Statement of Faith
- St. John Vianney Parish Community
- As followers of Jesus Christ, and as full members of the Roman Catholic Church, we, the parish community of St. John Vianney, joyfully proclaim our saviour risen. Through prayer, and sacramental celebration of life in Jesus, we join as co-creators in his mission of justice and peace, through the power of the Holy Spirit for the glory of God.
Sacramental Preparation
11:09 PM | 
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St. John Vianney Parish Community |
Preparing for and celebrating the SacramentsInitial Preparation
The Initial Preparation for the sacraments involves first the parents who at the time of their child's baptism were reminded that they are "the first teachers of their children in the ways of faith". The parents efforts are supported by the school in their teaching of the Born In The Spirit programme at every grade level. As well, if children are raised in the practice of the faith with regular Sunday worship at Mass in the parish, the parish is able to invaluably and importantly assist in this initial preparation throughout the child's upbringing.
In grade two the curriculum specifically addresses the issues that pertain to the sacraments of First Reconciliation and First Communion and in grade eight, the ideas relating to the sacrament of Confirmation. All that is taught through home life, school and at Sunday Mass is part of what is called Initial Preparation.
The Immediate Preparation for the sacraments of First Reconciliation, First Communion and Confirmation is the direct and active responsibility of the parents and the parish. The schools, (outside of teaching what is in the curriculum), do not prepare the children for the sacraments.
Therefore, any parent desiring information about registration for their children in any and all of the sacraments must contact the parish (not the school) with their inquiries.
Students do not celebrate sacraments, parishioners/members of the Church do. While some parishioners may have children who attend public schools, the benefit of attendance in a Catholic school - for children preparing for sacraments - is that their school environment is one which fosters with the parents and the child's home life, a Catholic, Christian way of life. The school's role is an ongoing one and is not restricted to the age level of second and eighth graders.
First Reconciliation and First Communion should not be viewed as grade two sacraments but rather as sacraments that are prepared for and celebrated at an age of maturity determined by the Church and the parents' own knowledge of their children. Confirmation in the same way should not be viewed as a "grade eight rite of passage" that coincides with graduation, but rather as a mature, willful desire on the part of the child to publicly and before God profess their faith and their intention to follow Jesus as a young adult and throughout their life.
How to find Sacramental Information
Dates for sacramental parent meetings, etc., will not be issued through the schools in announcements or newsletters. We have asked all of our schools to assist us in this sacramental process by informing students and their parents about receiving sacramental information at the parish and reminding them of the importance of regular Sunday Mass attendance. All information about the sacraments is made known through the parish and when parishioners attend Mass.
For sacramental information please call the parish and speak to our Sacramental Coordinator, Mrs. Jan Landry, at 726-8007 ext. 104.
The Importance of the Mass in our lives
Mass attendance for Roman Catholics is not optional. Our attendance at Mass should be the result of a lived experience of faith which naturally leads to and flows out from our worship of the Lord at Sunday Mass. Children have a God-given gift and openness to the things of God and the sacramental life, and parents should do all they can to foster this desire in their children by making Sunday worship in the local Catholic parish a regular part of their lives. The parish is powerless in assisting you with the spiritual upbringing of your children if they are not visible and present each Sunday in the worshipping community.
The reception of sacraments as "one day celebrations" deprives your children of God's ongoing desire that they grow in the knowledge and love of Him whom they receive. If Jesus' gift to us of the Eucharist, for example, comes out of Christ's knowledge and intention that we need to be continuously fed, not once but throughout our lives, then a child who is brought to church but only once for 'first communion' is deprived of and omitted from the gift God desires to continuously give to that child. Parents naturally want the best for their children and there is nothing and no one better for both ourselves and our children than life lived with God himself.
God desires to be in relationship with us has to be more than a couple of sacraments celebrated on a few special occasions, otherwise it could hardly be called a relationship but rather 'chance meetings'.
Our Catholic schools cannot truly fulfill their mandate and our parish cannot truly work with you to prepare your child for the sacraments, if you as parents, are not at least willing to do all you can to raise your child in the practice of the Catholic Faith that comes to us from Jesus Christ himself. We want to assist you in any way possible in helping your child (and you) come to know Jesus more and more in the experience of his love shown forth in the sacramental life of the Church. It is a life-long journey for us all.
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