28 August 2020

Dear Community Members and Families of the First Communion Class of 2020,

I hope that summer has treated you all well. We have some new information for you!

Our First Communion celebration for students who would have received last spring will be a separate and special Mass by invitation only which is set for Saturday, October 24th at 4:30 pm at St. Paul’s Church.  Due to Covid-19 restrictions only our First Communion children, families, parents and/or significant others will be allowed to attend.  

Practice for this celebration will be at St. Paul’s at 6:15 pm on Wednesday, 10/21.  Please plan to bring your child’s completed First Communion book and their banner to practice.

For your information, here is a copy of the letter I sent out in April, explaining our full plans for the delay of First Communion, with links to materials and information about joining the Remind First Communion group: https://taocatholic.com/2020/04/24/first-communion-2020/

I had hoped that we would have educational time together before the liturgy to help our children remember what they learned about First Communion.  We aren’t going to be able to do that at this time, but as we get closer to the date, I’ll send you some videos and information to share with your child, so that they can remember about the gift of receiving the Eucharist, and so that they can feel comfortable with new protocols in place for safe worship.

Please let me know if your plans have changed and your child will not be joining the Together As One First Communion group.  

Feel free to contact me with your questions as we move forward from here.

God Bless,

Lisa Neu
Director of Faith Formation, Together As One Area Catholic Community

24 April 2020

Dear Community Members and Families of the First Communion Class of 2020,

Fr. LeRoy, Fr. Timothy, and I have made the hard decision to postpone First Eucharist Celebrations to the fall. Our plan of waiting until fall allows us time to gather more information about how this pandemic will continue to change the ways we connect and assemble and will allow us to make better decisions for everyone’s health and safety.

The following is our plan for First Communion Celebrations:

• First Communion Celebrations will be held in the fall, on dates yet to be determined.
• We will communicate our final plans in the fall, between August and October.

The following is the plan for continued instruction and preparation:

• All Saints Academy teachers have been asked to continue to teach First Communion content this spring through distance learning.
• Faith Formation families, your students are missing dedicated instruction around First Communion in the classroom. Your home study will be vital for your child’s formation.
• All families have home study materials in the form of the Together parent guide and God’s Gift child texts.
  • If you’ve been able to keep to the original schedule I handed out – excellent!
  • If you haven’t been able to keep to the original schedule, plan to restart your sessions at a time that is convenient for your family. For your planning: there are 8 sessions to cover, a banner making activity and an optional bread baking activity.
  • If you cannot make time to work with your child right now, please have them watch the videos at https://dynamiccatholic.com/blessed/program-view/  Watching the videos will introduce them to basic concepts they would have learned in the classroom or in your home study. 
• Prior to our celebration(s), and connected to our liturgy practice, I’ll ask you and your child to attend a short parent/child retreat that will allow us to connect with each other, to review basic information you and your child need to know, and to answer your questions. Plan for your banners to be completed and ready to bring to that meeting.
• After hearing the governor’s message April 23, it seems there is a chance we may again be in a stay at home order at points in the fall. We will adjust in-person meeting plans to distance connection and learning if needed. This would, of course, continue to delay the celebrations of First Eucharist.
• Did you lose the paperwork from our gatherings earlier this year? i.e. directions for making a banner and for baking bread at home? I’ve put them, along with the make-up packet from our First Eucharist Retreat online at www.taocatholic.com/first-sacraments

Please fill out my form & Join my Remind Group:

• Please verify basic information for me via this google form: https://forms.gle/BQ8ryr7ENbHCsSaJ9  This will enable me to maintain better communication with you about the future. Your response also serves as verification that you’ve received the information in this letter.
• Join my remind group for the 2020 First Communion class by texting @taofc2020 to the number 81010 or by clicking here: https://www.remind.com/join/taofc2020

Feel free to contact me with your questions as we move forward from here.

God Bless,

Lisa Neu
Director of Faith Formation, Together As One Area Catholic Community