Sacramental Preparation

On 11 July 2018 a postal mailing went out to active St. Mary School, St. Mary Parish School of Religion, and St. Mary Homeschool families with information on sacramental preparations for the coming year. If you’ve a child who could potentially begin preparing for Reconciliation and holy Communion or Confirmation this coming year, and didn’t receive a postal mailing, please contact Brian McCauley by mid August to make a sacramental plan.

Below are the sacramental preparation calendars for Penance & Holy Communion and Confirmation.  If you 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.

Our opening parent sacramental preparation meeting for parents of all children preparing for sacraments will be on Sunday, 16 September 2018 from 10-11 am in the Spirit Center. The Parish Picnic will follow that same Sunday after the 11.15 Mass.

** Of Note:  With the upcoming beautification of our parish church building scheduled to begin in January of 2019, some locations have yet to be determined as we make final plans for being out of the church for a number of months. More information on locations will be communicated later this year.

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.