Loyola Press

God’s Gift, Reconciliation and Eucharist, English and Bilingual Edition

The God’s Gift, Reconciliation and Eucharist, English and Bilingual Edition program seeks to revise and enhance the publishing agency’s widely used and highly regarded sacramental preparation program by empowering parents to serve as the primary teachers in preparing their children for first communion. During the COVID-19 pandemic, priests and Catholic school administrators recognized the influential role that parents play in passing Catholic faith and traditions to their children and sought to bridge the gap between parish/school and home. The revised sacramental resource will be designed for use in homes to provide parents and children with a variety of preparatory, faith-sharing activities, including family retreats, prayer experiences, opportunities for works of mercy, conversation starters, music, crafts and other online activities. Families will attend an orientation, a mid-preparation check-in, the sacramental celebration of first communion and a post-sacrament parent night at their parish or school. The revised resource will be available in English and in bilingual Spanish/English formats, provide adaptations for children with disabilities and include rich multimedia resources to support parent use in the home.