Renegades

This is taken from our parish website:

To be considered a candidate for celebrating the Sacraments of Reconciliation and Holy Communion a child must be:
· Baptized in the Catholic tradition…AND
· At the age of discretion, understanding right from wrong,
Usually 7 years of age…AND
· Has completed a full year (2006/2007) of formal foundational catechesis (attending weekly Christian Education Classes or attending a Catholic School)…AND
· Currently enrolled and attending formal catechesis for the year of 2007/2008…AND
· All families (parent along side their child) participate in the Sacramental Preparation. This is a free standing preparation separate and in addition to your child’s weekly Christian Education Class/Catholic School…AND
· Families should be attending Sunday Mass…AND
· A Copy of your child’s Baptismal Certificate needs to be received and attached to the registration form…AND
· If your child did not attend Christian Education Classes/Catholic School at SEAS for the year of 2006/2007, you will need to attach proof from the Church where your child attended…AND
· A $25 book/materials fee covers both sacraments

I scoff - SCOFF, I say! - in the face of these requirements. Call me old-fashioned, but I think it's the parents' duty to instruct our children in the faith. Here's a lovely quote from the modern Catechism:

“The role of parents in education is of such importance that it is almost impossible to provide an adequate substitute. The right and the duty of parents to educate their children are primordial and inalienable.”
--- CCC 2221

We believe that the principle of subsidiarity applies even to DRE's. So, we're going renegade. (Cue the bad-ass music.)

We've been working through the good old Baltimore Catechism with Bobcat for the past four months. We've been evaluating his progress, conversing with him, reiterating certain key ideas through routine conversations. Basically, making sure that he is ready to receive worthily. It's going really well. Obviously no one fully understands the great mysteries of our faith, but for his age, he seems to understand pretty well, and is excited about it.

All that's left to do is get the January mass assignments from the parish and pick a date. I'm a little nervous that some church employees would be ruffled by us just showing up without going through the "proper channels", but we'll choose one of the friendly, older priests. We will probably make it a Friday evening, so the church is not crowded and we won't have any trouble sitting all together.

I hope it goes well, because I suspect that a number of others from our homeschool group may wish to follow the same formula. We're not the only ones put off by the many requirements listed above. After all, first communion is not even a recorded sacrament. There's no certificate required, as with baptism, in order to get confirmed and married later in life. The parish has no right to deny the sacraments of the church. (I couldn't find the catechism reference regarding denying sacraments to those who ask for them, but I know it can only be done if the would-be recipient is living in an obvious, public, and scandalous state of grave sin. Surely that doesn't apply to a seven-year-old!)

So, we'll let you all know how it goes. And then we'll party, and you'll all be invited!