Page 8 - Together in Jesus - First Eucharist

I Belong to the Catholic ChurchThe Catholic Church is a community of people who follow Jesus Christ. Jesus is God’s Son, who became one of us to show us God’s love.Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah for whom the people of Israel waited.We become members of our Church by receiving three Sacraments of Initiation. These sacraments are Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist. We receive grace in these sacraments. Grace means gift. We receive the gift of sharing God’s life and love in these sacraments.BaptismAt Baptism parents ask members of the Church to welcome their child. They want their child to grow up as a follower of Jesus.A priest or deacon pours water over the baby’s head and says, “_______________, I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” Parents promise to teach theirI Belong to the Catholic ChurchObjectives (20 minutes)• The children will recognize that Baptism, Con rmation, and Eucharist are Sacraments of Initiation.• Thechildrenwillappreciate their own Baptisms.Introduce the three Sacraments of Initiation. Have the children bringtheir booklets and gather around youin the open area. Read aloud the title and the sentences at the top of page2. Elaborate on the rst sentence. Use the photos to introduce the three sacraments. Explain in a simple introductory way that Jesus welcomes and gives us new life in Baptism; Jesus gives us the Holy Spirit in Con rmation; Jesus nourishes us in the Eucharist.BaptismFocus on Baptism using the photo on page 2. To personalize the experience of journeying through the Sacraments of Initiation, use one of the children in your group as an example.Imagine (Joseph) comes home from First Eucharist preparation and says to his mother or his father, “Do you know I belong to another family besides ours?” What family do you think your friend might be talking about? If one of his parents says, “Yes, you belongto the whole big family of God,” is this answer right?Imagine (Joseph) says, “Did you know that everyone went to church to welcome me, but I was so little I can’t remember?” What will his parents say? Perhaps something like “Yes, I remember. It was a special day forus. Your grandparents were all there, and so were....” Ask who might be at a Baptism. Family, godparents, people of the parish. Ask who has seen a Baptism. Ask about details he or she noticed.Give the children time to examine the Baptism photo closely and tell you about everything they see—the special dress, the font and water, the parents, the priest.Review what happens in Baptism by reading aloud the sentences next to the photo. Pantomime the action of pouring water on the child’s head.Have the children nd the shell and water sticker to place on page 2. Ask them to explain the symbols. Water stands for Baptism and new life. The shell is used to pour water on a baby’s head. Have them write their full names in the blanks of My Baptism. Direct the children to have their parents at home ll in informationthey do not know.Take your group to see the baptismal font in church if it is near your class site. Demonstrate how the priest or deacon pours water on a child’s head.14 l Together in Jesus: First Eucharistchildren all that Christians believe. In Baptism we become children of God. We share the life of God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.My BaptismFind the shell and water sticker. Place it here.I, _____________________ _______________________ _______________________,became a child of God and member of the Catholic Church when I was baptized on __________________________, __________, at the church named _________________________________ in __________________________________.4015 Euch_SE_ENG_L1_PRESS.indd 2 4/27/17 7:09 AM