How to Teach the Catholic Religion to the First Communion Class

Catholic children spend several months learning religious principles before receiving Holy Communion.

Before Catholic children participate in Holy Communion for the first time, they must attend religious education classes that prepare them to receive this sacrament. When you are the one in charge of teaching the class, you hold a considerable responsibility in your hands. To ensure that your pupils are properly schooled in the Catholic religion, there are several topics you must cover to give them a complete education worthy of this momentous occasion.

Things You'll Need

• Examination of conscience handouts
• Catholic catechism for children
• Ten Commandments handouts
• Patron saints lists

Instructions

1. Explain to your students that when they receive Holy Communion they are actually receiving the body and blood of Christ. Detail how the Catholic church believes that the bread and wine are transformed via the miracle of transubstantiation and how this takes place only in the Catholic church.

2. Prepare your students for the sacrament of Reconciliation, also known as confession. Provide a list of questions to your students to guide them through an examination of conscience so they are able to make a good confession. Explain to them exactly what happens while they are with the priest, and teach them the proper responses and prayers necessary for confession.

3. Teach children the basic tenets of Catholicism using a children's catechism approved by the Catholic church. While an adult version of the catechism is more comprehensive, a children's version simplifies the beliefs of the church and presents them in a way that is easy for kids to understand. Ensure that each child has his own copy to read and use for independent study.

4. Distribute handouts of the Ten Commandments and help the children learn them by heart. Discuss in depth what each commandment means. Express to the students how the Commandments are guidelines by which to live their lives, and explain how they also offer guidelines for sins that must be confessed during Reconciliation.

5. Speak to your students about patron saints and what they mean. Help them choose a patron saint they can pray to and emulate throughout their lives. Distribute a list that names numerous saints and explains what areas of life they protect.

6. Prepare your students by explaining exactly what happens during First Holy Communion. Explain what they should wear, where they should sit in the church, what the priest will say to them and exactly what their part is in this all-important day that welcomes them into the Church as responsible members.

Tips & Warnings

• Encourage questions from your students and answer them honestly. When you need to research a question further, explain that and get back to the class with the correct answer.

• Include plenty of references to God's love and forgiveness through the sacrament of Reconciliation, rather than focusing solely on sin and its consequences.

References

• New Advent; The Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist; Kevin Knight; 2009
• Beginning Catholic; A Detailed Catholic Examination of Conscience; 2006
• Catholic Culture; Preparing for First Holy Communion; 2011