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Contact Us
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Melissa Calcotemcalcotestlaurence.orgFirst Sacraments & Family Coordinator
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Molly Zimmermzimmerstlaurence.orgElementary & First Sacrament Assistant
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If you would like to be part of the program:
Our 2021-2022 program year is in progress and registration is closed. Registration for the 2022-2023 Program year will open in the Spring 2022. Please watch the bulletin and the website for more information. Read below for details about the program. To be eligible for the 2022-2023 program year, your child should be currently registered in one of our Faith Formation Programs. Home Study registration is open until November 1.
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Welcome to the 2021-2022 program year!
If you are currently enrolled in the program, please go to DOCUMENTS on the left side of this screen for important dates and information.,
PREPARATION FOR FIRST SACRAMENTSParents Journey with Their Children from Baptism into discovering other treasures of the Church.
- This journey should begin through Faith Formation in his/her early learning years through first grade in one of the following programs: CCE, CCE Home Study, or Family Faith.
- Then in second grade or up, you will journey into the First Sacraments Preparation Program along with a Faith Formation program: CCE, CCE Home Study, or Family Faith.
- The entire year of Sacrament Preparation is designed as a Treasure Hunt with parents as the Tour Guides as together you- Explore! Discover! Treasure the Sacraments!
Be part of the Treasure Hunt for the Sacraments :
- Explore! Discover! Treasure the Sacraments! is designed to be a home-based program, using the Our Sunday Visitor: Encounter with Christ Sacrament Preparation series with parents as the teachers and tour guides.
- Sacrament Preparation, the Treasure Hunt, is not a stand alone program. Your child must participate in one of our Faith Formation programs (CCE, CCE Home Study, or Family Faith) at the same time as well as the year prior (see the IMPORTANT NOTES section below). Learning all about the Treasures of our Faith is important to understanding the unique treasure of each Sacrament.
- We will hunt for these treasures together, concentrating on First Reconciliation in the Fall and First Eucharist in the Spring. A child cannot receive his/her First Holy Communion without going to First Reconciliation beforehand. One treasure leads to the next!
The Treasure Hunt:
Primarily, Sacrament Preparation will be done at home. Also, we have six sessions of the Treasure Hunt that are a required part of the year to help your child fully appreciate the treasures and be ready to celebrate the Sacraments.
1. PARENT MEETINGS (FALL AND SPRING): Tour Guides need the map and materials!
At this first meeting, the parents come to receive the needed course materials and find out more about the process of sacrament preparation. There is plenty of time for questions and guidance.
2. Fun and exciting ways to learn! WALK THROUGH RECONCILIATION (FALL) AND TOUR OF THE CHURCH (SPRING)
Here we explore what the Sacrament of Reconciliation looks like and explore the church to learn more about the Mass and the Eucharist. There is so much to discover and parents have just as much fun at these as their children!
3. Retreats! Parents and children enter a real Treasure Map and have a chance to explore even more about each Sacrament.
For just a few hours in the Fall and again in the Spring, we spend time together exploring and discovering more about these Sacraments through prayer, Bible Stories, games ,crafts, and more.
4. Readiness Interviews: Once we are close to celebrating the Treasure of each Sacrament, there is an interview with each child at the parish. This is a short and stress-free conversation with your child that lasts about 10 minutes. The requirements for readiness for celebrating each Sacrament are discussed at the parents meetings, learned about in the materials at home, and practiced at each of the sessions at the parish.
IMPORTANT NOTES
- Children not in Catholic school? Register for a Faith Formation program( CCE, CCE Home Study, or Family Faith) to continue to build their Catholic formation.
- Children with Special Needs? : The preparation program is available for children with special needs in various formats to suit your child's particular needs.
- Catholic School Children? - Catholic school children are prepared for these Sacraments through their home parish.
Catechesis for each sacrament is intended for all members of the Christian community, takes place within the community, and involves the whole community of faith... and [it] involves the parents in the preparation of their children for the sacraments. -National Directory for Catechesis
First Sacraments Preparation honors these principles here at St. Laurence Catholic Church by empowering the parents of our parish to teach their own children sacramental catechesis at home. First sacrament preparation is taught primarily at home by the parents. We also hold 6 sessions throughout the year to celebrate, learn, and grow together as a community.