Sacramental Preparation
Assisting children as they prepare to receive the sacraments of First Reconciliation, First Communion and Confirmation has always been a proud part of the Catholic heritage and tradition of the Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board.
In our preparation of children for the sacraments, we are guided by the Ontario Catholic Elementary Curriculum Policy Document Grades 1 -8, and the Diocese of Hamilton Sacramental Guidelines. Both documents affirm that:
- Children are prepared in important ways at home, at school and in the parish;
- Ongoing foundational preparation, most often experienced in the home and at school, is rooted in prayer, acts of Christian charity and the teaching of the Religious Education programs in our Catholic schools; and,
- The immediate preparation, “the catechetical and practical preparation in the weeks and months leading up to the particular sacrament,” is co-ordinated by the parish.
In union with our Bishop, His Excellency, Douglas Crosby, OMI, we believe that the collaborative efforts of family, school and parish help children to be welcomed to the sacraments with “the fullness of joy that comes from God’s grace.”