Catholic.
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