By Ruth Ann Ruiz
The Post Newspaper Features Editor
Sister Betty Kalu, religious education director at Holy Family Parish, has been serving the children of the parish for six years, leading them along their spiritual paths. Sitting in her office, I asked her about her work with the children. The first thing that came to her mind is God’s promise.
She reverently began to recite Proverbs 22:6: “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”
She is blessed each year with the opportunity to watch as the young people whom she has helped guide in their religious education demonstrate their growth by receiving their First Communion.
Boys and girls make their way down the main aisle of Roman Catholic churches every spring as they participate in a spiritual rite of passage by receiving this sacrament. As they process, boys often wear white, blue or black suits, and the girls often wear veils, tiaras and white dresses that include layers of tulle.
The children attend catechism classes for two years before being able to receive the Eucharist. In their classes, they are taught the foundations of the Catholic faith.
The curriculum includes learning how to pray the Lord’s Prayer, the Apostle’s Creed and the Rosary. The children are also instructed in how to articulate their faith in preparation for receiving their First Communion.
In the Roman Catholic faith, receiving the Eucharist is a sacred experience because the Eucharist is not a symbol. The Eucharist is the body of Jesus Christ.
Sister. Betty shared that the day before the children receive their First Communion, she speaks to them about the significance of this next step in their faith journey.
“I tell them they are going to receive Jesus for the first time,” Sister. Betty said. “Even though we have practiced, this will be the first time. And when you are finished, you give your prayer of thanksgiving for Jesus coming into you.”
When I asked Sister Betty how she feels as she watches children she has guided for two years take the next step in their faith journeys, she seemed hesitant to describe her feelings. Nevertheless, a glow and a smile came over her face.
Finally, she said, “I feel fulfilled and excited.”
Sister Betty shared that she continues to keep each child in her prayers, requesting that he or she will live his or her life like a saint. She said she also asks the children to remember to live their lives as saints.
