“HI GOD, I AM VERY sorry for my sins, and I am trying to get in the habit to not do them.”
— Male, third grade
“Jesus…thank you for everything you have done for us and for loving us. We will try to do better and be nice always going forward.”
— Female, second grade
“Dear God, I am sorry for bugging my brothers…. I love you so much God and thank you so much for loving me.”
— Male second grade
When it comes to the sacrament of First Reconciliation, kids have a language of their own compared to the Act of Contrition adults commonly recite during Confession (“O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee…”).
But that’s the point.
CHILDREN AND THEIR PARENTS PARTICIPATE IN A FIRST RECONCILIATION RETREAT AT HOLY TRINITY PARISH IN LADERA RANCH. PHOTOS COURTESY OF JENNIFER CAHUANTZI
At ages 7 and 8, when most Catholic children confess for the first time their sins to a priest, keeping things simple is the key. At that tender age, the brain is just beginning to be able to grasp abstract concepts such as God’s forgiveness and his love and mercy for all sinners, explained Fr. Christopher Smith, rector emeritus of Christ Cathedral.
“Children can begin their religious formation at the age of reason, which the church sets at age 7,” Fr. Christopher explained. “At that age, it’s important for children to simply acknowledge what they’ve done is wrong so they can do better next time.”
IN ONE ACTIVITY WHILE PREPARING FOR FIRST RECONCILIATION, SACRAMENTAL STUDENTS AT HOLY TRINITY PARISH LEARNED ABOUT ADAM AND EVE AND THE CONCEPT OF ORIGINAL SIN. STUDENTS WERE GIVEN A PAPER CUTOUT OF AN APPLE AND WERE TOLD TO COLOR IT AS BEAUTIFULLY AS THEY COULD.
‘VERY IMPACTFUL’
While preparing for First Reconciliation at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Ladera Ranch, students were asked to put Acts of Contrition into their own words.
Nearly 100 children, mostly second graders, will participate in the sacrament this year on Feb. 22, said Jennifer Cahuantzi, director of Faith Formation & Parish Life, and previously the coordinator of Children’s Faith Formation at Holy Trinity.
For the past five years, the parish has been using materials from the Faith and Family Life Catholic Ministries in Yorba Linda, led by Fr. Tim Donovan, for not only First Reconciliation but also First Communion and faith formation in general, Cahuantzi said.
Holy Trinity is the first parish in the Diocese of Orange to use the Faith and Family Life Catholic Ministries program for all aspects of faith formation for children in first through fifth grade, Cahuantzi said.
“The program is very impactful,” said Cahuantzi, a parishioner at Holy Trinity since 2013.
MEETINGS AND A RETREAT
Preparation for First Reconciliation at Holy Trinity is very interactive and engaging for participants, Cahuantzi said. Children perform activities at home with their parents in a series of seven 30-minute meetings and attend a three-hour retreat in preparation for their first confession.
Cahuantzi and her husband, Roger, put their daughter, Kara, through the program, called Mend, when she was in the second grade (she now is a sixth grader).
Mend equips parents to teach, share their faith, and pray with their children as they discover how the Mass relates to daily life, Cahuantzi said.
The program is designed for families to encounter Jesus and experience the beauty of the Eucharist through a variety of hands-on activities and meaningful conversations, she added.
A CRUSHED HEART
In one activity while preparing for First Reconciliation, Kara, when learning about Adam and Eve and the concept of original sin, was given a paper cutout of an apple, and was told to color it as beautifully as she could.
“She used glitter pen markers in all colors of the rainbow,” her mother recalled.
Kara and the other students then were told to crumple up their beautiful creations and toss them on the ground.
“She started bawling,” Cahuantzi recalled.
The children were told that is what happened to Adam and Eve when they committed original sin: something priceless was destroyed.
The children then were told to unfold their artwork and write Jesus’ name on their apples to indicate how He fixes things and makes them better.
“It was such a powerful moment for my family,” Cahuantzi recalled.
CARRYING THAT WEIGHT
At the three-hour retreat, Kara and the other participants picked up stones and wrote on them things that weighed them down (sins like anger, jealousy, etc.). They then had to hold their stones with an outstretched arm until the stone felt super heavy and they became fatigued. The kids then brought their rocks forward and laid them in a basket at the foot of the cross to indicate they had left their sins in the care of Jesus.
“It was very symbolic,” Cahuantzi said, “and the kids loved it.”
BECOMING BETTER
Fr. Christopher noted that the Church doesn’t officially recommend that kids memorize the Act of Contrition while preparing for their First Reconciliation.
He chuckled at typical mistakes they make when they recite it for the first time:
“O my God, I am hardly sorry for having distended Thee…”
Working on being better is the key, he said.
“The Church really wants children at an early age to get a sense of God’s love, mercy and His patience with us,” he said.