tHE eUCHARIST (First Holy Communion)
The Body & Blood of Jesus Christ
At every Mass, the Eucharist is celebrated. Bread and Wine become the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Jesus Christ.
The Mass, the celebration of the Eucharist, is the source and summit of the Christian life.
(Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy #10)
Theology
Jesus said, “I am the bread of life. . . . I am the living bread which comes down from heaven. . . . Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you; he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats me will live because of me. This is the bread which came down from heaven, not such as the fathers ate and died; he who eats this bread will live for ever” (from John 6).
Jesus instituted the celebration of the Eucharist at his Last Supper with his disciples and asked us to continue to participate “in remembrance” of him. As a sacrament of initiation, every time we receive Jesus’ body and blood in the Eucharist, we are re-initiated and re-membered into his mystical body.
Preparation for Eucharist
For those raised in the Catholic Church, preparation for to receive the Eucharist begins at baptism as the children are formed throughout their life to participate in the faith. They should go to Mass regularly and be brought up in the customs of the faith (prayer, liturgical calendar, service, etc.).
Sacramental-specific catechesis begins in 1st grade in our First Holy Communion Preparation program. Preparation is a two-year process that culminates in the reception of the Eucharist in 2nd grade during the Easter season. Children in 1st grade attend regular faith formation classes where they learn about the Catholic faith. Our Elementary Faith Formation curriculum, Word of Life series, includes supplemental chapters for 2nd grade which explore both First Reconciliation and First Holy Communion more in-depth to prepare the children to receive these sacraments.
Youth who wait until high school to receive First Holy Communion will prepare to receive both First Holy Communion and Confirmation at their Confirmation Mass.
The Age of Reason is 7-years-old; therefore, children ages 7 and older must freely desire to receive Sacraments in the Catholic Church.
For children and youth who are already baptized, the Catholic Church recognizes most Christian baptisms if they are Trinitarian (baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Spirit). Children and youth who are baptized Christian will spend two years of formation for the RCIC – Rite of Christian Initiation for Children – receiving First Reconciliation in December of Year 2, then Confirmation and First Holy Communion during the Easter Vigil Mass of Year 2.
Children and youth who are unbaptized will spend two years of formation for the RCIC – Rite of Christian Initiation for Children – receiving Baptism, Confirmation, and First Holy Communion during the Easter Vigil Mass of Year 2, then First Reconciliation anytime afterwards.
While each family’s situation is unique, preparation for the RCIC is typically two years attending parish Faith Formation classes with some additional content and meetings focused on the Sacraments they are preparing to receive. Please contact our Director of Faith Formation to discuss your child(ren)’s specific needs.
Those interested in becoming Catholic should join the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA). The RCIA is a process of spiritual growth and learning about Catholicism. Through the RCIA, you are invited to enter into a relationship with God and the Church. Those who go through the RCIA and wish to become Christians receive baptism, confirmation, and the Eucharist at the Easter Vigil. Those who are already Christian and desire full communion with the Catholic Church will receive confirmation and the Eucharist at the Easter Vigil. Contact our Director of Faith Formation or our RCIA Coordinator to join RCIA.
Non-Catholics are warmly welcomed to the Mass, and we are gladdened by their presence. Although they may not receive Holy Communion due to the sad divisions in the Body of Christ, they are encouraged to unite themselves to Christ in prayer, that all may be one and that the divisions between us may cease.