First Holy Communion

The Eucharist is “the source and summit of the Christian life. The other sacraments, and indeed all ecclesiastical ministries and works of the apostolate, are bound up with the Eucharist and are oriented toward it. For in the blessed Eucharist is contained the whole spiritual good of the Church, namely Christ himself, our Pasch. – CCC, 1324

It is the Sacrament of the Body and Blood of our Saviour Jesus Christ. It is the gift of Christ Himself that we may share His Body and always remember the sacrifice of the Cross.

Jesus Christ is present – body, blood, soul & divinity – in the Holy Eucharist. We meet Jesus in person and receive Jesus himself at every Mass.

The First Holy Communion preparation course is a year-long programme for children aged 8 and above (generally Year 3 or above) in Catholic Schools, and the course runs from Sep to May. Children that complete the programme receive the Sacrament in our Parish in May/June.

Registration generally opens in the summer (June/July) and the course runs from Sep to May. Announcements about the opening of registration are made after every Sunday Mass and published in the Parish Newsletter a week or two prior. When registration begins, an online registration form is made available at the bottom of this page. 

Registration for the 2023-24 programme began on 25th June 2023 and ended on 30th July 2023. Registration for the 2024-25 programme is expected to open sometime in Jun 2024; please look at the parish newsletter for an announcement on the actual dates nearer to the time.

It is not possible to admit children in the middle of the year and families that miss the registration deadline will have to wait for the following year to register their child(ren).

Children who are not in Catholic school (or have not attended Catholic school in the UK in the preceding year) must first complete the Walk With Me programme before applying for First Holy Communion preparation. Please visit the Walk With Me page for further details.