Timetable for introduction of the new process for Family Catechesis and the Sacraments of Initiation
The Archbishop’s Decision
At the end of 2008 the Archbishop, with the encouragement of the Council of Priests, took the decision to restore the order of the sacraments of initiation and to introduce a family catechesis approach, supported by parishes and schools. Since then the Sacraments Working Party has been considering the best ways to bring about this change and has now prepared a process of consultation, formation and implementation.
Consultation and Formation
For the priests, this will include a meeting of the Pastoral Area Leaders on 22nd September 2010, Pastoral Area clergy meetings during October and a meeting of all the priests on 3rd November 2010.
Further presentations will be made to headteachers at their regular briefing meetings in Local Authority areas during the autumn term.
On Saturday October 2nd, Bill Huebsch, author of 'Dreams and Visions: Pastoral Planning for Lifelong Faith Formation', will lead a day at LACE open to anyone involved in sacramental catechesis.
There will be an Archdiocesan Assembly on Saturday November 20th devoted to this issue: a DVD is being produced which will be available after the Assembly for use in parish and Pastoral Area meetings. After the Assembly a decision will be made about the normal age at which children will receive Confirmation and Eucharist: the current proposal is those aged 7 or above on 1st September of each year will be confirmed at the following Pentecost and receive the Eucharist for the first time at Corpus Christi.
In the early Spring of 2011 there will be Consultation Conversations in eight regions of the diocese with parents, teachers, catechists and priests, as part of Bishops’ Conference initiative, Passing on the Faith. Members of the Working Party will take part in these conversations and be willing to attend Pastoral Area meetings if invited.
A Launch and Formation Week for the process of family catechesis, including sessions for parents, priests, teachers, catechists and parish communities will take place 11th-19th June 2011.
Implementation
From September 2011 onwards the process of Family Catechesis will begin for all families who will be celebrating any of the Sacraments of Initiation during the coming year. Parishes will be encouraged to highlight the importance of Baptism and the role of parents by celebrating Baptism with as many families as is practical at the Easter Vigil and on Easter Sunday and by continuing the celebration of Baptisms throughout the Easter Season.
On Pentecost Sunday, 27th May 2012, all children and young people over the agreed age are to be confirmed at a Liturgy of the Word in every parish. If the numbers are too great for a single celebration in a given parish church, parishes may arrange further celebrations between Pentecost Sunday and Corpus Christi, or consider using a larger venue.
On Sunday 10th June 2012, the Feast of Corpus Christi, all those who have been confirmed but not yet received the Eucharist will do so wherever they go to Mass that day to celebrate the feast.
The Feast of SS Peter and Paul, 29th June 2012, is suggested as an opportunity for schools to celebrate with children who have completed their initiation.
Appointment of Sacraments of Initiation Project Co-ordinator
The Archdiocese has appointed Mrs Eleanor Lalley to begin work in early September as Co-ordinator for this project. Eleanor, a parent and catechist who has taught in schools and adult settings both in this country and in the United States, will work within the Vicariate of Formation for the next three years, preparing, implementing and evaluating the new approach to family catechesis and the sacraments of initiation.
Restoring the Order of the Sacraments Progress Reports
July 2010
March 2010
All is gift: thoughts from the Working Party on Restoring the Order of the Sacraments of Initiation.
The Working Party concluded its Progress Report in January 2010 with this comment:
It has become clear through the discussions that simply restoring the order of the sacraments will not address the issues that cause concern: a major change is needed in the way we celebrate and bear witness to our faith through our sacramental practice. Parents, as the ‘first and most important teachers of their children in the ways of faith’ need the wholehearted support of all the baptized in this important ministry. This will require a fundamental shift in our approach from merely delivering programmes of preparation for the sacraments to developing opportunities for ongoing celebration and formation for sacramental living. Within that context, the Working Party members are especially concerned to ensure that what they propose will result in an increase in the local church’s engagement with families and young people.
At the Working Party’s March meeting, the Archbishop led a discussion which identified the following values as being central to the major change for which we are preparing.
• Gift, not works: the sacraments are part of God’s gift to us, not works that we do. As John Paul II insisted, confirmation, even if it is delayed to the teenage years, must be appreciated as a celebration of the gift of the Holy Spirit and not confused with an opportunity for young people to make a commitment.
• Parents are the primary educators of their children in faith: priests, catechists and teachers, like the godparents at Baptism and the whole Christian community, are to help and support parents and families as they carry out this responsibility, not to do it for them. This approach is in harmony with the third phase of the Bishops’ Conference Celebrating Family initiative, Passing on the Faith,and with work currently being done on the RE programmes used in our Catholic schools.
• Lifelong formation for the call to holiness: we must move from preparing people for sacraments as isolated events to inviting them into a relationship with Jesus in the community of the Church and accompanying them on the lifelong journey of deepening that relationship.
• Beginning with Baptism: the approach of accompanying and supporting parents as they hand on faith to their children must begin when they request baptism for their children but must focus on their own baptism, their faith and how they will hand it on.
• Integration, not disintegration: parishes should have one group of catechists accompanying parents through the one process of initiation, rather than having separate groups and programmes for Baptism, First Communion and Confirmation. The timing should make clear that Confirmation is part of the preparation for Eucharist, not a separate programme. The whole diocese will be doing this together, in a timescale which is still under consideration.
• Faithfulness to the liturgical year: keeping the Lord’s Day as the principal feast and celebrating initiation according to the pattern of the liturgical year, linking Confirmation with Pentecost and First Eucharist with the Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ. This has the advantage that at a child’s Baptism one can say the dates on which the child will be Confirmed and receive Eucharist, again making the integration and progression clear. The Mass of Chrism takes on a new dimension when the Chrism is entrusted to priests for the Confirmations to take place at Pentecost.
• Reconciliation is not a sacrament of initiation: it is for the forgiveness of post-initiation sin. It should be experienced as a journey into appreciating the gift of forgiveness, celebrated at several stages, in keeping with a child’s growing ability to appreciate the different layers of reconciliation: with individuals, with God, with society, with creation. This journey should begin in the primary years and become a major focus in the teenage years with concentrated work supported by the Animate team and High Schools and with Pastoral Area celebrations presided over by the bishops.
The January progress report (see below) listed the topics which the Working Party has considered and those still to be discussed.
A wider consultation about the introduction of this major change in our approach will be prepared during the coming months.
The Working Party concluded its Progress Report in January 2010 with this comment:
It has become clear through the discussions that simply restoring the order of the sacraments will not address the issues that cause concern: a major change is needed in the way we celebrate and bear witness to our faith through our sacramental practice. Parents, as the ‘first and most important teachers of their children in the ways of faith’ need the wholehearted support of all the baptized in this important ministry. This will require a fundamental shift in our approach from merely delivering programmes of preparation for the sacraments to developing opportunities for ongoing celebration and formation for sacramental living. Within that context, the Working Party members are especially concerned to ensure that what they propose will result in an increase in the local church’s engagement with families and young people.
At the Working Party’s March meeting, the Archbishop led a discussion which identified the following values as being central to the major change for which we are preparing.
• Gift, not works: the sacraments are part of God’s gift to us, not works that we do. As John Paul II insisted, confirmation, even if it is delayed to the teenage years, must be appreciated as a celebration of the gift of the Holy Spirit and not confused with an opportunity for young people to make a commitment.
• Parents are the primary educators of their children in faith: priests, catechists and teachers, like the godparents at Baptism and the whole Christian community, are to help and support parents and families as they carry out this responsibility, not to do it for them. This approach is in harmony with the third phase of the Bishops’ Conference Celebrating Family initiative, Passing on the Faith,and with work currently being done on the RE programmes used in our Catholic schools.
• Lifelong formation for the call to holiness: we must move from preparing people for sacraments as isolated events to inviting them into a relationship with Jesus in the community of the Church and accompanying them on the lifelong journey of deepening that relationship.
• Beginning with Baptism: the approach of accompanying and supporting parents as they hand on faith to their children must begin when they request baptism for their children but must focus on their own baptism, their faith and how they will hand it on.
• Integration, not disintegration: parishes should have one group of catechists accompanying parents through the one process of initiation, rather than having separate groups and programmes for Baptism, First Communion and Confirmation. The timing should make clear that Confirmation is part of the preparation for Eucharist, not a separate programme. The whole diocese will be doing this together, in a timescale which is still under consideration.
• Faithfulness to the liturgical year: keeping the Lord’s Day as the principal feast and celebrating initiation according to the pattern of the liturgical year, linking Confirmation with Pentecost and First Eucharist with the Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ. This has the advantage that at a child’s Baptism one can say the dates on which the child will be Confirmed and receive Eucharist, again making the integration and progression clear. The Mass of Chrism takes on a new dimension when the Chrism is entrusted to priests for the Confirmations to take place at Pentecost.
• Reconciliation is not a sacrament of initiation: it is for the forgiveness of post-initiation sin. It should be experienced as a journey into appreciating the gift of forgiveness, celebrated at several stages, in keeping with a child’s growing ability to appreciate the different layers of reconciliation: with individuals, with God, with society, with creation. This journey should begin in the primary years and become a major focus in the teenage years with concentrated work supported by the Animate team and High Schools and with Pastoral Area celebrations presided over by the bishops.
The January progress report (see below) listed the topics which the Working Party has considered and those still to be discussed.
A wider consultation about the introduction of this major change in our approach will be prepared during the coming months.
January 2010
Restoring the Order of the Sacraments of Initiation
Archbishop’s Statement
In March 2009, Archbishop Kelly issued this statement through the Ad Clerum and asked that it be made known through parish newsletters:
In faithfulness to the appeal Pope Benedict made in Sacramentum Caritatis, and having been encouraged to do so by the Council of Priests, I have decided that the diocese should move towards restoring the traditional order of the Sacraments of Initiation: Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist. A working party has been established to explore the processes and resources we will need in order to enable parishes and schools to support parents in their right and responsibility, made clear in the Rite of Infant Baptism, to hand on faith to their children. Apart from the decision to restore the traditional order, no decisions have been made about ages, policies or programmes: the working party will consider those issues over the next three years, reporting regularly to the Council of Priests and making recommendations about consultation, resources and formation.
Members of the Working Party
Fr Chris Fallon (Facilitator)
Fr Graeme Dunne (Council of Priests)
Fr Des Seddon (Christian Education)
Fr John McLoughlin (Pastoral Formation)
Fr Philip Inch (Evangelisation)
Fr Stephen Pritchard (Animate)
Sr Monica Feehan (catechist in Skelmersdale)
Mrs Anne-Marie Harrison (Chaplain De La Salle St Helens; catechist in Atherton; youth leader for Lourdes; parent)
Mrs Pat Cooney (Headteacher St Marie's Kirkby; involved in St George's Maghull)
Mrs Veronica Murphy (formerly Marriage and Family Life Co-ordinator, now Faith Formation Co-
ordinator)
Meetings and Topics
The Working Party has met five times and considered presentations on the following topics:
• key issues from the history and theology of the sacraments of initiation and the sacrament of reconciliation
• current church teaching and policy on these issues (including what is covered in school RE programmes)
• the experience of implementing similar changes in Salford, Scotland and the USA
• recent work done in this diocese (inc. the working party on Confirmation led by Stephen Pritchard; Peter McGrail's research on First Communion; recent reviews in pastoral areas; research on young teens and their attitudes to church)
The Working Party will continue meeting to consider and make recommendations about the following items:
• the ages at which the sacraments of initiation should be celebrated
• issues around invitation, conditions and delay or refusal of sacraments
• consultation and formation with priests, catechists, parents, teachers
• processes, programmes and materials in use elsewhere
• commissioning the preparation of what is needed to implement the change in this diocese
Comment
It has become clear through the discussions that simply restoring the order of the sacraments will not address the issues that cause concern: a major change is needed in the way we celebrate and bear witness to our faith through our sacramental practice. Parents, as the ‘first and most important teachers of their children in the ways of faith’ need the wholehearted support of all the baptized in this important ministry. This will require a fundamental shift in our approach from merely delivering programmes of preparation for the sacraments to developing opportunities for ongoing celebration and formation for sacramental living. Within that context, the Working Party members are especially concerned to ensure that what they propose will result in an increase in the local church’s engagement with families and young people.
Archbishop’s Statement
In March 2009, Archbishop Kelly issued this statement through the Ad Clerum and asked that it be made known through parish newsletters:
In faithfulness to the appeal Pope Benedict made in Sacramentum Caritatis, and having been encouraged to do so by the Council of Priests, I have decided that the diocese should move towards restoring the traditional order of the Sacraments of Initiation: Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist. A working party has been established to explore the processes and resources we will need in order to enable parishes and schools to support parents in their right and responsibility, made clear in the Rite of Infant Baptism, to hand on faith to their children. Apart from the decision to restore the traditional order, no decisions have been made about ages, policies or programmes: the working party will consider those issues over the next three years, reporting regularly to the Council of Priests and making recommendations about consultation, resources and formation.
Members of the Working Party
Fr Chris Fallon (Facilitator)
Fr Graeme Dunne (Council of Priests)
Fr Des Seddon (Christian Education)
Fr John McLoughlin (Pastoral Formation)
Fr Philip Inch (Evangelisation)
Fr Stephen Pritchard (Animate)
Sr Monica Feehan (catechist in Skelmersdale)
Mrs Anne-Marie Harrison (Chaplain De La Salle St Helens; catechist in Atherton; youth leader for Lourdes; parent)
Mrs Pat Cooney (Headteacher St Marie's Kirkby; involved in St George's Maghull)
Mrs Veronica Murphy (formerly Marriage and Family Life Co-ordinator, now Faith Formation Co-
ordinator)
Meetings and Topics
The Working Party has met five times and considered presentations on the following topics:
• key issues from the history and theology of the sacraments of initiation and the sacrament of reconciliation
• current church teaching and policy on these issues (including what is covered in school RE programmes)
• the experience of implementing similar changes in Salford, Scotland and the USA
• recent work done in this diocese (inc. the working party on Confirmation led by Stephen Pritchard; Peter McGrail's research on First Communion; recent reviews in pastoral areas; research on young teens and their attitudes to church)
The Working Party will continue meeting to consider and make recommendations about the following items:
• the ages at which the sacraments of initiation should be celebrated
• issues around invitation, conditions and delay or refusal of sacraments
• consultation and formation with priests, catechists, parents, teachers
• processes, programmes and materials in use elsewhere
• commissioning the preparation of what is needed to implement the change in this diocese
Comment
It has become clear through the discussions that simply restoring the order of the sacraments will not address the issues that cause concern: a major change is needed in the way we celebrate and bear witness to our faith through our sacramental practice. Parents, as the ‘first and most important teachers of their children in the ways of faith’ need the wholehearted support of all the baptized in this important ministry. This will require a fundamental shift in our approach from merely delivering programmes of preparation for the sacraments to developing opportunities for ongoing celebration and formation for sacramental living. Within that context, the Working Party members are especially concerned to ensure that what they propose will result in an increase in the local church’s engagement with families and young people.