Program Requirements:

• Students can begin the preparation for First Communion and First Reconciliation as early as second (2nd) grade. 

• The child has to attend the program for at least two consecutive years.

• The child must have good weekly attendance.  (see Attendance Policy in our "Religious Education Handbook.")

• Everyone will wear a white gown for the First Communion Mass, and girls may NOT wear veils of any kind.

• Parents must attend all required preparatory meetings.  

• Children must attend all required rehearsals and activities.

• Additional information and requirements will be provided at the Parents’ Meeting for First Communion.

"The Eucharist is 'the source and summit of the Christian life.'  The other sacraments, and indeed all ecclesiastical ministries and works of the apostolate, are bound up with the Eucharist and are oriented toward it. For in the blessed Eucharist is contained the whole spiritual good of the Church, namely Christ himself, our Pasch."

--Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1324

Program Requirements:

• Students can begin the preparation for Confirmation as early as seventh (7th) grade. 

• The student has to attend the program for at least two consecutive years.

• The student must have good weekly attendance.  (see Attendance Policy in our "Religious Education Handbook.")

• All candidates will wear a gown for the Confirmation liturgy.

• Candidates, parents, and sponsors must attend and complete all required preparatory meetings, retreats, activities, and rehearsals.

• Candidates must complete 20 "direct" community service hours during their Confirmation year, prior to being confirmed.

• Candidates must complete two (2) service hours at the Parish Festival.

• Additional information will be provided at the Parent-Candidate Meeting for Confirmation.

"... [B]y the sacrament of Confirmation, [the baptized] are more perfectly bound to the Church and are enriched with a special strength of the Holy Spirit. Hence they are, as true witnesses of Christ, more strictly obliged to spread and defend the faith by word and deed."

--Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1285

Any child who is enrolled in our Program without having yet celebrated the sacrament of Baptism is considered a Catechumen. 

The process of celebrating the sacraments will depend on the grade level of the child, based on the Archdiocese of Miami's "Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, Adapted for Children" (RCIC).

CHILDREN IN GRADES 2-6

• The child has to attend the program for at least two consecutive years with good weekly attendance.

• They will celebrate the sacraments of Baptism and the Eucharist in the same year.

• The Catechumen will enter into his/her specific grade-level class for the first year of faith formation.  After at least one year of faith formation, an evaluation will take place.  If deemed appropriate, the child will then be placed into the First Communion Class.  Near the end of the second year, another evaluation will take place.  If the child is ready, the child will celebrate the Sacrament of Baptism at the Easter Vigil, and First Communion with his/her class at the designated date of the ceremony.  They will then be placed into continuing faith-formation classes to prepare for Confirmation.

CHILDREN IN GRADES 7 and UP

• The child has to attend the program for three consecutive years with good weekly attendance.

• They will celebrate all three Sacraments of Initiation (Baptism, Eucharist, and Confirmation) in the same year.

• The Catechumen will enter into an introductory Religious Education class for the first year of faith formation.  After the first year of faith formation, an evaluation will take place.  If deemed appropriate, the child will then be placed into the seventh grade and up class for Candidates to continue their formation.  The child will be evaluated again after the second year.  If deemed appropriate, the child will then be placed into the Confirmation Class.  A final evaluation will take place near the end of the third year.  If the child is ready, the child will celebrate all three sacraments of Initiation, Baptism, First Communion, and Confirmation at the Easter Vigil.

Prior to the child celebrating the sacrament of Baptism, the parents will need to attend a meeting with the catechetical leaders, where the paperwork and logistics pertinent to the sacrament will be distributed and explained.  All necessary paperwork must be brought into the office and placed on file, and the parents and godparent(s) must have attended and completed a Baptismal Preparation class.  The godparent(s) chosen for the child should provide an example of living our Christian values daily by following the teachings and example of Christ.

"Holy Baptism is the basis of the whole Christian life, the gateway to life in the Spirit (vitae spiritualis ianua), and the door which gives access to the other sacraments.  Through Baptism we are freed from sin and are incorporated into the Church and made sharers in her mission: 'Baptism is the sacrament of regeneration through water in the word.'"

--Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1213