Below is the information that Sister shared with her Grade 2 parents. The information is extended to you! Please let me know if you are unable to attend. See you then!
Formal Invitation to Attend Your Child's First Confession From Sister Mary Bethany:
I just wanted to make sure that everyone knows that you are all most welcome to join us in the church around 12:45/1:00 pm, this Friday, December 2nd, so that you are present for your child's first confession!
I would love for this invitation to be extended to your other family members as well, especially if you can't make it but you think a sibling could!! The more prayers going up the better!!! So if you have a child in another grade that you would like to have come join us in adoration, would you mind kindly contacting that child's teacher in advance as a courtesy? Mr. Borkowski agrees with me that siblings should be welcomed for this significant event, if they so desire....even if it means missing a little academic time! :)
Feel free to invite grandparents/cousins/relatives too!! Truly this is A VERY BIG DEAL so know that all are most welcome. But also, please know that I understand about work and other obligations. I always assure the children that have no family members that can join us that I consider myself a very true/real spiritual mother to each of them and I will be praying for that child with no family present in a particular way that day.
Here is "The Game Plan" for Friday :)
We will attend school Mass at 9am (as per usual), followed by as "normal" a morning as possible (since "normal" sometimes helps retain calmness at exciting times...)
Unusual will begin with an early lunch at 11:30. The children will have time for final spiritual preparation in the classroom with the teachers between 12:30-12:45 (along with practical preparation like washrooms).
At 12:45ish we will come to the church (where you can be if you are able to join us). By 1pm Father will expose the Lord in the monstrance. For those of you not yet familiar with this beautiful and incredibly powerful devotion, that means that Father will bring Jesus out of the tabernacle and place Him in the monstrance so that all can gaze and adore. God Almighty (Creator of the Universe) right there under the disguise of humble bread! Unbelievable! This devotion is called Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. If you've never experienced this before, I'd say it would be worth coming for this event even if your child WEREN'T receiving first Confession!!!
We will sing a simple song and after a brief moment in prayer, Father Anthony will head to the confessional. The children will be tapped by a Grade Seven when it is their turn to head to the back of the church to kneel and prepare to enter the confessional. Another Grade Seven will help them remember to pray their penance immediately following
their first Confession. After receiving the sacrament and praying their penance, your child will come back up to the front to join the class in profound thanksgiving and awe.
Once all of the children have had received the grace of the sacrament, we will head over together to the Columbus/Cenacle room in the parish center to celebrate. The children will be given a little booklet to complete to commemorate the day and will have a craft to work on. There might also me a little treat (Shhh!!! It's a surprise!!) :)
So, you may have been asking, what's MY part in all of this?! (See the picture above). :)
I'm serious. Please pray for your child this week in general and between 1-2 pm in particular!
Did you know that the amount of grace we can receive at any given moment does depend most of all upon our receptivity? Let's pray for the children to be PROFOUNDLY open to the grace and mercy the Lord longs to lavish.
Whether or not you can be present physically, you can be intensely present spiritually on Friday. To quote a holy prelate, "Distance is NOTHING!"
If you can join us physically, be sure to also be present spiritually in prayer and adoration! The front area where we will kneel will be too crowded, but you can pray powerfully from the pews.
Also, I think it would be really lovely if perhaps we wait to congratulate, take pictures, and celebrate boisterously with the children until after we leave the church building so that we can maintain a beautiful and reverential silence the entire time children are receiving the sacrament and the Lord is exposed on the altar.
Thank you for praying quite intentionally with me for your child. I'm heading to the chapel now for Adoration and they are my intention!!! :)
Sister
