This year the readings were done by two students who were confirmed this year, and one of the acolytes was both a newly confirmed student and a sibling. We had wonderful families this year, all of whom embraced our parish as a family (not just an institution); their engagement made the experience even more precious.
One of the advantages of such a small program is our intimacy. I know all the children well by this time of year, and can celebrate with them in a very pure way.
Usually on the day of the celebration, my attention is all on the details and what might go wrong. I made a decision this year to give the details only the attention they deserve so that I could be more present during the liturgy and more available to the community.
Notes for next year (for me, not necessarily of interest to anyone else):
By February
Verify which children will be likely candidates
Check their paperwork, and baptism certificates
Schedule First Confessions
in April or May
order ties
check spelling of children's names
order or buy ribbon
order clear full page labels
order pins
check baptism certificates
order Bibles
meet briefly with parents – what to wear, what to expect
One month before
Verify First Confession details
Order Bibles
Verify spelling of preferred names
Two weeks before
Verify rehearsal details
Check with priests
Let French Community know so their ceremony ends on time
Check with pastor
week of ceremony
check with French community and make sure they make church available on time
verify time for rehearsal
Make reserved ribbons
Check with parents about details of rehearsal and ceremony
Order cake
Check on plates, cups, forks, tablecloths
Clear camera memory
No comments:
Post a Comment