Our Year 4 children upwards have the opportunity to make their First Holy Communion in the summer term and to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation during Lent. If your child has been baptised, we would be delighted to welcome them onto the Sacramental Programme so that we can support them on their spiritual journey. A copy of the baptismal certificate will be required before the programme commences.

The decision for your child to receive the sacraments is entirely yours.

The first time your child receives Jesus in the Eucharist is an event of great joy for your family and for the whole Catholic community here at St Thomas More. Our Sacramental Programme will help you to work with the designated catechists in preparing your child.

We believe that The Eucharist is the very centre of Christian life and preparing children to share fully in an event of such importance demands our very best efforts. The ministry you are invited to engage with in this process can be fulfilled by you and you alone. As the National Catechetical Directory declares ‘Parents have a right and duty to be intimately involved in preparing their children for First Communion’ Of course we recognise that you need support with this very important task and that is why we are offering to help if you wish us to.

To be successful we must work in partnership and the most important element is of course to bring your child to Mass each Sunday or Saturday evening at St. Joseph’s church. There will also be some sessions for parents/ grandparents to attend in school, in order to support your child with their preparation.