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This section will guide teachers through the Alive-O approach to the sacrament of Reconciliation. It is designed to be of use to 2nd Class teachers who are preparing children for the sacrament for the first time, and also 3rd - 6th Class teachers who are preparing children to celebrate this important sacrament on a regular basis.
Approach
The Alive-O programme emphasises four key principals which underline its approach to the sacrament of Reconciliation:
- The Goodness of the child
- The interconnectedness of us all
- Jesus as the One who embodied the full potential of human goodness
- God’s never-ending love
Methodologies
 1. The story of The Good Shepherd
This parable helps the children to explore their own experiences of being lost and found through:
- Meditative prayer
- Art: Making sheep faces; Picturing the situation
- Video snippets
- Poetry
- Music
2. Little Beings
Alive-O uses stories about ‘Little Beings’ to help children reflect on why and how we separate ourselves from God’s love. The Little Beings help to explore attitudes that lead to sin. Little Beings are used because they are sufficiently different from the children to offer a safe distance at which their behaviours can be discussed (what is known in Drama as ‘the fictional lens’).
The Little Being lessons in Alive-O:
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Alive-O 3
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Alive-O 4
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Term 2, Lesson 2 - My Goodness
- Being Friends
- Being Eager
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Term 2, Lesson 2 - Being Me! Being Us!
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Term 2, Lesson 6 - Losing My Way
- Being Destructive
- Being Violent
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Term 2, Lesson 6 – Not Being Bothered, Not Being True
- Not Being Bothered
- Being Untrue
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Term 2, Lesson 7 - Still Losing My Way
- The Lost Temper
- Being Selfish
- Being Jealous
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Term 2, Lesson 7
- Being A Bully, Being Unfair, Being Selfish
- Being a Bully
- Being Selfish
- Being Unfair
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3. Reconciliation as Reconnecting
Reconciliation is presented as an opportunity for children to reconnect with God and with others. It is an experience of being ‘found’ by a loving God who wants nothing more than for us to be reconciled with God and with others.
Preparing for First Reconcilation: Practical Aspects
Alive-O offers the option of preparing children for an individual or communal celebration of the sacrament of reconciliation – Rite 1 or Rite 2. See:
- Getting Ready for the Celebration of First Penance (Alive-O 4, p.439)
- A Liturgy for the Celebration of First Penance (Alive-O 4, pp. 268-273)
Prayers for First Reconciliation
- Confiteor
- Act of Sorrow
- Prayers for and after Forgiveness
Celebrating the Sacrament of Reconciliation in 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th Classes
Of course, 2nd class is not the only class in which the Sacrament of Reconciliation is celebrated. Alive-O 5-8 provides opportunities for individual Reconciliation as well as a deepening of the understanding of the sacrament.
- Alive-O 5: Zacchaeus
- Alive-O 6: God’s Never-Ending Love
- Alive-O 7: Christian Morality
- Alive-O 8: In Relation to Reconciliation, Sacraments of the Church (1)
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