FIRST HOLY COMMUNION
When your child celebrates his or her First Holy Communion, it is a very special moment for them as they join us at the altar to be fed on the Body and Blood of Christ. It is also an important occasion for you, their parents, as you continue to form them in the Christian way of life by your own example, and now in a special way to prepare them for this Sacrament of Initiation into the life of the Church. You remember that you undertook to be the first teachers of your child in the ways of the faith when you requested to have them baptised. That responsibility continues now, as you help them to prepare for their First Holy Communion.
Your child is prepared for First Holy Communion through the efforts of different groups of people: your family, the catechists in the parish, the school and the parish community as a whole. The members of these groups in the faith community, each with special experience of what the Eucharist means in his or her own life, all come together to pass on their faith and the Church’s tradition on the Eucharist to our children.
All children being prepared to receive the Sacrament will participate in the celebration Masses which are part of the programme.
The programme also prepares each child to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation, which is God’s gift of forgiveness to them – this sacrament reminds us of God’s unending love for each one of us.
Each section of the programme focuses on an aspect of the Mass and will culminate in a celebration Mass. This will help your child to understand what they have been learning in the programme, bringing them to a good understanding of the Mass.
Please note that First Holy Communion is a parish celebration, not a school event. Children should attend their own parish.