The highlights of this week have not centred on the 7 hours of meetings that I had to attend, for various reasons, but more on the time I spent with young people and parents. On Monday evening, our parish pack of Brownies came into church, and I went in to talk to them and to answer their questions. As ever, these young people were full of enthusiasm, but they also asked some questions that were not always easy to answer.
On Thursday evening was the first of our meetings with the parents of the children who are due to make their First Communion’s this year. The course will start this weekend with a special enrolment Mass at 10 o’clock on Sunday and the sessions begin soon after. The children will be making their First Confessions before Easter and then their First Holy Communion in the middle weeks of June. This will be followed at the end of June by a special Mass at 10 o’clock on Sunday followed by a party for the First Communicants but also the rest of the parish community.
This year’s course uses a new book called I Belong which is accompanied by a special book for parents so that they can follow the programme themselves, and also answer any of the questions that the children may raise with them. This helps to enable and empower parents to be actively involved in the preparation of the children for these two Sacraments. I was heartened but not surprised by the enthusiasm of the parents to be involved in this important time of their children’s lives as they start a special journey to meet Jesus in these great Sacraments.
Mgr Bernard
