Welcome to the Sacrament of Reconciliation!

Through God's Divine Love for us, we are provided this blessed opportunity to renew our relationship with Him and His Only Son, Jesus Christ, through cleansing ourselves of our sins in the sacrament of Reconciliation.

The primary preparation for this sacrament comes from what families do at home to live out their faith.  We truly believe that parents are the first and best choice for teaching the sacraments to their children.  Our goal through the Faith Formation Sacramental Preparation program at Our Lady of Sorrows is to compound upon the knowledge each child learns at home through their parents and family traditions. That being said, preparation for the Sacrament of Reconciliation is an essential part of our second grade Faith Formation curriculum, for it is at that age (around 6-7 years old) that we feel children are old enough to grasp the basic understanding and meaning of the sacrament.  Second Grade students, with the aid of their parents and Faith Formation teachers, work diligently throughout the program year to learn and understand just how important the Sacraments are to our faith as a whole.  

Parents of children who are older than second grade and who have not yet received this sacrament but would like to should contact Tzipora Stessman, our Coordinator of Faith Formation for grades PreK-5, for details on how to complete their preparation.

FIRST RECONCILIATION MINI-RETREAT
 
There will be a mini-retreat for all children preparing to receive the sacrament of Reconciliation and their families in O'Connell Hall on Saturday, January 6, 2024 from 2-4 pm, followed by Mass in the Church at 4:30 pm. At least one parent is required to attend the mini-retreat with their child. The snow date for the Reconciliation mini-retreat is Saturday, January 20, 2024 from 2-4 pm, followed by Mass in the Church at 4:30 pm.

CELEBRATION DATE

First Reconciliation will be celebrated on Saturday, January 27, 2024 at 1:30 pm in the Church.

OVERALL EXPECTATIONS

In helping to prepare your child for these sacraments, families should try to establish two habits, if they aren't already in place.

First, pray as a family.  Establish a time of day when you can pray together as a family, whether it be morning prayer, a prayer before meals, evening or even bedtime prayer.  As part of our Faith Formation program, we expect all second graders to learn the sign of the Cross and the Our Father, in order to more fully participate at weekly Mass.  Consistent prayer rituals are the basis of our faith and are encouraged.  In class, your child will learn a prayer pattern: Sign of the Cross, Our Father, Sign of the Cross.  We ask that you keep this pattern the same with at-home prayer.  If your child has learned the Our Father, then moving onto the Hail Mary or another simple traditional prayer would be appropriate.  

Second, attend Mass as often as possible. The more exposure children have to the sacraments in everyday life, the better they will understand their significance to our faith.   Without such exposure, children will have little basis for practicing the Catholic faith as they get older.  If you value the sacraments enough to send your child to Faith Formation classes, then regular attendance at Mass is a crucial piece of the program. During this time of the COVID-19 pandemic, your family is encouraged to view the Mass on television or through the OLOS website if in-person Mass is not being offered or if you determine that attending Mass in person is not safe for your family.  Please click here for a link to the most recently recorded OLOS Mass.  

DRESS CODE

Your child should be dressed neatly. Clothing which reflects your child's cultural heritage is always welcome. Boys do not have to wear jackets and ties and girls do not have to wear fancy dresses unless desired.  However, jeans, sweatshirts, T-shirts, sneakers, baseball caps or other headgear, sweatpants and gym clothes are inappropriate.
 

BAPTISMAL RECORDS

If you have not already submitted a copy of your child's baptismal record to the Office of Faith Formation, please do so now. (If your child was baptized at OLOS we already have documentation.)  You may have submitted a copy of the record when you first registered with the Faith Formation program.  If so, then we do not require a second copy.  Otherwise, please contact the church where your child was baptized and request a copy of the record for submission to our program.  Your child must have been baptized to receive the sacraments of Reconciliation and Eucharist.  If you need to submit (or are unsure as to whether you have already submitted) a copy of your child's Baptismal certificate, please contact Lynn Jacobs in the main office: 784-781-2265.