The Christian Initiation of Children

There comes a time when children are no longer infants and are capable of receiving and nurturing a personal faith. Often we say that this is so when a child has obtained the use of reason. This age varies from child to child but is usually about age seven. We speak of the child as being of catechetical age.

The Rite of Christian Initiation is a process of preparing and welcoming new members into the Catholic community. Parents of unbaptised children of catechetical age (seven years or older) who wish to have their children baptised will be involved with their children in a period of preparation. When children of catechetical age are baptised they will ordinarily receive Eucharist and be Confirmed in the same celebration.

Children and families come forward seeking initiation into the Church for many reasons. Sometimes the reasons are singular and clear: a child’s desire, a remarriage, a return to church, a friend’s invitation. Most often, however, several factors contribute to the decision to seek initiation.

The parish has a process which prepares unbaptised children for the Sacraments of Initiation, i.e. Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist. The needs of children will vary but the process of initiation is similar for all.

The process leads children into an experience of faith, into a deeper relationship with God. For this reason we use initiation rather than education to describe this process.

The process is about initiating children into our Catholic faith and way of life and about being bonded to the faith community of the parish.

The process respects the individual child and his/her faith readiness. Children are invited to know God according to their age and capabilities as children and are not indoctrinated.

The Process

The process is family centered. The expectation is that both or one parent will fully participate in the process.

Since experience of progressive immersion into the faith community of the parish is central, the process will flow from the Sunday celebration of Mass where the children, their families and sponsors will participate in appropriate ways.

The process places a high priority on the readings, prayers and rituals used for the celebration of the Sunday Eucharist.

The children and their families will be supported on the journey by other families and by children of their own age who have been baptised. They will be part of the regular group gatherings.

We invite parents who wish to have their unbaptised children to be part of this Christian Initiation process to contact the Parish Office on 9670 1744.