The Archdiocese of Perth launched its Sacramental Policy for School Aged Children at the Vietnamese Catholic Centre in Westminster on March 20, in front of educators, clergy, and members of advocacy.
The policy, accepted and promulgated by Archbishop of Perth, Timothy Costelloe SDB, was the work of a dedicated committee meeting over the past 12 months.
The committee members were Bishop Don Sproxton, Fr Vincent Glynn, Fr Sean Fernandez, Pina Ford, Mr Peter Cutrona, Dr Debra Sayce, Diana Alteri, Sr Kerry Willison, Fran Beale, Carmel Suart and Dianne Grinsberg.
The policy, which is available at www.attadale.org/spire/SacramentalPolicylow.pdf, states the theological, as well as the pastoral principles underpinning to be used by the formators of children, and the implementation strategies that will help to bring about its aims.
In his promulgating letter, Archbishop Costelloe wrote that the policy “establishes a framework within which parents, parishes, [the Parish Religious Education Program, or PREP] and Catholic schools should collaborate to prepare children for the celebration of the sacraments”.
“I ask that all communities work together to provide every opportunity for the gift of faith, implanted in children through Baptism, to be properly nurtured, bearing fruit in discipleship, empowered by the Confirming Spirit and continually inserted into and drawing life from the Paschal Mystery in the Eucharist,” the Archbishop wrote in the letter.
“This policy will require all who play a role in the nurturing of faith to work together.”
Attadale parish priest and sacramental policy committee member, Fr Sean Fernandez echoed the words of the Archbishop, saying the policy seeks to “make sure that everything has its proper place”.
“The family plays the most significant role in the formation of the faith, so we want to affirm and support that” Fr Fernandez told The Record, earlier this week.
“All celebrations of the sacraments take place in a parish and all candidates are parish candidates. We see the parish as playing a key role in providing support and continuity, even after the [children] have left school.
“We want to make sure that people realise that, wherever they are, they are members of a parish – a hub for celebration and formation,” Fr Fernandez said.
“The schools have their role and PREP have their role, we are all part of the Church, and we all work together in our different roles to help parents and children in their faith formation.”
The policy is set to be reviewed in 2018.