Catechetical and ecclesiastic dimension of eucharistic formation

Abstract

Eucharistic formation of children, the youth and adults has been an organic part of the Church life upbringing and development of active participation in the  community of believers. This form activity also shapes the way believers participate in their family and social life. This formation type starts at the earliest phases of development and it is of initiation – catechumenate type, i.e. one is gradually introduced into religious culture and life. This is achieved through the catechumenal community which is initiated in the family and then followed with religious education groups, school classes and parish communities. The child’s preparation for the First Communion is a crucial phase of the initiation. This preparation is a part of the upbringing for Eucharist; it is based on a close cooperation between the family and religious education milieus in conjunction with the parish community. Not only is this a religious formation, but it also sets the grounds for religious education disciples so as they are enabled to become an active part of the reality they have come to live in. This needs to be strictly correlated with the general development of an individual as well as with its moral life advancement.