First Communion: Session 5

Chapter 8: Getting ready for your First Confession

Introduction for parents

Key Questions

• What does the Sacrament of Penance do? The Sacrament of Penance gives us God’s forgiveness for our sins and fills us with His grace to help us not sin again.

• Who hears Confessions? The priest hears Confessions and forgives us in God’s name on behalf of the Church.

God has given every human being a way of telling whether we are doing right or wrong. This is called our “conscience.”

Everyone should listen to their conscience—it is God’s voice in us. We should obey what our conscience tells us because it is God telling us.

When we were very little we did not know about right or wrong. Now we are old enough to hear our conscience and we can think about what we have done or what we are going to do.

Here is a prayer to say after  you make your First Confession:

Act of Contrition

Activities for children

• Read page 20 together: Getting ready for your First Confession

• Complete the activities on page 21

• Watch ‘Jesus Heals a Paralysed Man’. What is the first thing Jesus says to the man?

Chapter 9: Making your First Confession

Introduction for parents

Key Questions

• What are the four parts of the Sacrament of Penance?

  We have let you know when you will make your First Confession and Fr. Kevin will tell you where to go in Church and he will hear your First Confession. He will guide you through and help you. There is nothing to worry about.

  
  There are four parts to the Sacrament of Penance :

  
  Confession

  1.We will tell the priest what sins we have done

  
  Contrition

  2.We say sorry for our sins

  
  Penance

  3. We make up for what we have done 

  
  Absolution

  4. The priest gives us God’s forgiveness and grace

  
  

  You go to Fr. Kevin and say:

  
  “Bless me Fr. 

  this is my First Confession.

  Here are my sins.”

Activities for children

• Read page 22 together: Making your First Confession

• Complete the activities on page 23