On Tuesday 28th November from 4.45 pm to 6.15 pm, the First Holy Communion programme children of Our Lady and St. Dominic parish gathered to learn about celebration and reconciliation. Head catechist Mary Wynne-Jones and her other catechists led the third session of first holy communion-Celebrating our rescue. The children gathered in the parish hall to learn about how Christ rescued humanity from living in sin then learned about the meanings behind the advent wreaths. The main teaching of the lesson being, that God and our parents love us even though sometimes we stray from the path and need rescuing.
The main teaching of the lesson being, that God and our parents love us even though sometimes we stray from the path and need rescuing..
Father Anthony began the session by leading the children in a prayer to calm their minds and allow them to focus on God our saviour. The children then split into their designated groups where they went through chapter 3 of their communion book, ‘I belong’, with their catechists. The chapter tells us about Gods love for us and that he will always rescue us when we go off track.
This week the children read the story of Daniel in the Lion’s Den, where God rescues Daniel because of his faith, and The Lost Sheep, where a shepherd goes in search of one lost sheep, leaving 99 other sheep behind. We reflected on these stories and understood that God will keep us safe from any dangers that we end up in. We talked about how this means that God and our parents love us even though sometimes we stray from the path and need rescuing.
After an enjoyable snack break, the kids endeavoured into their creative side and made their own advent wreaths. It was a clever idea that was brought up by the leading catechist Vicky Ryan and the children loved it, but most importantly it was a good way to get them thinking about what advent really means. They learnt that every Sunday when a candle is lit, it means something different: hope, peace, joy, and love. The activity helped them understand that advent is a preparation period for the coming of Christ.
Before finishing off, the children sang ‘A Stary Night’ with Michelle Friend helping the children rehearse the Christmas Carol for the nativity play at the Christmas Eve service and we hope you all come along to see it.
We ended the session by a beautiful meditation by catechist Ann Paton to help the children reflect on the session they just had and calm them for the final pray and blessings.
by Catechists Daniel Alphonse and Vicky Ryan
photos ©️ alobo
