First Reconciliation - Thursday, March 4, 2010 @ 7:00 p.m.
Morning with Jesus - Friday, April 16, 2010. Dismissal is 11:00 a.m. SHARP!
First Communion - Saturday, April 17, 2010 @ 10:00 a.m.
Parents, please make every effort to go to mass with your child every
weekend. We really study the mass in depth in second grade. By April, they
will know the parts of the mass and what they mean very well. It is
extremely important not only for them to see the mass in practice on a
regular basis, but also for the children to understand what true faith is
and that it is not a hardship or an inconvenience to take an hour out of
their week to thank God for all that they have been given. This is part of
our Catholic faith, and God has entrusted you with the growth of His child.
Making the decision to baptize your child in the Catholic
faith and have him/her receive his/her First Communion gives us the
responsibility of being a good example of faith. As the Holy Father has said,
"Since parents have conferred life on their children, they have a most solemn
obligation to educate their offspring. Hence, parents must be acknowledged as
the first and foremost educators of their children. Their role as educators
is so decisive that scarcely anything can compensate for their failure in it."
During second grade, we will have many special events at church in the
evening. We spend a lot of class time practicing for these celebrations and
stressing appropriate church behavior. At Saint Clement of Rome, we feel it
is our mission to teach the children not only the catechism of the Catholic
church, but also the necessary reverence for God, His Church, and our
participation in Mass. We learn during second grade that Mass is the greatest
way there is to worship God. I know that you have chosen Saint Clement of
Rome because you recognize the importance of your children learning these
things. We teach the children to sing at Mass, to enter and leave church
quietly, and to treat God's house with the respect and reverence that He
Himself deserves. He is, after all, present with us in Body in the
tabernacle. I ask you to please enforce the proper behavior when you are in
church for these celebrations - before, during, after. These are the things I
ask of you:
1. If you must talk when you enter church, please do so in a whisper. This
is God's house. Likewise, when our celebration is over, please take any
conversations outside.
2. Sing the processional song, the responsorial psalm, and the Alleluia.
Your example is most important to your children.
3. When our celebration is over, please enforce the appropriate behavior with
your child. Keep him or her close and make sure that he or she is standing
quietly with you. There should never be any running around church, yelling,
crawling on the pews, or playing with friends.
4. Do not allow your child to play on the altar ever. If you wish to take a
picture of your child in front of the altar, it is necessary for your child to
bow his or her head before stepping onto the altar. Then he or she may walk
to the altar and stand quietly while you take the picture. There should be no
running, dancing, or playing behind the altar. Playing on the altar is never
reverent to our God.
I say all of this in the spirit of helping the children understand how very
important their First Reconciliation and First Communion are. We talk about
this over and over at school; we need your cooperation to "bring the message
home." Thank you!