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At the heart of Do This in Memory is the community celebration of the Sunday Mass. It also seeks to affirm the home as the place where children first learn about their faith and acknowledge and support parents as the first of teachers in the ways of faith. “The Christian home is the place where children receive the first proclamation of the faith. For this reason the family home is rightly called the ‘domestic church’, a community of grace and prayer….” CCC 1666 The programme begins with an Enrolment Sunday in late September or early October and then continues on one Sunday a month concluding on the feast of Corpus Christi. The date for the Enrolment Sunday is flexible and parishes are free to choose a date which suits them best. The Sundays on which the programme takes place have been specially chosen because of the Gospels accessibility to the children. Dates for Do This in Memory 1, Liturgical Years C/A 2007/2008 The Coordinator’s Manual offers homily guidelines and suggestions for making the Sunday celebration, and indeed the church environment, a place where children feel welcome and have a sense of belonging. The readings and Gospel taken from the Children’s Lectionary are included in the Manual. Suggestions for the Prayer of the Faithful and a Communion Reflection are also offered. At the end of each of the Sunday liturgies parents/guardians are given a copy of The Grapevine. This Newsletter is a resource that reminds families of what has happened at Mass and suggests ways in which they might reflect on it together. It encourages them to prepare for the next Sunday of the programme through reading the Gospel and talking about it, practicing and praying Mass Reponses and praying together as a family. The children receive a copy of Kid’s Stuff which reinforces the Gospel Message through fun activities. It is our hope that this parish preparation programme clearly highlights the ongoing nature of catechesis, which is about nurturing and sustaining not only our children's faith, but also the faith of the whole Christian community. This is a journey that began in Baptism. The work of catechesis requires a commitment on behalf of parents and guardians, teachers, parish leaders and the whole faith community, which goes far beyond the day of First Eucharist. "Our experience tells us that the faith of children is best nurtured when home, school and parish work together in partnership. Firstly and most importantly, children learn about faith in the home. Their faith is supported in the school by the hard work of teachers and chaplains, and by both priests and people in the wider parish community. " (Nurturing Our Children’s Faith, Veritas 2006) |