Resources First Communion and First Penance

Archdiocesan Penance Guidelines

Recording and Maintaining Sacramental Records

Pastoral Guidelines for the Celebration of the Sacraments – Penance

Frequent celebration of this sacrament is to be encouraged in homilies, adult education programs and other forms of catechesis. This catechesis should stress the mystery of sin, with its personal and social dimensions, the ever abundant mercy of God offered through Christ by the Holy Spirit in the Church, the inherent need for on-going conversion and the virtue of penance, the nature of the sacrament of Penance and its necessary role in the Church, and the subsequent importance of frequently celebrating this sacrament in order to heal and strengthen our participation in the life of Christ and His Church.

While encouraged to celebrate this sacrament for any and all sins, the faithful are to be reminded of the obligation to confess serious sin at least once a year.
(Canon 989)

The penitent should be provided with the opportunity to confess with or without a fixed grill in every church. When only one priest is available at a scheduled time, that setting should be employed which respects the freedom of the penitent in this matter.

The reading of Holy Scripture is to be encouraged in the reconciliation of individual penitents.

The understanding and celebration of the sacrament of Penance, for priests and people alike, will be deepened and enriched if we recall that: frequent and careful celebration of this sacrament is also very useful as a remedy for venial sins. This is not a mere ritual repetition or psychological exercise but a serious striving to perfect the grace of baptism so that, as we bear in our body the death of Jesus Christ, his life may be seen in us ever more clearly.

THE RECEPTION OF FIRST PENANCE
Candidates for full Communion with the Catholic Church should have an opportunity to celebrate the sacrament of Penance, with a confessor of their choosing, in the days prior to the Rite of Reception.

Catechumens should receive catechesis on the nature or the sacrament of Penance, and the various ways it can be celebrated, during the catechumenate. In this way they will be prepared to celebrate this sacrament after their initiation is complete. However, it must be recalled that the sacrament of Penance can not be received prior to initiation, since, except for Baptism, the sacraments are only for the baptized.

Further participation in the sacramental life of the Church, through Penance and the Eucharist, should occur when children, baptized in the Catholic Church as infants, have reached the use of reason. For most children, this is about seven years of age. Structured programs of preparation for the sacrament of Penance will, ordinarily, take place at the second grade level.

Catechesis for the Sacrament of Penance is to precede First Communion and must be kept distinct by a clear and unhurried separation. This is to be done so that the specific identity of each sacrament is apparent and so that, before receiving First Communion, the child will be familiar with the revised Rite of Penance and will be at ease with the reception of this Sacrament.

Parents, as the primary educators of their children, should have the opportunity to participate as fully as possible in the preparation for the sacrament of Penance. Involvement in the instructional process, parish celebrations and liturgical services relative to the reconciliation of their children, as well as their own celebration of the sacrament, should be encouraged. There should be a cooperative spirit on the part of the parish priest, the catechists and the parents in the entire catechetical preparation process.

As a rule, a child will celebrate the sacrament of Penance at the end of the catechesis for penance and before the reception of First Eucharist.

In an exceptional case. if it seems clear to those involved in the sacramental
catechesis (priest, catechist and parents) that an individual child is not ready for the sacrament, then Penance should be postponed until the child is ready. This does not mean that First Eucharist must be postponed.

Catechesis for children must respect the natural disposition, ability, age and circumstances of individuals. Catechesis for the sacrament of Penance should
include concepts of good and evil, repentance and God’s loving mercy, and should encourage the child to see in the sacrament of Penance that faith is expressed both by being forgiven and by being forgiving.

Since the sacramental experience of being forgiven takes place in the internal forum, the practice of awarding certificates on the occasion of First Penance is not appropriate.

Parents should understand that their child’s preparation is not once and for all, but a beginning, the foundation of further catechesis and moral development.

After First Penance, annual opportunities for the communal celebration of the sacrament of Penance should be provided on every level of religious education. Furthermore, children should be encouraged to regularly receive the sacrament of Penance individually. The virtue of penance (ongoing conversion) should be a constantly recurring theme throughout the entire catechetical program.

Communion and Penance Curricula

Below please find links to various available curricula for preparation for the sacraments of Communion and Penance. While this list is extensive, we are aware that it does not list all available options. We welcome your suggestions  and feedback on the following and other available curricula.

Communion

• Ascension Press – Received (English and Spanish)
• Augustine Institute – Signs of Grace: You Are Loved (English and Spanish)
• Catholic Book Publishing – New St. Joseph First Communion Catechism
• Catholic Truth Society – YouCat My First Communion Album
• Dynamic Catholic – Blessed (English and Spanish)
• Faith and Family Life Catholic Ministries – Nourish
• Loyola Press – God’s Gift: Eucharist (English, Spanish)
• Loyola Press – Adaptive First Eucharist Preparation Kit (English and Spanish)
• Our Sunday Visitor – Encounter with Christ: Eucharist (English, Spanish)
• Pflaum – Together in Jesus: First Eucharist (English and Spanish)
• Sadlier – Believe Celebrate Live Eucharist (English, Spanish)
• Saint Mary’s Press – Go Seek Find: Eucharist (English and Spanish)
• Sophia – Spirit of Truth: First Reconciliation and First Holy Communion

Penance

• Ascension Press – Renewed (English and Spanish)
• Augustine Institute – Signs of Grace: You Are Forgiven (English and Spanish)
• Dynamic Catholic – Blessed (English and Spanish)
• Faith and Family Life Catholic Ministries – Mend
• Loyola Press – God’s Gift: Reconciliation (English, Spanish)
• Loyola Press – Adaptive Reconciliation Kit (English and Spanish)
• Our Sunday Visitor – Encounter with Christ: Reconiliation (English, Spanish)
• Pflaum – Together in Jesus: First Reconciliation (English and Spanish)
• Sadlier – Believe Celebrate Live Reconciliation (English, Spanish)
• Saint Mary’s Press – Go Seek Find: Reconciliation (English and Spanish)
• Sophia – Spirit of Truth: First Reconciliation and First Holy Communion

Communion: Key Church Documents and Resources

• Catechism of the Catholic Church: Communion
• Code of Canon Law: Communion
• Quam Singulari, Pope Pius X
• USCCB Guidelines for the Celebration of the Sacraments with Persons with Disabilities
• USCCB Celiac Disease, Alcohol Intolerance, and the Church’s Pastoral Response
• USCCB The Reception of Holy Communion at Mass
• USCCB Guidelines for the Reception of Communion
• USCCB Norms for the Reception and Distribution of Communion under Both Kinds in the Dioceses of the United States of America
• USCCB The Eucharist
• USCCB The Mystery of the Eucharist in the Life of the Church
• The Importance of Sunday Mass Participation, Cardinal O’Malley

Penance: Key Church Documents and Resources

• Catechism of the Catholic Church: Penance
• Code of Canon Law: Penance
• Quam Singulari, Pope Pius X
• Reconciliatio et Paenitentia, Pope St. John Paul II
• USCCB Guidelines for the Celebration of the Sacraments with Persons with Disabilities
• USCCB Penance
• Federation of Diocesan Liturgical Commissions Penance Resources
• God’s Mercy Runs to Meet Us, Cardinal O’Malley

Communion Webinar

Faith Formation Leader Resources