Sacramental Preparation for Baptized Children

Below are the sacramental preparation calendars for Penance & Holy Communion and Confirmation.  Things may need to be adapted as this year unfolds with the pandemic, but below is the schedule we will begin working toward to assist you with your child’s preparation for a deeper participation in the life of Jesus Christ. Beginning in the 2021 – 2022 spiritual year, we will require a child to be in a formal religious education program the year before a sacramental year for first penance & holy Communion or Confirmation.

If your child intends to present himself/herself for these sacraments, please place these important dates on your calendar now. It is expected that the child and their parents attend these sessions. If there is a serious conflict, it is your responsibility to contact Brian McCauley in advance of the session. Please seriously communicating this information to any extracurricular programs your child may be involved in – especially the weekend Confirmation Retreat to eliminate any difficulties immediately before important spiritual events.

Brian McCauley
Director of Sacramental Preparations
740.653.5054 | Email

Since the young people who make up the student body at St. Mary School come from many different parishes, there may exist some confusion on where the sacraments of first holy Communion and Confirmation are to be celebrated. These Sacraments of Initiation are to be celebrated in the parish church where the person receiving the sacrament is a parishioner. If there is some extenuating circumstance, it is then the responsibility of the child’s family to speak with their parish pastor so he can make a pastoral decision as to how best to proceed with the child’s reception of a sacrament. The parish we belong to is our spiritual home and the community where our faith is nurtured and supported. In a parochial school setting where the student body is made up of parishioners from different parishes it is important that the host parish does not assume a role that it doesn’t have. Here at St. Mary School, we will always respect the relationship that our students have as parishioners at their own parishes.