East Coast Bays Church

Catholic Parish of East Coast Bays

ECB Sacramental Programme Question and Answer Sheet

My child has already received their First Holy Communion and First Reconciliation, do I have to attend all the sessions? 

Parishioners who are new to our parish will need to attend all the sessions with their candidate/s. Parishioners who have participated in a portion of our previous programmes will need to discuss their situation with The Sacramental Team. Please expect to attend at least 6 of the sessions.

 

My child has made their First Reconciliation and does not want to do another Reconciliation, can we skip it? 

Being reconciled with God is something that all Catholics need to do at the very least once a year (The Catechism of the Catholic Church) to help us live a ‘Life of Grace.’ If your candidate has a strong objection to making a reconciliation as part of the preparation for their sacramental journey please make an appointment with our Parish Priest, to see where you and your candidate can be further supported in your Sacramental Life. Those candidates who miss the Reconciliation Event will have to make a separate appointment with our Parish Priest to be reconciled before continuing on to being Confirmed.

 

I don’t want to be separated from my child/candidate for 15 minutes during the sessions, can I attend the session with my child? 

Children learn in different ways, and no one knows better than their parent or sponsor. Our Sacramental Programme respects your right to educate your own child in their faith, a tradition well established by the church. Our program is structured to help you do this in each session:

  • An introduction section where we introduce the topic at hand.
  • 15 minutes where we go over the materials in depth that you will need to cover with your candidate, while the children explore the topic at their own level in a classroom like setting. This gives them the opportunity for more interaction with the leader and the group.
  • 20 minutes where you and your candidate engage in an activity together that offers you a chance to find out what they got from their session with you building on the topic with what you have covered in your session. This is developed further with the apostolic project to do at home and the candidates journalling.

Educating parents and sponsors on The Catechism of the Catholic Church is the recommended methodology of our diocese. All materials covered in the Children’s sessions is available to you on request.

 

I am not practicing my faith and the teaching sessions are making me feel uncomfortable and challenged and I resent how ‘in my face’ the talks are. Can you teach so that I feel less intimidated? 

 We all find ourselves at different levels of involvement in our faith at different times and sometimes our experiences have ‘put us off’ our faith, but not so much that we want to turn away from it. This is personal to you and the catechists need to do their job for everyone. The Catechism of the Catholic Church is our source of information and we have an obligation to teach the fullness of faith. We don’t want to make you feel criticised and it might help to remember that the reason for attending the sessions is not recrimination, but a support so that you can offer your child as much as you can so that they develop a beautiful relationship with Jesus and the Sacraments where we meet Him personally. 

 

I don’t really want to be Catholic, but all of my child’s classmates are receiving the Sacraments and they want to join in. Can we do this programme when I have no intention of being Catholic? 

Our faith in Jesus Christ and our love for our Holy Catholic Church makes this programme an essential part of the way we live. When we promise to live our lives according to the path laid out for us by God the Father, Christ His Son and The Holy Spirit we are making solemn life changing promises. If you have no intention of practicing the Catholic Faith we will not be offended or judgmental, but we do ask that your follow up your decision to bring your child to the programme by understanding and fulfilling your responsibility to bring them to church and involve them in parish life as much as you are able. Attending the Alpha Programme in our parish will help you to understand some of the foundations of having a relationship with Christ.

 

I don’t like the sound of this programme – do I have other options? 

The Orewa Parish, Glenfield Parish and Takapuna Parish all offer Sacramental Programmes at different times and anyone is welcome to the programmes they offer. Carmel College and Rosmini College also offer Sacramental Programmes to their students if your child attends the school. Candidates who have been catechised reliably (and approved by our parish priest) outside of our parish, may with permission receive the Sacraments in the ceremonies organised for our candidates. Please inform the Sacramental programme leader well in advance so that approvals can be obtained.

 

Do I have to attend all the sessions? 

In the 10 sessions we organise, we cover all of the materials essential to begin your candidates education in faith. In truth the sessions only scratch the surface of the teachings of the Catholic Church. If you miss even a single session you miss the insight to a vast resource of our faith. It is for this reason that one of the parents or the sponsor attends all of the sessions and collects the materials to go over with the candidate if the candidate is unable to attend. Parents are not allowed to leave their child at the session unattended.

 

Sponsors? 

Your candidate’s sponsor must be a practicing Catholic who has been confirmed and is 16 or older. They should be available for regular conversations with the candidate and be present at the Confirmation Ceremony. If the parents and candidate are sick or unable to attend the session, the sponsor should attend the session and pass the teachings and materials on. Parents cannot be the sponsor for their child, but may stand in as proxy if their sponsor cannot attend the Celebration.

 

My child is not mature enough to understand the Confirmation materials, can we just do First Holy Communion? 

If your child is not mature enough to understand the Confirmation materials they should not be participating in Holy Communion our most precious Sacrament. Do not feel pressured by a classroom situation for your child to participate in the sacraments if you do not feel they are ready. The Bishop in Auckland has instructed that the order of the sacraments will be Confirmation, followed by First Holy Communion.

 

East Coast Bays Catholic Parish is not my home parish, why do I have to be on the Parish Roll? 

All Catholic parishes are required to keep records accurately and to report statistics to the Vatican. Today, all records in our parish are electronic. We need you to accurately fill in your information to keep on record, even if ECB is not your home parish. This also ensures that we print the certificates correctly. The Infoodle system we use takes 5 days for your registration to become visible in the groups. If you add your details within a week of the cutoff date for the programme please notify us on sacraments@ecbparish.org.nz

 

The dates and times for the sessions and ceremonies are not ideal can we change them? 

After years of running the programme these are the days and times that best suit most of the families.
Sessions are held on Sunday afternoons from 3:00PM to 4:30PM
The Reconciliation Ceremony will be held on a weeknight starting at 6:00PM @ St John’s Church
The Confirmation Ceremony and First Holy Communion Mass will be held on a weeknight (Friday) starting at 6:00PM @ St John’s Church with a celebration supper afterwards in the School Hall. (Bring and Share)

 

Does my candidate need a fancy outfit for the ceremonies? 

It is traditional to wear something red to your Confirmation Ceremony and something white to your First Holy Communion, but not a rule. We always try and wear our best clothes to celebrate the feast of our Heavenly Father, but please remember that the importance of the event lies in the experience of the sacraments and not in clothes or the celebrations.

 

What happens if we miss a session? 

Attendance is recorded for all of the sessions and if the child is unable to be present, the parents and or the sponsor can fulfill the obligation by being present and passing the materials on. To ‘make-up’ a missed session, the parent will be sent the talk along with a written homework assignment that will need to be emailed back and saved in our registrations to fulfil the attendance obligation. If a second session is missed you will be asked to enroll in the following years programme.

 

Marriage

A Christian marriage isn’t just a big ceremony held in a church with nice flowers and everyone wearing fancy clothes and taking lots of pictures. Marriage is an act of faith between a man and a woman who are both fragile and limited, but courageous enough to follow Christ and seek to love each other as he loves them’ Pope Francis.
At your wedding, you will make a commitment ‘to promise to be true to each other, in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, and to love and honour each other all the days of your life..’  Faithful to the teachings of Jesus Christ, we believe that marriage is life giving, permanent, exclusive and between a man and a woman.
The preparation forms to complete and the ceremony all assist you, the couple, to prepare for, and to appreciate what you are doing. With God’s grace, your bond of love is blessed and strengthened.

For information on planning and booking your Wedding in one of our churches please contact the
Parish Office.

Marriage Preparation  Programme :

Website: https://www.aucklandcatholic.org.nz/marriage-family-life/

Contact: Gerry Smith (Leader / co-ordinator)
Phone : 09 360 3025
Email : gerrys@cda.org.nz

Baptism

Baptism is the sacrament that marks the beginning of our life of faith.  In Baptism we are welcomed into God’s family and begin the journey of getting to know and understand the meaning of God’s love.  At East Coast Bays Parish, there are two programmes of preparation of the Sacrament of Baptism depending on the age of the person wanting to be baptised.
If your child is older than 7 years, please get in touch with the office or the Baptismal Co-ordinators.
Please contact our Baptismal Co-ordinators at baptism@ecbcatholic.org.nz for further information.

Baptism of a Child

For a baby to be baptised there needs to be a ‘well-founded hope’ that the child will be nourished in the knowledge and practice of the faith.  Parents may ask themselves about the ‘dream’ they have for their children and how faith is going to be nurtured in their child’s life.  At East Coast Bays Parish, the baptismal preparation programme for a child is in three parts:

  1. Participation in a Baptism Preparation Programme.
    Parents participate in this programme to explore their role as ‘first educators of faith’.
    Please contact our Baptismal Co-ordinators (baptism@ecbcatholic.org.nz) and complete online our Baptismal registration form to book the preparation course.
    It is essential to complete our online registration form.  We use the information on the registration form to prepare the Baptismal Certificate and to make a note of the date you have chosen for your child to be baptised.
    The Baptismal Preparation Programme runs bi-monthly. See the 2025 dates here below on this webpage.
  2. Presentation of your child to the Christian community at East Coast Bays at one of Sunday Masses (either at the 5:30pm Saturday Vigil Mass, or the 7:30am, 9am or 10:30am Sunday Mass). The presentation is a simple ritual that involves presenting and naming your child.
    “When children are presented to be given spiritual grace, it is not so much those holding them in their arms who present them – although, if these people are good Christians, they are included among those who present the children — as the whole company of saints and faithful Christians…. It is done by the whole Mother Church which is in the saints, since it is as a whole that she gives birth to each and every one of them” (St. Augustine)
  1. The celebration of Baptism then takes place the following Saturday at 11am.
    Due to the large number of requests for Baptism at East Coast Bays, the Rite of Baptism is celebrated communally on the 1st Saturday of the month at St. John the Baptist Church, Mairangi Bay.
    You will confirm the date/location you have chosen for your child to be baptised with the Baptismal Co-ordinators and on the registration form.  Individual Baptisms can occur at East Coast Bays Parish, however, it is the exception not the rule, and needs to be agreed by the Parish Priest.

If this is not your first child to be baptised and you have already completed a preparation programme, you are not required to participate in another programme.  You will only need to take part in the Presentation and Baptism steps as outlined above.
Please book directly with the Baptismal Co-ordinators and complete online our Baptismal registration form so that we can prepare the Baptismal Certificate.

If East Coast Bays Parish is not your usual place of workshop, we recommend that you contact your local parish.  Baptism is an important way of making a connection with your local parish and priests, and the future support your local community offers.  This is especially important if you will be looking to send your child to a local Catholic school.  If you already belong to another parish, then the baptism should take place there.

Please note: if your child is older than 7 years, please get in touch with the office or the Baptismal Co-ordinators.

For further information, please contact our Baptismal Co-ordinators at baptism@ecbcatholic.org.nz.

 

Baptism of an adult

The majority of Catholics are baptised into the membership of the Church as a baby or child and grow up in an environment where the Church is always part of their lives.  Some people, however, are moved by the Holy Spirit to consciously and freely seek Baptism later in their life journey.
During the first centuries, the growth of the Church grew largely through the Baptism of adults.  In recent years, the Church as returned to many of these first-century ceremonies for welcoming adults who seek baptism into the life of Christ.  The church teaches that through the application of Holy Water (Baptism) a candidate is cleansed from sins and begins a new life.  Before baptism, adults undergo a preparatory period to introduce them to the church’s teachings, creeds and prayers.

This journey of faith, this period of reflection and discovery, and the ceremonies that accompany it have been brought together in a programme the Church calls “The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults’ or ‘RCIA’. Please contact the office to book your place on this.
Click here for more information regarding the RCIA programme

The Celebration of Baptism

Gathering
Those who are being baptised, their families, friends and the community gather together.

Welcome
Words of welcome are exchanged.  The names that have been chosen for Baptism are announced and the parents’ desire to have their child baptised is expressed.

The Word
Everyone present listens to the Word of God (readings from Sacred Scripture)

Oil of Catechumens
To prepare for Baptism, the candidate is anointed with the Oil of Catechumens as a sign of Christs’ protective power.

Vows
All present renew their own baptismal vows.  Therefore, all Godparents need to be Christian, with at least one of them a baptised, practising Catholic.

Water
The Baptism takes place as the priest pours holy water over the forehead three times as he says the words of Baptism.

Oil of Chrism
The newly baptised are then anointed with Sacred Chrism as a sign of sealing with the gifts of the Holy Spirit.  Like Christ, the one baptised is now an ‘anointed one’.

White Clothing
As a sign of being a new creation clothed in Christ, the one who have been baptised is now covered in a white cloth.

Candle
As a sign of the light of Christ now present in the newly baptised, a candle is presented and lit from the paschal or Easter candle.

Blessing
Final prayers and a blessing are given so that all present may love and serve the Lord in peace and goodwill.

 

If you would like to get your child baptised, one parent (ideally both parents), need to attend a Baptism Course prior to the baptism of their first child. One parent must be a baptised Catholic.

The regular days for Baptisms are:
First Saturday of the month, 11am: St John’s church

For further information, please contact the office or leave a message at  09 478 4565 or contact us via email.
To enrol, please fill in our online form.

Please note the change of date: The next Baptism Preparation Course is scheduled for Tuesday, 03 March 2026 at 7pm.

 

 

 

Reconciliation

What’s in a name?  This sacrament is often referred to as Confession and is officially called Penance.  However today it is generally referred to as Reconciliation. These names refer to particular parts of the Sacrament. First, we feel sorrowful in our hearts, and have a determination not to sin again. We then confess our sins to a priest. After our confession and an Act of Contrition, we receive absolution of our sins and a penance to strengthen us to live fully and in love.  By receiving the sacrament we are reconciled.

Not only does the sacrament free us from our sins but it also challenges us to have the same kind of compassion and forgiveness for those who sin against us.   We obtain new insight into the words of the Prayer of St. Francis: “It is in pardoning that we are pardoned.”

Read more here.

Mass Times and Times for Reconciliation here.

 

Eucharist

The word Eucharist comes from the Greek word eucharistein, meaning “thanksgiving.” It is the memorial sacrifice by which bread and wine is changed into the body and blood of Christ.  The eucharistic host still looks and tastes like bread and the precious blood still looks and tastes like wine.  Catholics believe that the bread and wine have not transformed, because the form or appearance of the bread and wine has not changed. Instead, it is the substance of the bread and wine that has changed, and so Catholics teach that during consecration the bread and wine have been transubstantiated into the body and blood of Christ.

Read more here.

More information on the Parish Sacramental Programme here.

 

 

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