Do This in Memory 2008/09

‘Do this in Memory’ is a parish-based sacramental preparation program for First Eucharist.  Read more about the programme and see the dates for the programme in the coming year.

Do This in Memory 2

This year parishes will be using Do This in Memory 2. The programme begins with an Enrolment Mass in late September or early October on a date to be decided by the parish. However, Sunday, September 28th, the 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time, is probably the best option for this year. It then continues on one Sunday a month until June 14th, the Feast of Corpus Christi.

Dates for 2008/09

Here are the dates for Do This in Memory 2, Liturgical Year A/B, 2008/2009.

Sunday September 28 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time*

Sunday October 19 Mission Sunday

Sunday November 23 Feast of Christ the King

Sunday December 21 4th Sunday of Advent

Sunday January 18 2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Sunday February 15 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Sunday March 1 1st Sunday in Lent

Sunday April 5 Palm Sunday

Sunday April 26 3rd Sunday of Easter

Sunday June 14 Feast of Corpus Christi

* The timing of Enrolment Sunday is a parish decision. The material for use on that Sunday is not connected to any particular Gospel and so there is some flexibility around the date. We suggest that there should be at least three weeks between the first and second Sunday. This year we recommend the readings of the 26th Sunday in the Ordinary Time as the most suitable for use with children.

For parishes in Kildare and Leighlin the programme can be ordered through Faith Development Services, contact Christine at 059 9164084 or e-mail fds@kandle.ie. Order forms have already been sent out to all parishes. The programme is also available from Veritas stores.

Overview

A Parish-based Programme of Preparation for First Eucharist

At the beginning of the 21st century one of the main challenges of religious education in general and sacramental preparation in particular is the meaningful involvement of the home and the wider parish community. There may be a perception that parents and parish leadership are only too happy to abdicate this responsibility to the teacher in the Catholic school or the DRE in the parish. This is certainly widely held in the Irish context.

As a response to this situation we developed a parish-based sacramental preparation program for First Eucharist called ‘Do This in Memory’. This program has now been in use for four years and last year more than 35 000 children and their families participated in it. The programme will be used next year in Scotland and in some parishes in the USA.

Experience has shown that when provided with accessible resources and invited to take an active role parents and those involved in parish leadership are only too willing to accept the invitation. Over the last four years we have learned that there is a tremendous amount of goodwill and enthusiasm among parents/guardians, priests and parish teams for such work. The invitation to parents to become members of the Coordinating Group is generally well received and it is this group that is key to the successful implementation of the programme.

There have also been positive reactions from teachers who found that it was easier for them to teach the Alive-O Primary Religious Education Programme because of the children’s familiarity with the church and the celebration of the Eucharist. We are told that the Sunday community has benefited from the infusion of life and energy which the children bring.

We have been further encouraged in this direction by Pope Benedict’s XVI’s recent writing in ‘Sacramentum Caritatis’

In pastoral work it is always important to make Christian families part of the process of initiation. Receiving Baptism, Confirmation and First Holy Communion are key moments not only for the individuals receiving them but also for the entire family, which should be supported in its educational role by the various elements of the ecclesial community. Here I would emphasize the importance of First Holy Communion……..Parish pastoral programmes should make the most of this highly significant moment.
Sacramentum Caritatis 19