Welcome!

These are the resources to help
parents with kids who are
preparing for First Reconciliation
or First Confession.
(Sometimes also called First Penance.)
Dear Parents or Guardians,

Thanks for all that you do! Being a parent requires tons of self-sacrifice. Most of what
you do for your child is seen by no one, and not even appreciated by your child in every
case! But THANK YOU. On behalf of the faith community to which you belong, the
Catholic Church, thank you! Because of you - and only because of you - your child will
grow up Catholic.

In times past, parents often believed that it was the job of the parish to "teach their
child about religion." But today we know that if a child has any chance at all of growing
up with faith, then it's because of the parents. Even then, children grow up and become
their own people, don't they? You can only do what you can do, and the rest is a bit of
a guessing game. Still - helping your child grow up Catholic is part of the great work of
being a Catholic parent - or being married to one!

If you glance down the columns to your left & to your right, you'll find a series of helpful
resources with which you can
  • help your child memorize certain prayers (and maybe re-learn them yourself!)
  • learn the meaning of certain key words which we use in the church so you can
    teach them to your child
  • learn yourself what the church teaches about the Sacrament of Reconciliation
  • have access to a version of the Catechism of the Catholic Church in plain
    English so you can be fully aware of all that we teach and pass that along to your
    child correctly
  • insert a little bit of daily "faith sharing" into the life of your family
  • learn how parents who are not Catholic (maybe this is YOU) take part in the
    church
  • see the outline of the materials your child will use in the parish program - with
    you at his or her side
  • if you're really ready for this - to go through the 14 steps of the Just Living process
    to try to make your home a place where you can live more simply, sustainably,
    and in greater solidarity with the poor
  • revisit Catholic values and virtues - and learn how to make them part of daily
    life in your home
(Most of these things are provided here FREE of any charge, but one or two do require
you to buy them.)

We know that you have many things going in your life since you became a parent. If
you're a single parent, you have even more to do! And if you're a couple, but one of you
is not Catholic, then the "Catholic part" of all this is a little foreign (and possibly even a
little
strange in some cases).

You've got a household to run, a job or two to keep up with, your own parents and
family to keep track of, a couple of TV shows you like to watch, not to mention keeping
groceries in the house and taking out the trash and recycling! So when the parish calls
with a request (or sometimes a demand) that you take part in your child's program, we
understand if you consider it a low priority.

And yet - this is a time of tremendous bonding between you and your child. Think of
this as a real chance to grow together. Having faith and growing in your faith brings
some wonderful happiness to your life: forgiveness, generosity, hospitality, a sense of
hope, and most of all, a closeness to God. My friends, this will last a lifetime! Don't skip
this process because you're too busy now. All too soon, the time will pass and your
children will be beyond your reach.

With Christian love and gratitude for ALL that you do,
Bill Huebsch
& the Team at Growing Up Catholic
Resources to help
you guide your child
to grow up Catholic

Click on the items below to find
more information

Catholic Prayers
with which every child should
know by heart - or at least be
familiar!

Special Prayers
for the Sacrament of
Reconciliation

Catholic Words
An illustrated glossary which
you can share with your child
or use on your own.

Catholic Teaching
about the Sacrament of
Reconciliation.

The Catholic Catechism
in plain English
You have to buy this, but it's
work the investment
so you can be fully confident
and able to teach your child
well.

Daily Faith Sharing
A guide to how to do it
based on the readings from
each week's Sunday Mass

Resources galore!
We've chosen a few resources
we think every Catholic home
should have in it. Use this as
your check list. Some of these
things you have to buy.
Others are free.
Catholic
Household
Calendar
2008-2009
Click above to get a FREE
copy - and then use it at
home!
Click below
to get a FREE
"Catholic Household
Calendar"
for the fall of 2008 and
winter of 2009.
It's organized in such a way
that you can miss a few
things and not feel you've
gotten behind. Let this be a
guide as you help your child
or children to grow up
Catholic.
Trust us - this is THE
secret to human and
family happiness.
Coming soon!
Resources to help
you guide your
child to grow up
Catholic

Click on the items below to find
more information

Parents who are not
Catholic
Some suggestions about how
you can take part in all this

Household Bible Study
Here is an easy-to-use,
downloadable Household
Bible Study. 18 sessions in all.
Each has a 5-page worksheet
that you all can share. All
you need is your own Bible.
The cost of this is 99¢ per
worksheet.
Get them all in a handy zip
file.

Just Living
Simply. Sustainably. In
solidarity with the Poor.
This is a 14 step process on
the web site which walks
you through a series of
household exercises leading
to a life more in keeping
with Gospel values.
Exciting but challenging!