Children have the opportunity to receive two sacraments during their time at St. Catherine’s Catholic Primary School: First Reconciliation and First Holy Communion.

Sacrament of Reconciliation
Jesus Christ, in His abundant love and mercy, established the Sacrament of Confession, so that we as sinners can obtain forgiveness for our sins and reconcile with God and the Church. The sacrament “washes us clean,” and renews us in Christ.

“Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you.’ And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained’” (John 20:21-23).

After a period of preparation, our Year 4 children receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation during Spring term.

The children learn the Act of Contrition:
O my God, because you are so good,
I am very sorry that I have sinned against you,
And by the help of your grace, I will try not to sin again.

Sacrament of the Eucharist
Through the sacrament of Eucharist we remember what Jesus did for us in his life, death and resurrection. We remember particularly the Last Supper, that final meal Jesus shared with his disciples. At that meal Jesus gave us the Eucharist so that we could remember him in a special way. When we receive Communion, we believe that we receive the person of Jesus into our very beings. We become one with him, and we become one with each other. As a community we become ‘the body of Christ’.

The Sacrament of the Eucharist is received by Year 4 children in May after having received the Sacrament of Reconciliation.  The children will make the First Holy Communion at St Dominic's Priory.