Areas of Responsibility Each Sacramental Programme requires a team of parishioners & friends willing to give the time to support the sessions & help them run smoothly.
The Team’s General Task
(The Baptism Team has different tasks from those noted here.) In every session, participants sit in small groups round a table. This is to enable them to find their voice easily. When they talk about each idea, they can begin to make it their own.
During the session,Team members circulate among the groups to:
Encourage the parents (and children) to focus on the task and take part in the action; Help them to stay in touch with one another; Prompt them to respond to questions - not answer for them! Make sure every parent who wants to talk is heard; Offer a brief personal farewell comment to each at the end of the session.
There are also some particular tasks:
Presenting the Workshops
1. All Sacraments are based on human experiences, such as meals and making up quarrels. The workshops begin from these ordinary activities and encourage parents’ use of them to prepare their child for receiving the Sacraments. 2. The aim is to help parents appreciate that they have a great deal of influence for good and that they could make maximum use of it to help their children.
Presenter’s Task
The Presenter has to have a clear grasp of the central point of the session and lead everyone towards it. Yet giving information is not his/her main task. The Presenter is first of all an animator, encouraging the parents to explore their personal thoughts and feelings through the activities and discussions.
Material Resources
The smooth running of each session depends on the relevant materials being in place.
Resource Person’sTask
A Resource Person takes responsibility for materials being carefully prepared, laid out, cleared up and stored. He/she also sees that the room is ready in good time - sharing any moving of furniture with the whole Team. This needs to be done well before any participants arrive. Tables are placed in a semicircle with about five/seven chairs at each table. No chair is placed at the tableend nearest to the presenter. The room is arranged so that everyone can easily see the presenter, the charts and displays, as well as conveniently discuss with the table-group, without having to turn chairs round.
Charts
Charts are useful on some occasions to help participants gather their thoughts and focus attention on the central point of the session. They can also be used to give parents a few clear statements which summarise what has been presented during the evening.
Writer’s task
The chart writer needs to know what the presenter is trying to do in each session. Then, if a response contains words that connect well with the session’s aim, these words should be used on the chart. But all answers are acceptable. The writer should not try to change them to fit the session’s goal! It is important to know what people are thinking, so no one’s contribution can be wrong - though it may well be off the point!