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By Erika Anderson
Staff Writer
ROSWELL—Mary Wethern tried to convey to her second-grade
Queen of Angels School students that reconciliation is a celebration.
“We tried to make it a really upbeat thing, not a scary
thing,” she said.
Second grade is an exciting year in the life of a Catholic child.
Receiving both the sacrament of penance and the Eucharist for the first time,
the children take an important step in their faith. This is an opportunity that
many of them do not take lightly.
Geoffrey Crisanti, a member of St. Peter Chanel Mission of the
Church of St. Ann, Marietta, said that he listened to his teachers when they
explained the sacrament of penance.
“They said not to be scared and to try not to be
nervous,” he said. “They told us that we’d feel like we want to
have a party afterwards.”
Though Geoffrey didn’t throw a post-reconciliation bash, the
eight-year-old did say that it wasn’t as scary as he thought it would be.
“I was happy the whole time because I knew I didn’t have
any more sins,” he said.
Ellen Howe, coordinator of religious education at Queen of Angels
School, said that she hopes that after the children make their first
confession, they will realize it is not something to be feared, but something
to rejoice in.
“I think their biggest fear is that they want to make sure
that it is confidential,” she said. “They are also afraid
they’ll forget something, but we tell them that as long as they come to
the Lord with honesty, their sins will be forgiven.”
Tara Janos, who made her first confession at St. Michael the
Archangel Church, Woodstock, said that she would tell younger students, who
have not yet made the sacrament, not to be nervous.
“I was nervous because I thought we were going to have to go
up and tell everyone our sins,” she said. “It wasn’t scary. The
priest was nice, and he told me not to be scared.”
Father Frank McNamee, administrator of St. Peter Chanel Mission,
which is currently being constructed on the same property at Queen of Angels
School, helped the children to learn more about the sacrament of penance.
“I try to tell them that the priest is there to
help—that it’s like having a conversation with God when you tell him
all the things you did wrong,” he said. “I tell them that everything
is going to be okay and not to worry, but kids are usually nervous, no matter
what.”
Father McNamee said that it is often scary for children just to be
face to face with an adult, so he spends time trying to get to know the
children.
“Whether it’s hanging out in the cafeteria during lunch
or visiting the PSR classes on Sundays, I try to be with the children as much
as possible,” he said. “I think it helps if they get used to
me.”
Father McNamee said that it is also important for parents to
regularly make the sacrament of penance.
“I tell the parents, ‘let them see you go to
confession,’” he said. “This should not be the first and last
time for these children. I don’t think the parents realize how vital their
role is.”
As children grow in age and faith, the sacraments take on new
meaning. Howe said that she wants the children to know that God always cares
for them.
“God’s love is the main focus,” she said.
“That’s not to say that we don’t want them to be aware of their
sin, but to think of God as love, love that will always be there, love that is
unconditional no matter what they do.”
The sins of a child are not complex, but the teachers and those
who prepare the students for their first confession work with them to teach
them about sin and how it affects their lives.
“We tell them that when they do things wrong, there is a
feeling in their heart that all is not right, that something makes them feel
guilty,” Wethern said. “Reconciliation is one of the many ways we
have as Catholics to receive God’s mercy. We talked about that a
lot.”
Howe said that the children are encouraged to tell the priest
about the things that keep peace from their lives.
“We emphasize that they don’t have to make a grocery
list, that they mainly think of the things in their life that they need to
change,” she said. “It’s not ‘I hit my brother once,’
but ‘I have trouble getting along with my brother,’ and once they get
older, ‘I have trouble with my temper.’”
Father McNamee said that children often try to justify their sins
when they are in confession, but that he enjoys the experience with the
children who are new to the sacrament.
“Their simplicity is beautiful,” he said.
This is the first year for Wethern to teach in a Catholic school,
and she has received great pleasure in walking with her students on their path
to God.
“It’s been wonderful,” she said. “It’s
been really special to see the kids grow closer to Jesus.” |
