R ECONCILIATION

W ELCOME Thank you for joining us tonight Prayer Fr Paul – overview of the sacrament Alex Roberts and Sarah Linn go through family support and school activities Paula – further info about celebration Parent/child activity

H OW CAN YOU SUPPORT YOUR CHILD ? Attend regular weekend Masses including family Masses at St Michael’s (every 3 rd Sunday at 9 am – refer to school website) Work through any activities sent home from school together Regularly refer to Preparing for Reconciliation handout when dealing with mistakes Work through weekly diary page activities with your child – use it as a conversation starter Refer to ideas listed on page 140 in your child’s diary – read through the information with your child It’s ok to make mistakes! Role model this to your child

A CTIVITY Discuss together a time when you have both damaged a relationship with someone and therefore with God. Talk about what happened and how you felt. Use the Year of Mercy handout to help you. Parents and children write down how you feel when you hurt your relationship with someone and with God. On a separate strip of paper write down how you feel when you mend your relationship. Take a band aid and write one of these statements ‘I am sorry’, ‘Please forgive me’ or ‘I apologise’ on it. Then use your band aid to join your strips of paper together to make a long paper chain.

F ORGIVENESS We use our band aids to represent the healing of relationships when we say sorry and ask for forgiveness

C ELEBRATION Easter Celebrations Good Friday Service 25 th March (Mass or Stations of the Cross) Commitment Weekends Find out which Mass each family is attending to present candidates: Saturday 2 nd April (St. Aloyisius, Sevenhill) or Sunday 3 rd April (St. Michael’s Church, Clare) First Reconciliation Thursday 26 th May at 6:30 pm at St Michael’s Church (Week 4, Term 2)

C ONCLUSION Time for the next two meetings Tuesday 8 th March, 7pm - Library Tuesday 10 th May, 7pm - Library Need to attend both meetings (children and parents)