Thank you for your interest in bringing yourself or your child into a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ through His Sacraments of Reconciliation and Holy Communion!
Six of the Seven Sacraments of the Catholic Church (Baptism, Confirmation, Reconciliation, Marriage, Holy Orders, and Anointing of the Sick) all point towards the SEVENTH “Blessed Sacrament” which is Jesus Christ, Himself; Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity, under the appearance of bread and wine. In receiving Holy Communion, we as Catholics have the opportunity and immeasurable gift of actually eating the Son of the Most High God during the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass on Sundays!
If a person has received the Sacrament of Baptism and is over the age of 7, then he or she is old enough to begin formation to receive Jesus’s healing in the Sacrament of Reconciliation for the first time, and then receive Him in First Holy Communion.
If you are an adult interested in these Sacraments yourself, please take a look at our page on the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults, give us a call at the parish office, or speak with our pastor or deacon.
If you are a parent interested in these Sacraments for your child, please read below for a quick overview…
It cannot be overstated how important the parents’ own relationship with Jesus is in influencing their child’s relationship with Jesus! In order for you as parents to guide your child into relationship with Jesus, your own relationship with Jesus must first and foremost be rooted in participation in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass on Sundays, and from that, permeate your home and family life throughout the week! For a Catholic Christian’s personal relationship with Jesus Christ, participation in Sunday Mass is the foundation on which the entire Christian life is built, and also the foundation on which your child will build his or her preparation to eat Jesus in First Holy Communion…
Requirements for all children desiring to receive
First Reconciliation & First Communion at St. Joseph the Worker Parish:
1) Child must be registered by September 1st by completing this Online Form. (if it is not too far after this date, please contact Caleb Cochran to discuss options)
2) Child’s Baptismal Information or Certificate must be submitted to the parish and verified.
(If you have a certificate, please email or mail a copy of it to Caleb Cochran at the parish office. If you do not have a certificate, you must include your child’s Baptism Date, Parish, & City in your child’s registration, so that we are able to verify with the Baptismal Parish)
3) Parents must attend the Sacramental Parent Meeting in the fall
(Please check our Faith Formation Schedule for the exact date each year)
4) Child must have their Mass Participation Cards signed
You will receive (or may already have) Mass Participation Cards for your child. These small cards will help you continue to guide your child into “full and active participation ” in the Mass, and establish a commitment to life-long relationship with Jesus Christ during the coming year. You are the most important Catechist in your child’s life! In this time of journeying ever-closer to Jesus Christ, the commitment to complete the Mass Cards will help you discern if your child is ready for a committed relationship with God. And if you are ready, as a parent and family, to support your child in their relationship with God after the Sacraments of First Reconciliation and Communion have been received. The last thing we want is for your child’s First Communion to be their last! Holy Communion is only the beginning of a eternity spent in relationship with Jesus!
Father Bechtel has emphasized the non-negotiable requirement to have these Mass Cards signed, because regular participation in the Sunday liturgy is so essential to the life of a Christian. Participation in the Mass is taught in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraphs 2180 & 2181, and is excused only for “a serious reason (for example, illness, the care of infants) or dispensed by their own pastor.” (If shared parental custody of a child prevents the child from participation, please note those circumstances on the card, so that we are aware.) If Mass is missed often, or as a regular pattern, without serious reason, then receiving the Sacraments may be deferred until the candidate is ready to commit to a regular, life-long, relationship with God.
Please present the card to Father Bechtel after Mass each week (or Holy Day), so he can sign it beside the appropriate date listed. If Father is unavailable, Deacon John Bubb or a Catechist can sign it.
If you happen to forget the card, then a signed bulletin from that week is fine too.
If travelling out of town, or participating in Mass at another parish, please take the card along, and ask
the priest or deacon at that parish to sign the card, or a bulletin from that parish.
As each side of each card is completed, please email a photo of it to Caleb Cochran.
(Please include a photo of any signed bulletins as well.)
5) Child must participate in Faith Formation focused on Reconciliation and Communion that our parish offers in Grade 2 on Sunday mornings, OR be enrolled in Grade 2 at St. John Neumann Regional Academy. SJNRA students must still register at SJWParish.com/FaithFormation, have their Mass Participation Cards signed, and meet any other requirements explained in the Parent Meeting. All SJNRA students are DEFINITELY INVITED and strongly encouraged to join in on Sunday morning formation in order to deepen their relationships with the other kids in the parish, but that is optional for SJNRA families.
If your child is in Grade 3 or higher, no problem at all! Please contact Caleb Cochran and we can develop a customized plan for Catechesis.
SJNRA Families: “Why attend Faith Formation at the parish if my child is attending Catholic School?” The answer is “RELATIONSHIP”!
God IS a relationship of three Divine Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and God desires each and every human to be drawn into that eternal relationship through the power of the Holy Spirit. Your child will receive a ton of information about the Catholic Faith at Catholic School and that is essential! However, Jesus desires a relationship with your child that permeates every aspect of life, and goes beyond association with school. That relationship with Him is found in your family’s parish. This is such an essential truth, that the Bishop requires formal enrollment in parish Faith Formation for the two years immediately before the Sacrament of Confirmation (usually 7th & 8th grades). But why wait until then? It’s never too early to bring your Catholic School student to Sunday Morning Faith Formation and begin forming relationship with the parish family and brothers and sisters in Christ who will prepare for the Sacrament of Confirmation together! God bless!