Frequently Asked Questions
If the below answers do not answer all your questions, we're also always available via the email address and phone number at the bottom of this page.
Our target for Growing Up Catholic First Reconciliation Preparation is January 2024. Growing Up Catholic Confirmation Preparation is slated for Summer 2024.
A print booklet set for use by one child with their parent(s) costs $11. A license for a parish to print one set is $4.50. A downloadable leader kit will be a one-time flat license fee of $20, covering multiple leaders.
The two editions are very similar and can be used concurrently within a family or a single whole family event. The edition for ages 10-14 includes some additional content required by the U.S. Bishops' Conformity Review process for this age range. The older edition also uses standard full Bible translations, rather than the simpler paraphrases found in the elementary edition. We have also updated some questions and other content to make them more age-appropriate. However, since this is a whole family resource, we generally explain concepts at a level that parents can understand well, and allow them to help their children to best understand them at their level.
First Eucharist preparation resources teach about the Mass and Eucharist, and Growing Up Catholic does so in a particularly enlightening way. The content will be fresh, relevant, and helpful to all families, not just those with children preparing for First Eucharist. We have heard many times that children and adults could use a refresher on the correct way to receive Eucharist, and surveys tell us that Catholics' understanding of the Real Presence could be characterized as fuzzy. For these reasons, the two products are almost identical, with the exception of direct references to receiving First Eucharist. This means that you can easily host whole family events including families using both resources.
The structure, basic format, and approach is very similar between the legacy and new edition of Growing Up Catholic First Eucharist. However, almost all of the content in the new edition is new, as well as a new design and multimedia components not found in the older edition. We have applied the over 15 years of experience we have gained since the first edition of Growing Up Catholic was published to this new work. It also reflects the growing reality of many families who are less engaged in the parish and skeptical about the relevance of church teaching and the Eucharist.
Please get in touch with us if you are in this situation. We are happy to credit whatever you have paid for unused download licenses toward the new edition.