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Session 5 - Reconciliation

9/3/2023

RECONCILIATION FESTIVAL - 18TH MARCH

HOW TO PREPARE FOR RECONCILIATION
Complete the family handout together or use it to frame your conversation. We structure the handout around the experience of the lost son in Jesus' beautiful Parable of Prodigal Son. In particular, we focus on three things:
1) he came to his senses
2) he rehearsed his sorry
3) he set off to the father

A PRIEST'S PERSPECTIVE
Watch this fantastic video put together by Mgr Tony, Parish Priest of Guildford, about the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

Mgr Tony suggest looking to the Beatitudes to help in our examination on conscience. You can find an examination of conscience based on the Beatitudes below. We also looked at the Beatitudes in the Family Handouts on page 16.

EXAMINATION OF CONSCIENCE
BASED ON THE BEATITUDES

HOW DO I GO TO CONFESSION
Please watch the video below with your child. You can follow along with pages 7 & 8 in the Family Handout. You will receive a step-by-step guide on the day so don't worry about learning the order of things off by heart.

For Parents

Lump
A beautiful video about the forgiveness.

YouCat Confession Book
We highly recommend this accessible book all about confession. Recommended for parents to read to help them prepare to receive the sacrament of Reconciliation themselves. You can purchase it at Eden.co.uk.

CERTIFICATES

We no longer issue 1st Reconciliation and 1st Holy Communion certificates. This is because we have found that this has caused confusion with regards to the purpose of the preparation and of receiving the Sacraments. In the past Secondary Schools used to ask for proof of 1st Holy Communion but this is not the case anymore. You do not need to have received Holy Communion in order to apply to the local secondary schools. St Peter's Secondary School (Guildford), as well as All Hallows (Farnham), St John the Baptist (Woking) and St Andrews (Leatherhead) only require proof of Baptism.

Not just that, the Church does not officially document anyone's receiving of the sacraments of Reconciliation and Holy Communion for the first time. The only official records kept are for the sacraments that can only be received once in your life: Baptism, Confirmation and Marriage.

If you do require a proof that your child has been prepared for the sacraments and have received them then we can issue you letter on a request basis.

You may want to commemorate the day your child receives Reconciliation and Holy Communion for the first time yourselves.
If you visit a card company like Funky Pigeon they offer personalised Holy Communion Cards.
This is the design I have used for my own children which I personalised and then framed.