North Haledon (United States). To prepare the children to receive the Sacrament of the Eucharist, the FMA of the Community of Mary Help of Christians in North Haledon, of St. Joseph Province of the United States and Canada (SEC), organized an online retreat.
The FMA teach catechism to a population of first generation immigrant children in Jersey City, New Jersey. While the first retreat took place with the children present, with the Covid-19 pandemic, it was necessary to find a way to prepare the children to receive the Eucharist on August 16, 2020.
Following the example of Mother Mazzarello, who was the first to seek creative solutions to respond to the situations that arose, the FMA decided to use technology. With the help of presentations and multimedia resources, the sisters transformed the usual retreat into an interactive virtual retreat. The children reflected on the presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, drew the different places where God dwells, as narrated in the passages of the Scriptures – such as the tent of the meeting – and wrote a prayer of thanks to Jesus. Finally they were able to share their drawings through videoconferencing.
The children, parents, and the parish priest of the church of the Assumption of St. Patrick and of the parish church of All Saints appreciated this modality and the FMA had the confirmation that it is possible to reach the children and prepare them for the sacraments also through virtual activities and technological tools.
