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"Lord Jesus, Who in the Eucharist make your dwelling among us and become our
traveling companion, sustain our Christian communities so that they may be ever
more open to listening and accepting your Word. May they draw from the Eucharist
a renewed commitment to spreading in society, by the proclamation of your
Gospel, the signs and deeds of an attentive and active charity,"
~ Pope John Paul II
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Sacrament of Initiation -
EUCHARIST
(Communion)
Candidates for first Eucharist must be at least seven years of
age. Registration is held at the church in the early fall and preparation
sessions begin in January.
Registration takes place on:
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
make-up meeting - Tuesday, November 17
We would appreciate it if you could make every effort to attend the first
meeting. However, for those of you who are absolutely unable to make this first
meeting, a make-up meeting will be held on Tuesday, November 17th at 7:30pm in
the Parish Hall. This is not an “alternate” meeting, but is only for those
people who absolutely cannot attend the first meeting.
This
page and its contents are copyright © 2010 by
St. John
Chrysostom Church, Newmarket, Ontario.
All rights reserved.
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Quick Links to
the headings
ON THIS PAGE
1.
Registration Meeting
2.
Preparation
3.
Additional Resources
4.
Dates for the Celebration of First Eucharist
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NEW Schedule
First Eucharist Schedule 2009-10
re-posted September 24, 2009
Schedule 2009-10
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Registration Meeting -
Fall 2009 |
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Wednesday, November 4, 2009 |
7:00 -
8:30 PM |
in the
Church |
Make-up Meeting:
Tuesday, November 17, 2009 |
7:30 PM |
in the
Parish Hall |
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What do you need to bring?
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1. |
Datebook: At the registration meeting, we will be asking you to choose a date
& time to celebrate your child's First Eucharist. |
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2. |
Baptismal
Certificate: We will also need a photocopy of your son or
daughter's baptismal certificate. (Please Note: If your child is not baptised or
is baptised in another tradition (e.g. United, Lutheran, Greek Orthodox, etc.),
please contact the parish immediately. A baptismal preparation programme is
mandatory for children who are above the age of seven. This programme begins in
early October.) |
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3. |
Donation: There is no "charge" for any of the sacraments. Sacraments are free
- a gift of Christ and our right as baptised Christians. However, it does cost
money to provide a preparation programme and we would appreciate very much if
you could cover the cost of your child's preparation by a donation to the church
at the time of registration. All donations are tax deductible. Certainly, if
this amount is a burden to you, we would appreciate any amount you are able to
give. |
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Who should
attend? |
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The meeting
will be directed toward parents and is not really suitable for young
children. If child care is an issue, we are happy to provide babysitting
at the parish, free of charge for those who notify us at least a week in
advance. For safety reasons, we can accommodate only about 20 children
and we will be unable to offer babysitting to anyone who does not notify
us ahead of time.
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Can you help? |
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Registration will be faster if we have a few extra people to help with
the sign up. If any of you are able to lend a hand, please call
Christine (898-4137) or
e-mail. The time commitment will involve coming 20 minutes
prior to the meeting. Thank you in advance. |
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Preparation |
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Preparation consists of five family gatherings (one hour each) at the church
prior to the celebration of first Eucharist and one gathering after the
celebration of the sacrament.
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These gatherings are for both parents and
candidates. Siblings are more than welcome to attend as well.
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As well as family
gatherings, candidates are given a workbook to complete at home.
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First Eucharist
celebrations take place during the Easter season at weekend liturgies. Parents
choose the liturgy that best suits the needs of their family.
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For a schedule of classes
click button below
PDF file
schedule in colour
to view: click button
to save: "right click" and choose "save target as"
2009-10
re-posted
September 24, 2009
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Details about the Celebration of First Eucharist |
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Photography & Videos: Liturgy, or worship, is a sacred event in which all of us
communicate with God. Everyone who is present at any liturgical celebration
should be participating fully and prayerfully. Obviously, we cannot do this
while concentrating on cameras and video recorders. Therefore, we ask you kindly
to restrict photography to before & after the Eucharistic celebration. |
| Clothing: There is actually no special dress code for First Eucharist. Since
this is a special day, it is tradition that people dress in their finest
clothing. However, this should not mean that people spend a lot of money on
expensive clothing. In Eucharist we receive the Lord who lived amongst the poor
and simple people of his time. Therefore, simplicity is to be preferred. No
special clothing is required. Many girls still choose to wear the traditional
white dress, but this is not required. We have one spare white dress in the
parish centre which may be borrowed in a situation of need. Please speak to
Christine if you are interested. |
| Liturgy: As you register you will sign up for the mass at which you wish to
celebrate your child's first Eucharist. During the First Communion liturgy the
children will sit with their families. There is room for quite a few children to
be involved in the liturgical celebration as readers, dancers, etc. If your
family would like to be involved in the celebration, please contact Christine.
For an explanation of why we celebrate first Eucharist at Sunday mass,
see Article 1 in
resources below. |
| Certificates: Certificates of remembrance of your child's first celebration of
Eucharist will be given out at the end of the program - at the final session.
This takes place, as you will note on your schedule, the week after the
celebration of First Communion. Certificates that are not picked up are
available in the office. |
| Cost: There is no "charge" to for any of the sacraments. Sacraments are free - a
gift of Christ and our right as baptised Christians. However, to provide a
preparation programme, costs money and we would appreciate if you could cover
cost of your child's preparation by a donation to the church at the time of
registration. We appreciate any amount you are able to give and at any time you
are able to give it. |
Communication: Christine Way Skinner is the parish catechist and is responsible
for the sacramental preparation programmes. She can be reached in the parish
office:
By telephone at 905-898-4137 ext. 231
By
e-mail.
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Suggestions
for Preparing Your Child to celebrate First Eucharist |
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1. |
Have the
children help you prepare a nice meal. Use the occasion to talk about
God calling us to a banquet. |
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2. |
Bake
bread. Talk about how Jesus feeds us with his self. Talk about how God
shapes us and moulds us just as a baker shapes and moulds bread. |
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3. |
Look at
family pictures together. Discuss how we are all part of God's family.
Talk about the many different shapes and sizes of families that exist. |
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4. |
Look at
pictures of your child's baptism. Tell them why you chose their
godparents. Discuss the meaning and significance of their name. Talk
about baptism as the invitation to join God's family and Eucharist as
the invitation to God's banquet. |
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Give the
child preparing for their First Eucharist the responsibility for
preparing the family grace before meals. |
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Read
stories from the bible to your child before bed. You may want to
purchase a children's bible or read adaptations of bible stories in
which the language is more accessible for the children. |
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Children
often receive money as gifts at the time of their First Eucharist. It is
important to teach children that Eucharist is about giving and sharing
the gifts we have with all those in need. It might be good to have the
child choose to give a portion of their gift-money to help those in
need. |
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Do some
community service together. Discuss how God calls all members of the
Christian family to take care of one another.
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Pray with
your child. Teach them the prayers of the church - the Hail Mary, Our
Father and Glory Be. Teach them how to pray spontaneously by just
talking with God |
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10. |
Encourage
children to participate in the children's liturgy at the weekend masses. |
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During the
time your child is preparing for First Eucharist, bring the children to
the front of the church at communion time to receive a blessing. They
can hold their arms crossed in front of their breast to signal to the
minister of communion that they have not yet received their First
Eucharist. |
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The most
important thing you can do to help your child understand and appreciate
his or her initiation into the Eucharistic community is to deepen your
own appreciation of the Eucharist. There is nothing like participation
in Sunday Mass to teach your children about the healing, welcoming and
transformative power of Christ's presence in the Eucharist. If you have
not been closely involved in the Christian community, for whatever
reason, this is the perfect opportunity to re-establish your connection
and to renew your own faith commitment. - Incomplete. |
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Additional
Resources |
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Article 1 |
excerpts
from: The Case for First Communion With the Parish Family at Sunday
Mass
by Janet Schaeffler, OP
PDF file
to view: click button
links to Toronto Archdiocesan website
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Article 2 |
Four
Ways to Help Prepare Your Child for First Communion - Talk to them
about the Eucharist in ways that relate to their own lives.
By Bert Ghezzi
LINK |
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Article 3 |
Have First Communions Become Proms? Fashion shows, matching
jewellery, and limo
rides to fancy hotels for post-parties have parents wondering: This is a
sacrament?
By Mary Beth Sammons
LINK |
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Book 1:
Your Child's First Communion - Handing on the Faith
by Carol Luebering
LINK
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Book 2:
Preparing Your Child for First Communion (Paperback)
by Joseph D., PH.D. White
LINK
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Video 1:
Preparing Your Child for First Eucharist
With Gaynell Cronin
LINK
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This page and its contents are
copyright © 2010 by St. John
Chrysostom Church, Newmarket, Ontario
All rights reserved.
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