Heart Speaks to Heart:

Reconciliation & Holy Communion

This First Reconciliation & Holy Communion resource comes highly recommended by the Diocese of Salford Sacramental Preparation working party ‘The Wisdom Group’. This resource in designed for Family Catechesis so parents/carers can work with their child through the sessions with support from the parish and school catechists. The sessions are based on the virtues and encourages prayer as a family with beautiful artwork. The book includes 5 sessions on reconciliation & 7 sessions on holy communion.

An online interactive PDF workbook & videos for each session are available at the links below. These resources are available free of charge for our parishes, schools and homes. Please direct any feedback or questions about this resource to the Department for Formation.

The Sacrament of Reconciliation is the first of two sacraments of healing. It is the sacrament of spiritual healing of a baptized person from the distancing from God resulting from sins committed. When people sin after baptism, they cannot have baptism as a remedy; Baptism, which is a spiritual regeneration, cannot be given a second time.

The sacrament involves four elements: (1) Contrition (the penitent’s sincere remorse for wrongdoing or sin, repentance, without which the rite has no effect); (2) Confession to a priest who has the faculty to hear confessions (Canon 966.1) – while it may be spiritually helpful to confess to another, only a priest has the power to administer the sacrament; (3) Absolution by the priest; and, (4) Satisfaction or penance.

“Many sins wrong our neighbour. One must do what is possible in order to repair the harm (e.g., return stolen goods, restore the reputation of someone slandered, pay compensation for injuries). Simple justice requires as much. But sin also injures and weakens the sinner himself, as well as his relationships with God and neighbour. Absolution takes away sin, but it does not remedy all the disorders sin has caused. Raised up from sin, the sinner must still recover his full spiritual health by doing something more to make amends for the sin: he must ‘make satisfaction for’ or ‘expiate’ his sins. This satisfaction is also called ‘penance'” (CCC 1459).

The priest is bound by the “seal of confession”, which is inviolable. Accordingly, it is absolutely wrong for a confessor in any way to betray the penitent, for any reason whatsoever, whether by word or in any other fashion.

The Sacrament of The Eucharist is the third of Christian initiation completes Christian initiation by which we consume the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ and participate in his one sacrifice. The first of these two aspects of the sacrament is also called Holy Communion. The bread (which must be wheaten, and which is unleavened) and wine (which must be from grapes) used in the Eucharistic rite.

Unlike the other sacraments of initiation, Baptism and Confirmation, this sacrament may be received multiple times throughout your life.

YEAR 3 SACRAMENTAL PROGRAMME 2024