First Reconciliation and First Communion
At about age 7, children can begin to prepare to receive communion, the body and blood of Christ, for the first time. Preparation for First Reconciliation and First Communion. First Reconciliation (Confession) is celebrated in the season of Lent and culminates in the First Communion celebration during the Easter Season. Contact April Sandoval 503-281-4429 x – or a sandoval@archdpdx.org for more information.
Confirmation
The Sacrament of Confirmation is, with Baptism and Eucharist, one of the three sacraments of initiation; confirmation completes and “confirms” the grace of baptism. Through the anointing with the sacred chrism the baptized person is “enriched with a special strength of the Holy Spirit,” and more than ever “obliged to spread and defend the faith by word and deed” (Catechism 1285). Confirmation is typically celebrated in the spring, every other year, with preparation classes for youth 14 and older and for adults who have not been Confirmed beginning in late winter. Contact Fr Dave Zegar or April Sandoval for information on the preparation program.
Baptism of Older Children (7-17 Years)
St. Andrew welcomes children of catechetical age, along with their families, on a journey of preparation for initiation into the Catholic community. The Church prepares older children and adults for all the sacraments of initiation: Baptism, Eucharist and Confirmation by participating in the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults. Those children who have never been baptized will participate in the RICA process adapted for older children and celebrate their sacraments at the Easter Vigil. Those children already baptized in other Christian communities will make a profession of faith into the Catholic Church and will receive the sacraments of Eucharist and Confirmation in the Rite of Reception into Full Communion with the Catholic Church.
As participants in the children’s RCIA, the children enter a process, a way of growing in response to Gods call. This process is marked by a number of stages, and occurs within the entire faith community of St. Andrew. Parents/guardians of children in the RCIA process may find that their child’s journey towards initiation prompts them to think about their own faith, and perhaps to re-examine it in a new light.
The RCIA initiation process calls for significant family involvement, in terms of regular parent classes, participation in special rites during Mass, family prayer, and living the experience of a Christian life each day. For information on baptism of older children, contact Fr. Dave Zegar or April Sandavol.