Students at parishes across the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, including St. Mary of the Hill in Hubertus (pictured), are preparing to receive First Communion this spring. (Submitted photo)
While the price of eggs has recently spurred some conversations, their utility as a teaching device remains unchanged.
Melinda Diels, the child minister at St. Mary of the Hill, Hubertus, uses the familiar food to illustrate the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist to children preparing for their First Communion.
Half the students will receive an egg that has been hard-boiled, while the other half will receive one that is still intact.
“Then we have them drop it and they enjoy that because they splatter,” Diels said. “Some of them make a mess and some of them don’t. (We ask them) did you know which was which? Could you tell by looking at it?”
The lesson for the students is meant to bring home the meaning of transubstantiation, noting that while nothing externally has changed, the substance of the item has.
“We give them that example to help them understand that even though it looks the same on the outside, things can be different on the inside,” Diels said.
Catechists throughout the 10 counties of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee have been combining creative, hands-on activities along with traditional instruction to help children — often but not always second graders — learn about the Eucharist and the forgiveness of sins offered through confession.
Before coming to St. Mary of the Hill in early 2020, Diels had been a middle school catechist for several years.
Not long after she arrived, the parish, which doesn’t have a school attached to it, moved faith formation from Monday night to Sunday morning after Mass.
Diels also looked through the teaching materials and realized they were the same materials her kids had used years earlier. Diels noted that it didn’t seem like students were retaining much of the information, so she switched to the Augustine Institute’s “Signs of Grace” because she felt like it was a comprehensive guide to formation for the Sacrament of First Communion.
The main takeaways students have from the materials, Diels said, is that they are loved and they are forgiven, as they also prepare for First Reconciliation.
“The only sin that’s not forgiven is the one that’s not asked for,” Diels said. “It’s good to develop that habit early. We use the analogy of it’s like when your mom comes in and helps you clean your room and everything’s in order. It’s easier for you to put stuff away at first, but then all of a sudden, one thing hits the floor, and then you’ve got something else that hits the floor. And if you don’t put it away, all of a sudden, your room starts becoming a mess again.”
The Augustine Institute’s materials have a companion series of videos for parents to watch to deepen their understanding of First Reconciliation and First Communion. Often, there are discussions with the parents about what they have learned, along with their children. Diels said she has had near universal participation among parents this year and they have been open about their participation in Reconciliation, whether it’s been years, or they regularly participate in the sacrament.
She said one of the parents who goes to Reconciliation regularly said, “I like going when I’m out of town because the priests might not know who I am, but if you do it on a regular basis, it’s easier.”
Another who hadn’t been in a while shared that they wrote everything thing down before going and the first thing the priest said to them was, “Welcome back.”
“It was really a nice testimonial, and I thought it was a great collaboration,” Diels said.
Diels said ideally students would have a year of faith formation under their belts before they enter second grade, which is when they are first offered those two sacraments.
The first part of the school year — September through December — is when students prepare for First Reconciliation. Diels’ students usually have a First Reconciliation retreat in January.
“At that retreat, we review what they had learned throughout the first couple months about Reconciliation,” she said. Parents are invited to receive the sacrament at the retreat, she added.
The emphasis during the First Communion preparation, which begins after the new year, is on love and presence, Diels said.
A week before the students receive their First Communion on May 4, they will have another retreat, where they will practice receiving the Eucharist.
Diels said the main takeaways she wants the students to have are that Jesus loves them and wants to be with them.
“He’s given himself to us in the form of bread and wine because that’s what we can handle, and it’s something that’s so simple and basic,” Diels said.
And not as messy as eggs.
