Communion

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In a message dated 6/8/01 4:51:48 AM W. Australia Standard Time, Trish writes:

> What I want to know is what year or age do other parishes do it? Off list

> if

> you like unless anyone else is interested

Here they do it in year 4, with confession - now Reconciliation - in year 3.

We had it explained the other day that, yes, it used to be earlier, and that

both Reconciliation and Communion were in the same year i.e. both in year 3.

Now they separate out the two sacraments to distinguish them and point out

the two do not go together i.e. you don't have to have done confession to do

communion.

DS1 is down to do his this year, and he will be nearly 9 (year 4) - and they

do it through school. He has however told me that he doesn't want to to do

it. Both DH and I are Catholic - but very non-practising, and so, although

baptised, the kids have not done the rest. At the meeting we had the other

night it was stressed that the child had to want to do it, so if DS doesn't

want to do it then I shall support him. I suppose it would hypocritical in

the extreme to make him do something that I find very difficult to believe in

- but I wanted to give him the choice. Personally, I believe that even 9 is

too young, and would actually leave it until much later. When I did the

sacraments I can honestly say that I did it because everyone else did - I

really didn't understand what I was doing.

But that's just me, I suppose.

Debbie Slater

Perth, WA