The Restored Order Preparing for Confirmation and Eucharist TABLE OF CONTENTS Using This Resource 3 For the Program Director 4 Letter to Parents 5 The Restored Order: The Historical and Theological Vision 6 Handouts for Younger Children 7-13 Guide Notes for Catechists Working With Younger Children 14-19 Guide Notes for Parents of Younger Children 20 Handouts for Older Children 21-25 Guide Notes for Catechists Working With Older Children 26-31 Guide Notes for Parents of Older Children 32 Celebrating Confirmation 33-37 Role of Godparents and Sponsors 38 Frequently Asked Questions 39 Additional Resources: Preparing for the Scripture Play 40 The Spirit of the Lord (a Scripture Play) 41 Sample Prayer of the Faithful 42-43 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Scripture quotations contained herein are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 Division of Christian Education SACRAMENT PREPARATION of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. All rights reserved. DEVELOPMENT TEAM Excerpts from the Rite of Baptism for Children © 1969, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. Developing a Sacrament program requires the talents (ICEL); excerpts from the English translation of the General Instruction of the Roman Missal © 2010, ICEL; of many gifted people working together as a team. RCL Benziger excerpts from the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults is proud to acknowledge these dedicated people who originally © 1985 ICEL; excerpts from the English translation of the contributed to the development of these materials. Roman Missal © 2010, ICEL. All rights reserved. Excerpts from “Letter to Families from Pope John Paul Peter M. Esposito II,” Pope John II, 3rd printing, © 1994, Daughters of St. Paul, Boston, MA. President Excerpts from the English translation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church for the United States of Anne P. Battes America copyright © 1994, United States Catholic Publisher Conference, Inc.— Libreria Editrice Vaticana. English translation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church: Modifications from the Editio Typica, copyright © Jo Rotunno 1997, United States Catholic Conference, Inc.—Libreria Publisher Emerita Editrice Vaticana. Excerpts from General Directory for Catechesis, © 1997, Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Excerpts from The Canon Law Letter and Spirit © The Canon Law Trust, 1995, The Liturgical Press, Collegeville, Writing Team Lisa Brent MN. Rev. Louis J. Cameli Art and Design Director Excerpts from Music in Catholic Worship © 1983, Rev. Robert D. Duggan United States Catholic Conference, Washington, D.C. Pat Bracken Jacquie Jambor Kristy O. Howard Permission is granted to the users of the Eucharist Mary Beth Jambor Designers Program Director’s Manual to reproduce pages. Diane Lampitt Laura Fremder Nihil Obstat Advisors Electronic Page Makeup Rev. Msgr. Glenn D. Gardner, JCD Rev. Louis J. Cameli Censor Librorum Jenna Nelson Theological Advisor Imprimatur Production Director † Most Rev. Charles V. Grahmann Rev. Robert D. Duggan Patricia A. Classick Bishop of Dallas Liturgical Advisor October 28, 2002 Ronald C. Lamping The Nihil Obstat and Imprimatur are official Elaine McCarron, SCN Project Editors declarations that the material reviewed is free of Catechetical Advisor doctrinal or moral error. No implication is contained Joseph Crisalli therein that those granting the Nihil Obstat and Marina A. Herrera Demere Henson Imprimatur agree with the contents, opinions, or Hispanic Consultant Web Site Producers statements expressed. Copyright © 2008 RCL Publishing LLC. All rights reserved. Ed DeStefano General Editor Send all inquiries to: RCL Benziger 8805 Governor’s Hill Drive • Suite 400 Maryann Nead Cincinnati, OH 45249 President Publisher Toll Free 877-275-4725 Fax 800-688-8356 Visit us at RCLBenziger.com RCLBSacraments.com 2 Acknowledgments The Restored Order: Preparing for Confirmation and Eucharist Using This Resource This material was originally offered in the Eucharist: Do this in memory of me Program Director’s Manual as a special session for those parishes who celebrate the restored order of the Sacraments of Initiation. It has been revised and updated to serve RCL Benziger customers who use any one of the four RCL Benziger Sacrament preparation series: Eucharist: We Give Thanks and Praise (primary and intermediate) Use this session after Chapter 1. Eucharist: Do this in memory of me. Use this session after Chapter 1. The Gift of Eucharist Use this session after Chapter 1. We Celebrate the Eucharist Use this session after Chapter 1. It is truly our honor to serve you as you accompany children and youth on the formative journey that will lead them to fullness of life in the Spirit, to the rich banquet that is the Eucharist, and to their call to be Christ’s disciples in the world today. The Restored Order: Preparing for Confirmation and Eucharist Using This Resource 3 For the Program Director RESTOREDORDER:PreparingforConfirmationandEucharist These materials are for parishes that celebrate — The optional chapter for younger the restored order of the Sacraments of children begins on page 7. It is Initiation by celebrating Confirmation and followed by guide notes for catechists Eucharist together or Confirmation prior and guide notes for parents. to Eucharist. — The optional chapter for older This section includes: children begins on page 21. It is followed by guide notes for catechists • InitialLettertoParents and guide notes for parents. • TheRestoredOrder: • CelebratingConfirmation TheHistoricalandTheologicalVision This handout can be given to parents and • RoleofGodparentsandSponsors catechists to help them better understand This handout can be used with parents and Copyright © RCL Publishing LLC © RCL Copyright the celebration of the restored order of catechists. the Sacraments of Initiation. • FrequentlyAskedQuestions • AnOptionalLesson: This handout can be given to parents and WeAreSealedwiththeSpirit catechists to help them better understand the celebration of the restored order of — This lesson is included for those the Sacraments of Initiation. parishes that celebrate Confirmation and Eucharist together and would like an additional resource for their preparation period. — This optional lesson is best used after the first chapter of all RCL Benziger Eucharist programs. 4 For the Program Director The Restored Order: Preparing for Confirmation and Eucharist Dear Parents, It probably seems like only yesterday that you presented your child for Baptism. At that time, the gathered assembly promised to journey with you as you brought your child up in faith. Today the community of faith continues to stand with you as you journey with your child through the process of preparing for the celebration of Confirmation and First Communion. As parents, you have a unique role in the religious formation of your child. The Church views your role as both a privilege and a responsibility. It is within your family that your child has first come to faith. It is within your family that your child will continue to live out that faith and witness the daily example of Catholics. Your child’s Eucharist book provides many opportunities for you to share in this time of Sacrament preparation. Take time to review each lesson with your child, entering into discussion, and sharing in prayer and reflection on God’s Word throughout his or her preparation for the celebration of Copyright © RCL Publishing LLC © RCL Copyright Confirmation and First Holy Communion. Enjoy the time you and your child spend together. Keep your child in your prayers as you, together with the entire Christian community, prepare to welcome your child to a lifetime of being nourished at the Table of the Lord. The Restored Order: Preparing for Confirmation and Eucharist Initial Letter to Parents 5 The Restored Order: TheHistoricalandTheologicalVision What is the restored order of the It is also good to note that the maturity level required Sacraments? for receiving any of the Sacraments of Christian Several dioceses in the United States have restored Initiation is only what is age-appropriate. the order of the celebration of the Sacraments of Confirmation and Eucharist. This means that Catholics When we are used to a different who were baptized in infancy receive Confirmation practice after more than a thousand before First Holy Communion, not after. The two years, why is the Church now going Sacraments are most often celebrated at the same back to the original sequence? Mass. Confirmation is celebrated after the homily. Restored order is more than just a fascination with the way it used to be. In fact, there are some very This restored order emphasizes the integral unity of significant theological and liturgical reasons for the Sacraments of Initiation, with Eucharist as the restoring the integrity of the three Sacraments of culmination of Christian initiation (see Catechism of Christian Initiation—all celebrated in proper order, the Catholic Church 1212, 1275, and 1322). even at the same time. Why do they call it restored order? The RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) requires Copyright © RCL Publishing LLC © RCL Copyright During the first five hundred years or so of the history that children and adults in the catechumenate receive of the Roman Catholic Church (and still today in the all three Sacraments together, even if the children are Christian churches of the East), the Sacraments of younger than the age at which the Catholic children Christian Initiation were celebrated