Msg Base:  AREA 5  - ASK FATHER            CIN ECHO   AMDG
  Msg No: 203.  Fri 12-13-91 14:53  (NO KILL)  (RECV'D)  (MAILED)
    From: Father Mateo
      To: Mike O'donnell
 Subject: First Confession & Communion

+-
| Hi.  Just wanted to thank you for your last three responses, and to let
| you know how I utilized them.  They were very helpful.
|  
| Thank you especially for your letter on becoming a priest.  It is on my
| bulletin board, in the Vocations section.  I am sure that it will be an
| inspiration, and I hope that it may some day persuade someone who is "on
| the fence" about a vocation to go for it.
|  
| I mentioned in a letter that we were preparing our son Patrick for First
| Penance.  We decided to postpone that.  Patrick is the fourth of six; Tim
| (age 12), Maureen (9), Bridget (8), Patrick (7) nad twins Brendan and
| Kenneth (6).  When Tim was 7, the rule in the Archdiocese of Baltimore was
| that this sacrament would wait until the 5th grade.  By the time Tim
| reached 5th grade {Maureen was in 2nd}, they had changed it.  Now in
| Baltimore, it is expected that the family will be introduced to the
| sacrament in 2nd grade, but they may postpone it to the 3rd, 4th, or 5th.
| Maureen was always very mature, so we let her do it in 2nd.  (Tim and
| Maureen received the sacrament on the same day - on the way, I had to
| caution them to examine *their own* conscience and not each others!!)  In
| Bridget's case, a year later, she is very loving and very devout - if I go
| to a Saturday Mass and my wife goes on Sunday, she'll go to both.  For
| that reason, we felt that she was ready as well.  In Patrick's case, I'm
| not sure if it's that he is a boy or what, but I don't feel that he would
| take the sacrament seriously enough, and that we should do First Eucharist
| first and then use that as a springboard to Penance, rather than the other
| way around.  He may be ready next year, but if not, I won't worry about
| it - maybe the following year!
|  
| Thank you also for your thoughts on teaching the children (Religion
| Curriculum question).  You gave five thoughts on what to teach them - I
| used them as an opening prayer for our Curriculum Committee meeting.
| There were six in attendance including myself; I asked each of the other
| five to read one passage; then I concluded with a reading from Matther 28;
| 16-20.  It made our discussion of the Religion Curriculum a lot more
| meaningful.
|  
| Once again, thank you for your ministry to us.
|  
| Mike O'Donnell
 
Dear Mike,
 
Please write to St. Joseph Foundation --- 4211 Gardendale, Suite A-100
San Antonio, TX 78229.  Ask them to send you a copy of CHRISTIFIDELIS,
Advent, 1991, Vol 9, No. 6. It is free.
 
On page 8 of this issue, there is a notice that Archbishop Stafford of
Denver has issued a "Pastoral Handbook".  This document expressly
forbids such liturgical abuses as "unauthorized changes in liturgical
texts, liturgical dance, clown Masses, altar girls, FIRST COMMUNION
BEFORE FIRST CONFESSION, and the excessive use of extraordinary
ministers of the Eucharist."
 
If a child is not judged "ready" for confession, one violates long
pastoral practice and tradition to introduce him first to Holy
Communion.  Catholics, especially parents, teachers, and priests are
today guilty of grave and general failure to teach and practice the
sacrament of Penance.  Although the Eucharist is the crown of all the
sacraments, it does not substitute for any of the others.  Regular and
frequent confession is a powerful incentive to holiness and the finest
possible preparation for fruitful Holy Communions.
 
In every sacrament, it is Christ who acts.  We only cooperate with Him,
following His lead.  If a child is old enough to be aware that he has
committed a fault, surely he is old enough to admit the fault to God
through His priest, apologize, and promise to behave in the future.
 
God then takes that simple childish act of faith, trust, and regret
and works miracles of grace with it through the sacrament in the child's
mind and soul.
 
Every sacrament uses trifles to produce miracles.  Meditate on what
Christ does with ten cents worth of bread and wine when from them He
produces the Eucharist, Himself, the guarantee of our eternal life.
Then you may guess what really goes on when a child goes to confession.
 
Finally, here are some words from Canon Law (Canon 914): "It is the
responsibility of parents ... as well as of the pastor to see that
children who have reached the use of reason are correctly prepared and
are nourished by the Divine Food as early as possible, PRECEDED BY
SACRAMENTAL CONFESSION."
 
                                Sincerely in Christ,
 
                                Father Mateo