For baptised children aged seven and over
If your child was baptised in another Christian Church or community and now wishes to become Catholic, they are very welcome.
Your child is already baptised and already Christian. The Catholic Church recognises every valid Christian Baptism. Baptism is therefore never repeated.
The Church also gives thanks for everything that has already helped your child to know and love Jesus Christ.
The first step is simply a conversation with the parish priest.
Is this the right pathway for my child?
This pathway is intended for a child who:
- is aged seven or over
- has received a valid Christian Baptism outside the Catholic Church
- has not already been received into the Catholic Church
- wishes, with the support of a parent or guardian, to become Catholic
- is ready to attend Sunday Mass and take part in suitable preparation
Because the child has reached the age of reason, they need their own preparation. They should gradually understand the faith they will profess and be able to respond to Jesus freely and sincerely.
A parent or guardian remains involved throughout the preparation.
A different pathway may be needed
- If your child has never been baptised, please visit Baptism for Children Aged Seven and Over.
- If your child was baptised Catholic, please visit First Confession and First Holy Communion.
- If your child is under seven, please contact the parish priest.
- If your child was baptised or chrismated in an Eastern Christian Church, please contact the parish priest before beginning.
- If you are unsure whether the Baptism was valid, please speak with the priest before using the preparation material.
What are you asking for?
You are not asking for your child to be baptised again.
You are asking the Church to help your child understand and profess the Catholic faith and enter into full visible communion with the Catholic Church.
This means sharing fully in:
- the Catholic faith
- the sacramental life of the Church
- communion with the Pope and the bishops united with him
- the prayer, worship and life of the Catholic community
The child is not simply preparing for a special day. They are preparing for a lifelong relationship with Jesus Christ within his Church.
How the pathway works
1. A family conversation
We begin by speaking with the child and their parent or guardian.
We will ask about the child’s Baptism, Christian upbringing, present religious practice and reasons for wanting to become Catholic.
Please bring a baptismal certificate if you have one.
The priest will establish whether the Baptism was valid and confirm that this is the correct pathway.
2. Sunday Mass and prayer
Sunday Mass is at the heart of preparation.
The family should begin attending Mass regularly while the enquiry and preparation are taking place.
Before reception into the Catholic Church, the child joins in the prayer and worship of the Church but does not yet receive Holy Communion.
Prayer should also become part of ordinary family life. This can begin simply with:
- the Sign of the Cross
- morning and evening prayer
- grace before meals
- the Our Father
- prayer before a crucifix
- reading a short passage from the Gospel
3. Catechism, conversation and practical activities
Our Coming into the Catholic Church Catechism contains sixteen gentle conversations to help children who are already baptised understand the Catholic faith and prepare to enter into full communion with the Church.
The book is designed to be shared with a parent, carer or parish mentor. No teaching experience, lesson preparation or additional materials are required. Everything needed for the conversations is included.
Each conversation follows six simple steps:
- Begin together – Start with a familiar question or experience, allowing the child to express what they think.
- Read together – Read the Catholic teaching slowly and clearly, explaining unfamiliar words and allowing time for questions.
- Talk and understand – Use the questions and suggested answers to explore what has been learnt. Encourage the child to answer in their own words.
- Remember – Learn one short catechism answer which expresses the central truth of the conversation.
- Pray together – Finish with a simple prayer asking Jesus for His grace and guidance.
- One small step – Choose a practical action to help the child put their faith into practice through prayer, Sunday Mass, kindness or family life.
There is no need to rush.
Around ten to fifteen minutes may be enough for one conversation. Some children may benefit from shorter conversations spread over several days. Others may wish to spend longer exploring particular questions.
Children should be encouraged to ask questions, develop understanding and grow in confidence at their own pace.
The suggested answers help parents and mentors explain Catholic teaching correctly. They are not intended to turn preparation into an examination.
Children may express their understanding through speaking, pointing, signing or other suitable means of communication. Reading, writing and memorisation ability are not tests of readiness.
Using the Activity and Conversation Companion
The optional Activity and Conversation Companion follows the same sixteen subjects and provides additional discussion ideas, demonstrations and practical activities.
Families and mentors may use it whenever extra help would be useful. It is not necessary to complete every activity, and the catechism itself contains everything needed for the sixteen conversations.
When discussing sin or preparing for Confession, adults should use invented situations. Children must never be asked to disclose the personal sins they intend to confess.
Preparation is more than completing a book
These sixteen conversations are not a sixteen-week course or a test to be passed.
Preparation also includes Sunday Mass, family prayer, personal conversion, growing understanding of Catholic teaching, and a sincere desire to enter into full communion with the Church.
The parish priest accompanies the child and family, discerning readiness according to the child’s understanding, circumstances, faith and developing Christian life.
The aim is not simply to finish sixteen conversations. It is to help a child who already belongs to Christ through Baptism grow in faith, freely profess the Catholic faith and enter the full sacramental life of His Church.
4. First Confession, reception and the Sacraments of Initiation
When the child is ready, the ordinary order is:
- First Confession
- Profession of the Catholic Faith
- Reception into Full Communion
- Confirmation
- First Holy Communion
First Confession normally takes place before the celebration of reception.
Profession of Faith, Reception into Full Communion, Confirmation and First Holy Communion will ordinarily take place together within the same Mass.
The priest will arrange the celebration personally with the family.
Preparation resources
Preparation catechism
Coming into the Catholic Church: A Preparation Catechism for Baptised Children
Our revised catechism contains sixteen gentle conversations for children aged seven and over who have already received valid Christian Baptism and are preparing to enter the full communion of the Catholic Church.
The book covers:
- God Calls Me to Follow Jesus
- The One God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit
- Creation, Sin and the Promise of Salvation
- Jesus Christ Our Saviour
- My Christian Baptism
- Sacred Scripture, Tradition and the Creed
- The Catholic Church and Full Communion
- Prayer, Sunday Mass and Christian Life
- The Commandments, Sin and Conversion
- Jesus Forgives Me in Confession
- The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass
- The Holy Eucharist and the Real Presence
- The Profession of Faith and Reception
- Confirmation and the Gift of the Holy Spirit
- Receiving First Holy Communion
- Living in Full Communion
Each conversation provides clear Catholic teaching, questions with suggested answers, one short catechism answer to remember, a prayer and a practical action.
The book also includes step-by-step guides to First Confession, the Profession of Faith and Reception, Confirmation, and Holy Communion.
Additional resources include the principal Catholic prayers, the Apostles’ Creed, the Ten Commandments, an optional summary catechism and a gentle readiness conversation to help the family and parish priest recognise the child’s developing understanding.
The catechism is complete in itself. Parents and mentors do not need teaching experience or additional materials to use it.
The sixteen conversations support a personal journey of faith. They are not a fixed course or a requirement to complete sixteen meetings before a sacramental date can be agreed.
DOWNLOAD THE PREPARATION CATECHISM
Activity and Conversation Companion
The Coming into the Catholic Church Activity and Conversation Companion is for parents, mentors and priests.
It provides a simple activity and conversation for each catechism lesson. No prepared talk, craft kit or separate workbook is required.
Each conversation follows the same pattern:
START WITH THE CHILD → DO SOMETHING CONCRETE → OPEN THE CATECHISM → TALK HONESTLY → CHECK THE CENTRAL TRUTH → PRAY AND ACT
Activities use ordinary items such as paper, handwritten cards, a crucifix, the catechism and a visit to the church.
Parents and mentors must never ask a child to reveal their real sins during preparation for Confession. Practice uses invented examples only. The child’s actual Confession remains private between the child, the priest and God.
DOWNLOAD THE ACTIVITY AND CONVERSATION COMPANION
Preparation app
The parish app contains the complete preparation teaching and questions.
It can be used by the child and parent together for learning and revision. It is an additional help, not a replacement for Sunday Mass, family prayer, conversation or personal accompaniment.
OPEN THE BAPTISED CHILDREN’S PREPARATION APP
Simple pathway guide
This short guide explains the whole pathway for the child and family.
DOWNLOAD THE BAPTISED CHILDREN’S PATHWAY GUIDE
Preparation is based on readiness
There is no automatic sacramental date simply because a child has reached a particular school year or completed a certain number of lessons.
The child should be ready, at a level appropriate to their age, to:
- express a personal desire to become Catholic
- understand who God is
- know who Jesus Christ is and what he has done for us
- understand that their valid Baptism is not repeated
- recognise the Catholic Church as the Church founded by Christ
- profess the Catholic faith sincerely
- distinguish an accident, temptation and a deliberate sin
- understand what happens in Confession
- make a private and honest First Confession
- understand that the Mass makes Christ’s one Sacrifice present
- believe that Jesus is truly present in the Holy Eucharist
- understand the gift of Confirmation
- receive Holy Communion reverently
- participate regularly in Sunday Mass
- begin living a Catholic life of prayer, charity and obedience to God
Readiness is not an examination and the child does not need perfect theological language. The priest looks for genuine understanding, faith, freedom and a growing Catholic life.
Parents and mentors help the child prepare. The parish priest makes the final decision about readiness and the celebration of the sacraments.
What happens at reception?
Before reception, the child makes their First Confession.
At the celebration of reception, the child makes the Catholic Profession of Faith freely and sincerely. The priest then receives them into full communion with the Catholic Church.
Because their Baptism is already valid, no new Baptism takes place.
The child is then ordinarily confirmed and receives the Holy Eucharist for the first time.
The precise arrangements depend upon the child’s Baptism, age, previous Christian formation and circumstances. The priest will explain everything beforehand and ensure that the child can practise the words and movements without pretending to celebrate the sacraments.
After reception
Reception into the Catholic Church is a beginning. The child continues to grow through Sunday Mass, Holy Communion, regular Confession, family prayer, Scripture, charity and belonging to parish life. The parish will continue to support the child and family after the celebration.
What should we provide?
When contacting the parish, please provide, as far as possible:
- the child’s full name
- the child’s date of birth
- the name of the church or Christian community where the child was baptised
- the date and place of Baptism
- a copy of the baptismal certificate
- details of the child’s present Christian practice
- whether either parent is Catholic
- details of any other sacraments the child may have received
- any learning, language or pastoral needs which may affect preparation
Do not worry if you cannot yet provide everything. The first step is still a conversation.
Begin the journey
Your child’s preparation does not begin with a form or an app. It begins with a personal conversation and grows within Sunday Mass, family prayer and parish life.
A parent may lead the preparation using the parish resources. A parish mentor can accompany the child and family where additional support would be helpful.
Come to Mass, begin praying together and contact the parish when you are ready to talk.
