Dear St. Mary Navilleton Parish Members,

Greetings and Gods love and Peace be with you!

This is a letter of information giving you some understanding of how we conduct our sacramental preparation within the parish.

Receiving Initiation, Healing and Vocational Sacraments (graced filled encounters with the Divine Trinity) requires careful and caring conversion moments for the candidates and families.  The experience requires prayerful and prudent preparation.

Reception of all our Sacraments requires for this experience to be a full and rich prayerful experience. In order for this to happen the Church in her goodness provides faith forming and spiritual enriching opportunities within the preparation before the reception of the Sacrament.

To receive the Sacraments of Baptism, Reconciliation, Eucharist, Confirmation and Marriage there is a “initial preparation process schedule” developed and posted by the staff and facilitator for the Church at the beginning of the church year. (Always check bulletin boards for these schedules in the Church and Parish Hall and read bulletins for they are placed within the bulletins throughout the year)

The facilitators of these sacramental preparation sessions have other meaningful activities they are involved in within the parish and there personal lives and they are challenged to be available to do the preparation at alternative times.

Baptism preparation is done quarterly.  They are two 1 hour sessions held on a chosen week day for two consecutive weeks.  A third session is on Sunday with Fr. A fourth session is scheduled by father meeting in the home of the family. It is strongly encouraged that you attend one of these quarterly preparation sessions prior to the birth of your child so as to make it a bit easier for your lives.  Saturday/Sunday Eucharist’s are pre-chosen, and scheduled for the days or evenings of baptismal reception.

Reconciliation preparation is done once a year between Sept. and Nov. for children in the second grade. (Schedules are made, posted and distributed at registration of children for Faith Formation each year.) We have one monthly faith formation and spiritual enrichment session for three consecutive months on a weekday evening. We then have a Saturday retreat facilitated by the parents and guardians. A Saturday chosen and scheduled for the children to receive their first reconciliation.

First Eucharist preparation is done once a year between Jan and May for children in the third grade. (Schedules are made, posted and distributed at registration of children for Parish Faith Formation.) We have one monthly faith formation and spiritual enrichment session for four consecutive months on a weekday evening.  We then have a Saturday Retreat facilitated by parents and guardians.  A Saturday/Sunday Eucharist is chosen and scheduled for the children to receive their first communion.

Confirmation preparation is done once a year between Sept and May for youth ages 13-18.  They will be invited by letter and may approach and ask for themselves to be a part of the preparation process.  (Schedules made, posted, mailed and distributed at registration of youth for Parish Faith Formation.)  We have one monthly faith formation and spiritual enrichment sessions for 8 consecutive months on a weekday or weekend evening.  We will have a parent/guardian session.  We will have a sponsor session.

We will have a scheduled retreat.  We will have a Presentation of Confirmation Candidates to the parish half way through the process.  We will then celebrate their full initiation on a date chosen by the diocese.

Marriage preparation: All couples must receive “sufficient preparation before their wedding day, which is defined by (4) minimum norms.

• Couples need to declare their intention for marriage by meeting with a parish priest no later that (6) months before the anticipated wedding date.
• Being assigned to a sponsor couple
• Attending one of several choices of formal Marriage Preparation Processes
• Attending a Introduction to Natural Family Planning

Please post or find a safe place to place this sacramental information so you may use it to refer to or inform another about in our Parish.

Thank You!

Blessings and Peace

Dr. Gary Taylor

Fr. John Elmer OFM Conv.