St. Mark Catholic Parish

A letter and blank form is sent home with each Grade 2 student attending St. Mark’s and St. Dominic’s Schools in November.  If you did not receive this package, or if your child attends a different school, please pick up a package from the parish office.

November 2018

Dear Parents:

Grade 2 is commonly the time, around age 7, when a person is eligible to receive the Sacraments of Reconciliation (First Confession) and First Eucharist.

The Sacraments are sacred mystery and they are at the very root and life of the Church.  Our faith teaches that through Sacrament, God becomes present to His Church in a unique way that imparts a grace, and to be considered a full member of the Catholic Church, a person must have received the Sacraments of Baptism, Eucharist and Confirmation.  For this reason, this is a very important moment in the faith development of your child because it imparts a Catholic identity.

The Eucharist is the source and summit of the Christian life that unites us to one another, to the Church and to Christ Himself, “He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.”  As Catholic parents, I encourage you to take an active role in ensuring that your child has a sufficient age-related understanding and is ready to receive their First Confession and First Holy Communion.  Attending Sunday Mass on a regular basis is the single-most important thing you can do as a parent in the Sacramental and Faith Development of your child. Through weekly participation in the Sunday Eucharist and yearly celebrations of the Seasons, we experience a living faith and enter into the life of the Church, the Mystical Body of Christ.

The parish-based program will consist of five meetings (see dates below) and will follow the Diocese of Hamilton’s Sacramental Guidelines for the Christian Initiation of Children (which can be found on their website, http://hamiltondiocese.com, by following the link Pastoral Offices and Catechesis).

To request and enroll for the Sacraments of First Reconciliation and First Eucharist, all candidates should attend one of the Masses on the weekend of December 1st and 2nd, the First Sunday of Advent: 

Enrollment Ceremony Mass:
Sat. Dec. 1 at 5:00 p.m.  OR  Sun. Dec. 2 at 9:30 a.m.  OR  11:30 a.m.
During this Mass, Candidates will be asked to come forward after Communion
and present their completed form requesting the two Sacraments. 

Preparation Meetings:
Candidates are expected to attend sessions 2 through 5.  Parents are expected to attend three sessions (Jan. 9, Feb. 20 and April 24).  There will be no opportunity to make-up missed sessions.

The Sacrament of First Eucharist:
Sunday, May 26, 2019    2:00 pm     for St. Mark’s students
Sunday, June 2, 2019      2:00 pm     for St. Dominic’s students

Peace,

Fr. Steve Murrin
St. Mark’s Parish