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First Communion

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GROWING TOGETHER

At St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, we are committed to giving parents, the first educators in the faith, the tools to help them raise their children in the faith.

We equip our families preparing for the sacraments through Faith Formation for the children and a course on the Eucharist for parents, called “The Bread of Life”. Parents receive two wonderful books, accessible theology, and practical suggestions for cultivating a love for Reconciliation & Eucharist at home.

REGISTRATION

Please follow all steps in order.

Step 1. Create a Profile and Add your Whole Family

Create Family Profile

We are using a new system called Church Center, and we first need your household information
Enter information about yourself first
Under "household members" add your spouse and your children

Step 2. Sign Up for Elementary RE

GRADES 2/3 Registration GRADES 4-12 REGISTRATION

Students must be in grades 2 or 3 and enrolled in Religious Education as well as First Communion prep.
If your student is in grade 4-12, do not do step three.
Click register and sign in with the phone number/email associated with yourself (the parent)
Then choose each family member participating in the program and select their participation type.
During registration, most basic information will be auto populated from the form in Step 1. You will still need to answer questions specific to the program.
At the end of each registration you will be prompted for the registration fee. Please complete each registration in full before moving on to registering a student(s) for another program

Step 3. Sign Up for First Communion

First Communion Registration

This will let us know that your child intends to prepare for first Holy Communion
You will see information for the Bread of Life courses--courses for parents to help form their children for Holy Communion

FAQ's

My child is in 2nd or 3rd grade. How do I get started with their preparation for the sacraments?

Fall 2022 and Spring 2023 Registration is now open. Register at the top of this page.

Here at SEAS, we offer two sessions a school year of “The Bread of Life” First Communion preparation. This program is for 2nd and 3rd grade students.

You may register for the Fall (Oct-Nov) session if your child will be age 7 by December 31, 2022.

You may register for the Spring (Feb-March) session if your child will be age 7 by April 30, 2023.

Requirements:

In order to register for our First Communion Preparation, your child must be receiving formation in one of the following three ways:

Be enrolled in our weekly Religious Education classes if in public school*
Be attending Catholic School
Be home schooled full time using a Catholic curriculum approved by the Diocese of Fort Worth.
- If enrolled in RE, your child needs to attend consistently. After five absences from class, your child will be moved to the next First Communion preparation session.

What is the “Bread of Life” course?

This wonderful study of the Eucharist is aimed at increasing our own adult understanding of and love for Our Lord in the Eucharist, so that we may then bring that knowledge and fervor home to our children in order to teach them to treasure this Greatest Gift.

In addition, it provides fellowship with other parents in the parish who are also preparing their children. In addition to the Bread of Life course, we will provide you with books to use with your child at home to prepare him for each of the sacraments.

It consists of 3 classes (with one "rain date") offered every other week on a Saturday morning. The child does not attend any class outside of their regular RE or Catholic school classes; the parents prepare him/her for the sacraments of Reconciliation and the Eucharist at home, using books that we provide, the knowledge gained from the Bread of Life classes, and the formation their child is receiving in their own religion classes.

The nursery will be available for your children during each Bread of Life class.

What are the important dates for Bread of Life classes, Assessments, Rehearsal and Mass?

FALL FIRST COMMUNION

Mandatory parent meeting: (these two meetings are alike, please chose one)
Monday, September 25th at 7:00 pm - 8:15 pm, PCC Auditorium (English), PCC room 201 (Spanish); or
Thursday, September 28th at 7:00 pm - 8:15 pm, PCC Auditorium (English), PCC room 114 (Spanish)

Bread of Life Classes:
Saturday, October 21st at 10:00 am - 12:00 pm, PCC Auditorium (English), PCC room 201 (Spanish)
Saturday, November 4th at 10:00 am - 12:00 pm, PCC Auditorium (English), PCC room 201 (Spanish)
Saturday, November 18th at 10:00 am - 12:00 pm, PCC Auditorium (English), PCC room 201 (Spanish)
Saturday, December 2nd at 9:30 am - 11:30 am Reconciliation review for Children at the school. Reconciliation Review for parents from 9:45 am - 11:15 am at the PCC Auditorium (English), PCC room 201 (Spanish)

First Communion assessment for children:
Saturday, December 9th at 9:00 am - 12:00 pm at the school (20 minute slots will be available through Sign-up Genius)

First Communion Rehearsal:
Friday, January 19th at 6:00 pm - 7:15 pm at the church

First Communion Dates:
Saturday, January 20th at the 9:00 am Mass (English)
Sunday, January 21st at the 1:00 pm Mass (Spanish)

SPRING FIRST COMMUNION

Mandatory parent meeting: (these two meetings are alike, please chose one)
Monday, January 29th at 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm, PCC Auditorium (English), PCC Cafe (Spanish); or
Thursday, February 1st, at 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm, PCC Auditorium (English), PCC Cafe (Spanish)

Bread of Life Classes:
Saturday, February 10th at 10:00 am - 12:00 pm, PCC Auditorium (English), PCC Cafe (Spanish)
Saturday, February 24th at 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm, PCC Auditorium (English), PCC room 114 (Spanish)
Saturday, March 2nd at 10:00 am - 12:00 pm, PCC Auditorium (English), PCC Cafe (Spanish)
Saturday, March 23rd at 9:30 am - 11:30 am Reconciliation review for Children at the school. Reconciliation Review for parents from 9:45 am to 11:15 am at the PCC Auditorium (English), PCC Cafe (Spanish)

First Communion assessment for children:
Saturday, April 13th at 9:00 am - 12:00 pm at the school (20 minute slots will be available through Sign-up Genius)

First Communion Rehearsal:
Friday, May 10th at 6:00 pm - 7:15 pm at the church

First Communion Dates:

Saturday, May 11th at the 9:00 am Mass (English)
Sunday, May 12th at the 1:00 pm Mass (Spanish)

What does the First Communion assessment involve?

As the primary educator of your child, it will be up to you to determine when your child is ready to be brought in for an assessment of his or her readiness to receive First Communion. It is suggested that, when the Bread of Life course has concluded, and you and your child have read and studied the books you received at the parent meeting, you come on the scheduled group assessment day (see date above).

If you feel your child is not ready, you may call the office of Elementary Religious Education after that date to schedule an appointment. SEAS school 2nd grade students in the Fall session will be assessed by their own teacher in school.

The Bread of Life course provides a comprehensive preparation for this assessment, even giving you questions to bring home and discuss with your child, and helping you relate what you are learning to the books you are using with your child at home. You will be given a study guide at the last Bread of Life class.

My child is in 4th-12th grade. How do I get started with their preparation for the sacraments?

Older children (grades 4-12) who have not yet received First Holy Communion will be enrolled in a program designed especially for them called Young Disciples.

To register, follow the registration steps outlined at the top of the page, but make sure you select 'GRADES 4-12 REGISTRATION'

I am an adult, but never made my First Communion. What do I do?

Catholic adults who have not yet received First Holy Communion receive special attention in the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA) which takes the time to fully immerse them in the rites and mysteries of the faith to prepare them for the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist.

Click link below to learn more about our RCIA program and to register:

https://seascc.org/formation/rcia-becoming-catholic/

What do I do if I have to miss a Bread of Life class?

Sometimes it’s just not possible for one of the parents to attend a class. In that case, you can download the Parent Handout for the lessons covered in that class, as well as listen to an audio recording of the class. This of course is not ideal- the audio is not of the highest quality (we’re working on getting good quality videos!), and you’re not there to ask questions in person. But it is better than missing the class altogether. Here are links to the audio class recordings, and to the Parent Handouts. Note: The audio recordings are in a different order than the Parent Handouts. Please use the Parent Handouts (below) as your guide, as those are in the correct order. Please ask the catechist which lessons were covered in the class you missed.

Lesson 1: Introduction
Lesson 2: How to Make a Good Confession
Lesson 3: Holy Sacrifice- Salvation History
Salvation History booklet
Lesson 4: John 6 (The Bread of Life Discourse)
Lesson 5: The Sacrifice of the Mass
Lesson 6: The Presence of Christ
Lesson 7: Transubstantiation
Lesson 8: Worthy Reception (and Review)

Is my child ready to begin preparing for Reconciliation and Eucharist?

Children are ready to prepare for Reconciliation when:

They have some understanding of the difference between right and wrong, morally good and bad.
They are learning to know the difference between sins and accidents or mistakes.
They are capable of apologizing.
They are beginning to know God as a loving Father who forgives us.

Children are ready to prepare for Eucharist when:

They can (for the most part) pay attention at Sunday Mass.
They have some appreciation that God works through miracles.
They show curiosity about the Eucharist.
They can follow directions on how to (physically) partake in the Eucharist (without playing or disturbing others during the sacrament at Mass).

Remember: every child is different. While the Church typically believes children are ready around the age of seven, we recognize that some children are ready before that and others afterwards. Please contact us if you have any questions about your child’s readiness to begin preparing.

How will I know if my child is ready to receive his or her First Communion?

The norms for a child to receive are:

Your child demonstrates a desire to partake in the sacrament of the Eucharist.
Your child demonstrates age-appropriate understanding of the Blessed Sacrament.
The family attends Mass (Sunday liturgy) weekly.
Your child has made a good confession.
Your child knows how to receive communion.
Your child is at least 7 years old.

To register, please call us at the office at (817) 431-3857

BEFORE REGISTERING FOR FIRST COMMUNION:

Your child MUST be registered in regular Religious Education classes, Catholic school,

or full time home school with a Catholic curriculum approved by the Diocese of Fort Worth.

Call our office for more information:

Older children and Adults are prepared through our parish RCIA program.

Cecilia Leon

Coordinator of Elementary Religious Education & Catechesis of the Good Shepherd

office: (817) 623-2409 Ext. 506

Dawn Johnston

Secretary - Religious Education

office: (817) 623-2409 ext. 500