Excite Students

We often hear from leaders that they struggle keeping students focused. They earnestly want to get the message of the Gospel through to these young hearts. At the same time, they want to share the Faith authentically and without watering it down.

With Renewed and Received, we channel children's innate curiosity and energy into a lifelong and lasting love for the Sacraments.

With powerful live-action videos that illustrate invisible spiritual realities in a powerful way, we work with children's imaginations to show them how real Faith is in their lives. Children stay moving throughout the class period and lesson plans feature activities for all learning styles. On top of that, Renewed and Received are both included on the USCCB Conformity List.

Engage Parents

It can be difficult to help parents move beyond the "check the box" mentality when it comes to Sacramental prep and to involve them as their child's primary catechist.

Renewed and Received feature parent resources with Fr. Mike Schmitz, Jackie and Bobby Angel, Sr. Josephine Garrett, and other dynamic presenters to inspire parents to be involved in their child's catechesis and lead them in Faith.

Additionally, we have pre-made parent follow-up emails available on Flocknote for each lesson of Renewed and Received to make it easy to keep parents in the loop.

Equip Catechists

Catechists often struggle to feel confident and equipped to share the Faith with their students or be able to manage a classroom.

This leads to a high turnover of catechists in so many parish programs.

Catechists need to be trained, but in a way that is sustainable and simple.

Renewed and Received include resources that will inspire and empower your catechists while also giving practical advice about managing a classroom and engaging parents. We’ve even collaborated with the National Catholic Partnership on Disability to include methods for engaging diverse learners!

State of the Art Videos

Renewed and Received offer 24 lessons of content (12 lessons for Renewed, 12 lessons for Received). That content includes some wonderful short videos, usually less than five minutes each, to keep children engaged.

These videos tell the story of a little girl named Felicity as she prepares for her First Reconciliation and First Communion. The children in your program will learn alongside her about things like sin, mercy, forgiveness, Christ’s love for each of us, and his Real Presence in the Eucharist.

Teaching about these things can be a little tricky. We believe in “the visible and the invisible” after all, right? So how can you teach about the invisible in a way that makes it easy to understand?

The videos in these programs solve this challenge brilliantly. We had a team of animators help us to show the children what is truly happening in these sacraments.

Gorgeous and Functional Student Workbooks

The Student Workbook is seamlessly integrated with the videos and includes 12 lessons with hands-on activities, prayers, saint connections, main content teaching, visio divina exercises, Bible stories, car conversations, take-home activities, discussion questions, and more.

Easy-to-Use Leader's Guides

The Leader’s Guides provide an overview and an easy seven-step structure for every lesson. It includes the complete Student Workbook content with wrap-around leader’s notes and helpful items like lesson objectives and interactive activities. It also offers detailed lesson plans for 45-, 60-, 90-, and 120-minute sessions, as well as plans for teaching a lesson over the course of a week in a school setting.

Take-with-you books for Mass and Reconciliation

Renewed by Jesus: My Guide to Reconciliation helps children discover the joy and peace that Christ offers us in this beautiful sacrament. This stand-alone book offers them a better understanding of God’s love and mercy through simple analogies and evocative imagery. This book is the perfect size for them to bring right into the confessional and leads them step-by-step through the whole process in simple language.

Receiving Jesus: My Guide to the Mass helps children become comfortable going to Mass by not only showing them when to sit, stand, and kneel and what to say but also explaining simply why we do the things we do at Mass. They’ll learn about the roles of the different people they see at Mass, like the ushers, lectors, cantors, deacons, and priests. This is the perfect book for them to bring to Mass!

Parent Certification Courses

The Renewed and Received Parent’s Certification Courses each provide four short sessions that offer spiritual encouragement and refreshment for parents, as well as guidance on how to help their child prepare for Reconciliation and First Communion. The course includes a digital Parent's Guide. Each lesson in your child’s book has a corresponding section in the Parent's Guide. Parents receive a certificate of completion when they finish the course.

Leader Certification Course

The Online Leader’s Certification is a six-session course that offers leaders a way to quickly and easily train their team to prepare children for both First Reconciliation and First Communion. Your team will receive inspiration and guidance to build up their spirits as they take on this important work. They’ll receive practical guidance on what to expect and how to respond to typical situations that are likely to arise. In the end, your team will come away with an increased sense of confidence and enthusiasm to serve the children and families in your program.

Prayer Cards

Every session of both Renewed: Your Journey to First Reconciliation and Received: Your Journey to First Communion offers a Friend on the Journey section featuring original artwork and reflections on a specific Catholic saint. The Complete Prayer Card Set provides a single copy of the twenty-four prayer cards available, drawn from the 24 lessons in the Renewed and Received programs.