St Ignatius Parish

Family Faith Formation Program 2006

Introduction

 Preparing to become fully part of the Catholic Church is a very important step for children. After making their first Reconciliation, children are confirmed and receive their first Communion.

Sacraments are not magic. The two further sacraments of initiation, the final one being Communion, are chosen by a baptised child. She or he has come to understand what it means to be fully part of the Church. First of all, it is to know what Jesus did for us at Easter, and then to be at home when celebrating his death and resurrection with fellow Christians each week. Children can be ready for these further steps by Year 3.

The Family Faith Formation Program (FFFP) at St Ignatius builds on the experience and knowledge that children have gained on their journey of faith. Enrolment for Reconciliation at the beginning of the year gives them and their families a chance to continue their preparation through praying, reflecting on  the stories of Jesus, seeing how to live the commandment of love, participating in regular worship, and experiencing the Easter ceremonies.

Children's Liturgy, and the follow-up sheets provided each week, can help families in this. Then they can feel more confident in the series of meetings that begin later in the first year.

Enrolment

The dates for enrolment in Sacramental preparation:

Reconciliation  by 26 Feb 2006.

Confirmation/Communion by 5 Feb 2006.

Reconciliation is celebrated first.

 Children's Liturgy

Children’s Liturgy of the Word takes place during the first part of the 10am Mass, February to December, with a separate group for very young children. It resumes at 10am on Sunday,5 February 2006.

Regular experience of (children's) liturgy is essential. Attending some of the Easter ceremonies is crucial, because Easter, especially the Vigil on Holy Saturday, is the key experience of Christian initiation.

 Rationale

The FFFP gives families the opportunity to prepare their children for the Sacraments in a home environment. It also gives parents the opportunity to deepen their own understanding of their faith, while participating more fully in the faith development of their children.

The program is based on the following principles drawn from the Policy for the Initiation of Children into the Catholic Church in the diocese of Adelaide.

• Christian Initiation is ‘a lifelong process’ that ‘goes beyond mere knowledge and involves the transmission of a whole way of being

• What is being sought is an environment of example and faith sharing for our young. This necessarily leads us to draw parents and families … more deeply into the processes that we have’.

• Parents are the primary faith educators of their children and have the right and responsibility to be directly involved in the preparation of their child to celebrate the Sacrament.

• The parish and school communities need to affirm and support parents in this role.

 What happens

The Parish of St Ignatius, Norwood offers a family-based sacramental program and provides a facilitator for support throughout the preparation.

Five or six families come together in each other’s homes.

Families are grouped according to locality, friendships, and schools common to children, or what is most suitable for each family.

The formal sacramental preparation spans approximately 10 months:

• 4–6 sessions for Reconciliation from September to October

• 8–10 sessions for Confirmation and Eucharist from February through to May.

The family groups meet for approximately 90 minutes each session.

Families may choose any time to meet, although dates should  be set and adhered to. Families are not encouraged to 'go it alone'. The importance of Christian community is stressed throughout the program, so participation within the group is vital.

Home masses are held to involve sponsors and extended family in the program.

 Church involvement

Your family must also immerse itself within the church community. Families are asked to participate in a parish Mass each week.

For example, you can help greet fellow parishioners at the door, hand out bulletins, bring forward the gifts to the altar, or collect discarded bulletins after Mass. You need only to see Fr Celso Romanin (Parish Priest) or Fr Paul Fyfe (chaplain to the FFFP) before Mass and tell him of your wish to take part.

It is important for the children to participate in the 10am Children's Liturgy.

 What next?

If you have any queries please do not hesitate to call the parish office.

You can download this information with the enrolment form as a PDF file here. It is also available in the Church.

Please complete the enrolment form if you are interested in joining the program, and mail it to the parish office or place it on the collection plate at Mass. Please address it to "Family Faith Formation Program".

The co-ordinator of the program, Julie Tranfa, will then be in touch by mail or phone to advise you of dates and meeting arrangements.