A greater involvement of parishes and parents in preparing children for the sacraments has been expressed by a Sacraments Review Group in the Archdiocese of Dublin.

The Review Group carried out an online survey, with 1800 responses from parents, parishioners, clergy and parish workers, school principals and teachers.

According to a spokesperson for the Archdiocese all the voices in the survey said passing on the faith is primarily the responsibility of the home, with the help of the parish, rather than a total reliance on the school.

This would entail a significant shift of focus, from the current set-up where schools engage with children to a new set-up where parishes engage with parents.

The survey highlights the challenge of engaging with parents with different levels of faith: those who are churchgoers, others who are not churchgoers but profess to have faith, others again who see the sacraments as family milestones with no faith dimension.