What will happen on the day?

On the day of First Confession, the Sacrament will take place in the Church. The children will participate in readings and prayers. The child’s confession will be heard by a priest in the open but in private. Confession boxes are not used for First Confession.  It will vary with different churches but typically the priest will be sitting on a chair and your child will sit opposite them. The parent or guardian brings the child forward and introduces the child to the priest. They stand back and wait for the child to finish. The parent if they so wish may receive the Sacrament when the child has finished.

How do I talk about sin to my child?

The first step is to drop your own inhibitions about discussing sin.  We all have our hangups about it and, in as far as possible, we should try not to pass them on.
Use the idea of showing God’s love and not showing God’s love.  Get them to talk about what they are learning in school. Help them relate to the stories they are hearing in school 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.  

What are the children learning about the Sacrament of Confession or Sacrament of Reconciliation?

The school programme, Grow In Love, focuses on the fundamental goodness of us all as God’s children. The children learn how, despite their own uniqueness, they need relationships. If they do not make an effort, if they are selfish, bully or generally misbehave they break these relationships. They become disconnected from their own goodness, from the group and from God. To re-establish these relationships they are challenged to see where they have gone wrong or where they could have done better (examination of conscience), they acknowledge it and say sorry. So in a very concrete way they learn what the Sacrament of Reconciliation is about.

Preparing for First Reconciliation

Welcome to this space to support parents in their preparation for their child's First Reconciliation.

Feel free to ask any questions you may like here.  Be aware that all questions and comments can be viewed by all in the pastoral area who are preparing for this sacrament or who come to this blog.