Some parents may be looking for books that can help your children prepare for the Sacraments.  Here’s some that I’ve come across, anyone got any others to share?

For Reconciliation, I highly recommend A Little Book About Confession for Children by Kendra Tierney.  This illustrated book was given to my son from his godmother.  It includes questions and answers about the Sacrament of Penance, an examination of conscience, a child-friendly exploration of the 10 Commandments, and some information about Saints who have a special connection to Reconciliation.  This is a great book for both kids and adults, I gained a much deeper understanding of the Sacrament after reading this book.

Here’s an excerpt: Children don’t commit really bad sins, so why would I need to go to confession?  Jesus said, “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them; for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” Jesus gave us confession not as a punishment but as a gift.  He wants us all to accept this gift so that we can be close to him and receive the healing and peace that come from his mercy.  Making regular use of this sacrament helps us to become holy and to go to heaven.

 

For Confirmation, we have a couple of books about the lives of some Saints.  We have The Children’s Book of Saints by Louis M.Savary, S.T.D.  We also have A Catholic Child’s illustrated Lives of the Saints by L.E. McCullough, Ph.D.   They both have about 50 Saints with an illustration and a few paragraphs about each Saint.  Of the two books we have, I prefer The Children’s Book of Saints as the language is a lot simpler and more kid-friendly, and it is in alphabetical order of Saint’s names.

 

For Eucharist, we have bought our son My First Missal.  He has been using it at Mass to follow along with what is going on.  There are explanations of parts of the Mass, along with the words to say, and also has a section at the back about Reconciliation.

 

There are a few places that sell books like this online.  Here’s a couple of websites, but there may be more.

www.catholicgifts.co.nz

www.christiansupplies.co.nz

Please comment if you’ve come across any books or websites that you recommend!

 

Welcome parents and children to the St Ignatius Sacramental Programme for 2015 for Year 4s.

We are planning to use this site to share links, videos, articles and resources to help prepare our children for the sacraments that they will be receiving this year.

The leadership team for the programme is Christie Bergin (co-ordinator), Gina Brugh, Natalie Quirke, Jo Humphrey, Melissa Hayden, Bridget Gleeson and Paula Castle.

We are looking forward to our first session together on Sunday 2nd August at 8am.  Yes, 8am.  In the morning!  It is hard to find a time that will suit everybody, but at least it is unlikely to clash with other commitments, and has the benefit of finishing in time for everyone to attend the 9:30am Mass together.

To all our children taking part in the programme, a special welcome to you!  This is a very exciting and special time for all of you, and we really look forward to helping you prepare to receive the grace and faith that God gives to you through the sacraments of the Church.