Mend
Mend is the 1st Reconciliation Preparation. The Sacrament of 1st reconciliation is necessary for the Sacrament of 1st Eucharist.
The Church invites all children who have been Baptized and attained the age of reason to prepare to receive Jesus in the Holy Eucharist for the first time. “The age of reason” is generally interpreted to be around 7 years-old, or entering the second grade, but each child is different so Seton Parish invites those children who are minimally entering the second grade to begin their First Eucharist Preparation.
The Church recommends that children should make their first Reconciliation (aka Penance, Confession) before receiving their First Eucharist.
Also, the Church requires a year of faith formation, either through the parish or through a Catholic school, in the year prior to preparing for these Sacraments. Special Note: due to the extraordinary circumstances of the past year caused by the coronavirus pandemic, this requirement for a year of prior formation is being waived for 2021-2022.
Our approach to preparing for these Sacraments is to prepare for First Reconciliation during the first semester (October-December) and then prepare for First Eucharist during the second semester (January-March) – so it’s one comprehensive year that includes BOTH sacraments.
We believe that children learn best from their parents and that the whole family shares in the responsibility for preparation. We also believe that parents need support, that children benefit by hearing from other adults and that children need interaction with other children. Our approach, therefore is a hybrid of at-home family meetings with parent/child gathered sessions.
We ask for $80 as a registration fee, which covers the expense of all the materials for BOTH sacraments. No family will ever be turned away due to financial issues so scholarships are available to those who request them.
Led by Parents - Shared as Family - Experienced at Home
Mend is a first Reconciliation family experience designed to equip parents to teach, share faith, and pray with their children as they lead 7 family meetings in their home through a variety of hands-on and innovative activities. There are additional at-church meetings for this Sacramental program.
Families will encounter Jesus and experience the beauty of Reconciliation as it connects to daily life by forming clay, making field goals, reading Scripture, engaging in meaningful conversation, and much more.
Watch families dive deeper into the incredible gift God gives us - Reconciliation.
benefits
- Hands-on, experiential, and engages the entire family
- Empowers and equips parents to teach, share faith, and lead prayer
- Brings faith formation home
- Everything is conveniently included in the box
- Restores trust in a forgiving God in Reconciliation
- Pairs well with other curricula
- Doubles as parent faith formation
- Accessible to families at different places in their faith journeys